"What Can I Do?" Skye Perryman's New Book Answers the Question

"What Can I Do?" Skye Perryman's New Book Answers the Question

Author: Interfaith Alliance August 16, 2026 Duration: 51:25
How is public paralysis an actual tool of authoritarianism? Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman lays out the answer in conversation with host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on The State of Belief. She’s written the ultimate antidote, a book titled Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy. Listen to this week’s episode for Skye’s key action items including: • Audit your information intake and identify what is helping or harming your understanding. • Replace doomscrolling with one concrete action, even if it only takes five minutes. • Practice speaking across difference without surrendering your values. • Find one local or national way to support democracy work this week. • Treat courage and joy as part of the same long-term civic practice. You’ll come away changed and with a renewed sense of hope and possibility. The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, The State Of Belief is a weekly conversation that lives at the intersection of faith and public life, presented by the Interfaith Alliance. Each episode brings together a thoughtful and often surprising mix of voices-from religious leaders and activists to artists and civic strategists-for discussions that are as engaging and humorous as they are deeply meaningful. These dialogues move beyond abstract theory, offering a grounded look at how spiritual wisdom informs practical action and political engagement in real time. Tuning in, you’ll hear a potent blend of personal stories, strategic insight, and hopeful analysis from people working on the front lines of communities nationwide. The podcast operates from a simple but vital premise, captured in its tagline: “Where Religion and Democracy Meet.” It’s a space designed not for debate, but for exploration, examining how diverse beliefs shape our collective pursuit of justice and democracy. If you’re looking for a source that takes the pulse of faith in America with intelligence, warmth, and a sense of urgency, this is the series for you.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The State Of Belief
Podcast Episodes
The Defiant Divine Journey of the Rev. Dr. Molly Marshall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:10
This week on The State of Belief, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes a living legend: Rev. Dr. Molly T. Marshall, a pioneering voice in theological education and an advocate for gender justice in the Church. As…
How Christians Can Defend Democracy Against Christian Nationalism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:07
“It is as bad as you think it is - and probably worse.” Those chilling words from Dr. Robert P. Jones, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush’s guest this week, mirror the gravity of the title of his new book: Backslide: Reclaim…
Protect Democracy’s Ian Bassin: Freedom Is Still Up to Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:18
Is the chaos of today’s American politics accidental? Not at all, according to Protect Democracy Executive Director Ian Bassin. This week, he tells host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush about the seven-point playbook of mo…
Human in the Lead: Cheryl Contee on the Future of AI and Faith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:51
AI is all around us – and you've probably been affected by both the hype and the scaremongering. The fact is, harnessing it for the good is as much a question of ethics and intentionality as it is of technology. That’s a…
We Need Good Trouble Now: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of John Lewis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:25
This weekend, July 17-19th, people across this country are carrying on the legacy of the late civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who famously called the work of justice “making good trouble.” It’s the “Good Tr…
Faith and FIFA: Religion at the World Cup [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:41
Have you noticed how faith and belief have been showing up on one of the biggest stages in sports? From prayer circles to Islamic sujood, religion is shining bright at the World Cup. Religion News Service’s Madhiha Anis…