INTERFAITH ALLIANCE STATE OF BELIEF

RADIO FEBRUARY 14, 2015

RUSH TRANSCRIPT: JACK MOLINE
Click here for audio

[REV. DR. C. WELTON GADDY, HOST]: Rabbi Jack Moline has hit
the ground running in his first weeks as Executive Director of
Interfaith Alliance. And no wonder theres no shortage of areas of
concern for the Alliances membership, both in the headlines, and
behind the scenes in the nations capital. And so Im very happy to
welcome Rabbi Moline back for what will be, Im glad to say, an
ongoing series of conversations here on State of Belief Radio.
Jack, welcome!
[RABBI JACK MOINE, GUEST]: Its always a pleasure to be talking to
you, Welton, wherever it is.
[WG]: Thanks, man! With so many different things happening in our
country that directly impact religious freedom right now, Im curious as
to whats on top of everything else on your desk.
[JM]: Whats on top of my desk is my laptop! But whats on my laptop
is whats important. We were just fascinated by what happened in
Alabama this week. On the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday its
almost exactly we have a situation in which the government of the
state of Alabama is once again defying the federal courts in their

instructions about extending civil rights to a disadvantaged group.

And were watching it carefully.
The lovely thing about this for us, Welton, is because of all the good
work that youve done everyones on our side now. And so theres
very little Interfaith Alliance has to do to persuade anybody. Were just
sort of watching this unfold, and getting ready to be as supportive of
people who want to formalize their love for each other according to
the Constitution.
[WG]: So are there specific plans related to that? Or youre just being
sensitive to where the dynamics are and where you can respond, you
will?
[JM]: So heres the best news I can give you: we were all prepared
yesterday and I know that your listeners are listening to this a
couple of days after we record it but yesterday was when this news
came down. We were all prepared to get together a group of pastors
from around the country to go to Alabama and be available for
officiating at same-sex marriages.
And I called a couple of friends of mine down there and they said,
Theres no need. They are so excited to be able to extend these
rights and privileges to people in Alabama that theres no shortage of
pastors, of rabbis, of ministers who are willing to officiate at these
ceremonies. So we were very happy not to have that responsibility on
ourselves; that the people of Alabama really are behind this.
[WG]: Oh, thats great news. We had someone on the show either last
week or the week before who has been really surprised at the
average person in Alabama stepping forward and saying, OK, if its

time to do that, well do it. So I guess Judge Moore may be more

alone than he knows!
[JM]: You know, I remember my encounters with the good judge over
the Ten Commandments issue a number of years ago, and I know
hes a man of deep personal principle. He seems to be having a little
trouble distinguishing his opinions from the Constitution.
[WG]: Jack, this is one of those questions that is just going to go on
and on, probably, but how can we best diminish the power of
divisiveness along religious lines that is such a powerful force in our
nation right now?
[JM]: I dont want to get too philosophical on you here, Welton, but I
think that we live in a period of change. And change is upsetting to
people even when its change for the better and they look to
familiar forms and ideas to give them a sense of stability in a churning
sea. What we have to do and those of us who are in the clergy have
a special responsibility what we have to do is reassure people that
what seems to be change to them is really progress. And if we can
help deliver that message from a faith-based perspective to
persuade them that just because things were always done this way
doesnt mean that they will always be done this way I think if we can
do that, we will have not only created a better society for America; we
will have, each of us in our own way, fulfilled the mandates of our
philosophies and our faith.
[WG]: Jack, when I think about your faith tradition and the faithfulness
and loyalty with which youve related to that tradition, I realize there is
a long and important history of Jewish openness to interreligious
cooperation. Can you identify where that comes from, and can it help
inform the importance of the kind of work youre now doing?
3

[JM]: Well, I think that you can see both trends for religious
communities in America in the history of Jews and their relations with
other faith communities. When youre a minority - as Jews have been
everywhere for the past 2000 years except in the last almost 70 years
of the State of Israel when youre a minority, you have to find a way
to go along to get along. And there are, really, two ways to do that.
One is to build up walls around you and to isolate yourself and to feel
that youre protecting something that will be compromised and maybe
even sullied by contact with other groups; and the other is to trust that
what you have is so sustaining that it will only benefit from your
contact with other groups. What youve seen of cooperation from the
Jewish community with other faith communities and social
movements is an illustration of that latter description.
We have our communities too, as do Christians and Muslims and
Hindus and Buddhists, who feel that its important to shut the outside
world out, and to maintain an integrity within. I think part of the
problem we have as the Interfaith Alliance is that some of those
groups are now trying to legislate that insularity, and use it as a
means of discriminating against other minorities whose practices they
dont agree with.
[WG]: Jack, this is a question that is on my mind a lot, and it really
has implications that disturb me; but I still need to ask it: do you see a
bias against any reference to religion in progressive advocacy
circles? Certainly, many initiatives are built on morality thats directly
connected to core beliefs including religious beliefs for many
people. But whats the language that we need to help make that
connection explicit? Because Im afraid that too often, we continue to
cede the language of faith and freedom to the right.

[JM]: I think youre absolutely right, Welton, and I think that our fear of
being identified with the people who have misconstrued the language
of faith is having a chilling effect on the rhetoric that were willing to
use.
Im completely unembarrassed and I hope any person of faith who
has progressive values is unembarrassed to say that the mandate
that I feel to act on behalf of the wellbeing of my fellow citizens and
my fellow children of God comes from within my faith tradition. Its not
a repudiation of that; it is, in fact, a fulfillment of it. Its the prophetic
motive in the Jewish tradition, and one that I hope we admirably
pursue. But because weve gotten nervous about people who are
thumping their pulpits, or who are using inflammatory approaches to
social issues in the language of faith, weve become a little afraid to
use that language; and I think that there are people who are hostile to
religion particularly in the progressive community who are willing
to take advantage of that, and use it as a means of disparaging
anybody who professes religious faith.
[WG]: Jack, from the very beginning of Interfaith Alliance, there has
always been an election year program; and most of the time, that
election year program was launched at the beginning of a presidential
election year, for sure, and off-year elections to a lesser degree.
Listening to people stepping in, throwing their hats into the ring to be
considered as a candidate for the presidency this next time around, is
beginning so early that Im wondering what youre thinking about,
dealing with the whole relationship between religion and politics and
the manipulation of politics and religion on each other. Are you going
to have to do that even earlier than you thought?
[JM]: We may very well have to do it earlier than we thought, but
were not going to advance our timetable just because there are
5

people who cant hold their tongues about their aspirations until an
appropriate moment. Weve already started talking to some younger
and articulate scholars in the various religious communities that make
up our nation about coming together to write and to discuss the
intersection of civic responsibilities and their own religious faith their
own faith communities to interact with each other, and to be able to
present to America a case for being both faithful and civically-active.
And Im hoping to get that up and running sooner rather than later.
But the urgency I feel is because of the urgency of the issue, not
because there are a dozen people who are lining up to get their name
first on the ballot somewhere.
[WG]: Well said. And I do have to ask you and this is just personal,
though were talking on radio, I still want to ask it in a personal way
has God told you yet who ought to be President?
[JM]: Yes. But unfortunately, I told him I wasnt available. So were just
going to have to wait and see who else is around.
[WG]: Jack, Interfaith Alliance sponsors this radio program, State of
Belief Radio. Every week, I urge listeners to join the alliance. At the
end of every broadcast I say, You need to get on the website and join
Interfaith Alliance today. But look: youre here today. And so I want to
give you the time to make the pitch directly to State of Belief listeners;
the pitch for getting involved in the crucial work of Interfaith Alliance.
[JM]: Thank you, Welton. Thank you very much.
So, heres what I would say to listeners: those of you who know about
State of Belief, those of you who know about the extraordinary work
that Welton Gaddy has done through Interfaith Alliance and through
this broadcast, know that there is no voice for faith and freedom like
6

us in the country. We are not a huge organization; we dont have the

resources of a national political party; and we dont have the
aspirations of any particular denomination evangelical, with a small
e, or otherwise. But we are a unique and important voice that
defends the rights of people of faith to be as unencumbered as
possible by government; and to defend the government from being
encumbered by the expressions of faith that would interfere with the
free practice of democracy by American citizens.
Only by your support are we able to continue that work. And your
membership is certainly very much appreciated; your contributions
over and above basic membership levels help to support us; and if
there is something that we can be doing with the resources that you
can provide wed love to hear from you, and wed love to talk to you
about dedicating some projects, in your locality and nationally, to
defending faith from freedom, freedom from faith, and the wonderful
interaction that can be for the benefit of all of us.
[WG]: Thank you, Jack.
Listeners, you can go to stateofbelief.com, and right there you can get
in touch with Interfaith Alliance; make a contribution; you can also
sign up for our podcast if you want to there. Jack Moline would love to
hear from you, and one of the best messages you can send is that
youre joining the numbers all over the United States who are
supporters of Interfaith Alliance.
Jack Moline has served as a congregational rabbi for over 30 years,
most recently at the Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria,
Virginia. Having held a number of leadership positions for numerous
Jewish, interfaith and community organizations, Jack is the new
Executive Director for Interfaith Alliance. Im glad were going to be
7

talking with him regularly on State of Belief Radio; I appreciate the

work hes doing. Jack, Im looking forward to more conversations
broadcast on State of Belief.
[JM]: I cant wait myself, Welton. Thanks for having me on again.

Rabbi Jack Moline

Jack Moline is Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance. In a career
spanning four decades, he has established himself as a powerful
voice fighting for religious freedom for all Americans, regardless of
their faith or belief system. As a rabbi, he has worked to create
common ground between people of diverse religious and secular
backgrounds. As an advocate, he has led efforts to secure services
for this disabled, increase the supply of affordable housing, promote
marriage equality, ensure pay equity and especially, protect civil rights
for people of all faiths and sexual orientations.

A native of Chicago, he holds the title of Rabbi Emeritus of Agudas

Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, where he served for 27
years. Rabbi Moline is an adjunct faculty member of the Jewish
Theological Seminary and the Virginia Theological Seminary,
educating future leaders in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith
communities.
A long time board member of Interfaith Alliance, serving as chair of
the board from 2006-2008, Rabbi Moline comes to this role with a
wealth of experience in interfaith advocacy. In addition to his work
with Interfaith Alliance, he has served as chair of the Interfaith
Relations Committee of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, vice
president of the Washington-Baltimore Rabbinical Assembly and
board member of the Faith and Politics Institute. He serves on the
advisory boards of Clergy Beyond Borders and Operation
Understanding DC. He has served as president of the Washington
Board of Rabbis and is past chair of the Alexandria Interfaith
Association. He also served as the first director of public policy for the
Rabbinical Assembly and was executive director of NJDC.
Rabbi Moline also has advised and written for many public figures,
including President Bill Clinton, for whom he provided advice on
international affairs and the presidents personal challenges. He was
invited to offer a blessing to the Obama and Biden families before the
2013 presidential inauguration.
Rabbi Moline has authored two books and has contributed to many
publications. He is a popular speaker and has offered commentary on
PBS, CNN, CBS, Fox News, the Washington Post, National Journal,
Huffington Post and other news outlets.

Rabbi Moline is a graduate of Northwestern University (School of

Communications, 1974). He studied to become a rabbi at the
University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University) in Los
Angeles and the Jewish Theological Seminarys (JTS) Jerusalem and
New York campuses. Ordained in 1982, he received an honorary
doctorate from JTS in 2012. He became full-time rabbi and part-time
Jewish chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury,
Connecticut upon ordination. In 1987, he became rabbi of Agudas
Achim Congregation of Northern Virginia, in Alexandria.
Rabbi Moline is a long-suffering supporter of the Chicago Cubs. He
lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife of 37 years. He is the father of
three grown children and the proud grandfather of one.

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy

Author of more than 20 books, including First Freedom First: A
Citizens Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of
Church and State, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy led the national nonpartisan grassroots and educational organization Interfaith Alliance
for 16 years, retiring in 2014. Dr. Gaddy continues his work with the
Alliance as President Emeritus and Senior Advisor. He serves as
Pastor for Preaching and Worship at Northminster (Baptist) Church in
Monroe, Louisiana.
In addition to being a prolific writer, Dr. Gaddy hosts the weekly State
of Belief radio program, where he explores the role of religion in the
life of the nation by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in America,
while exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion

10

for partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government

for sectarian purposes.
Dr. Gaddy provides regular commentary to the national media on
issues relating to religion and politics. He has appeared on MSNBCs
The Rachel Maddow Show and Hardball, NBCs Nightly News and
Dateline, PBSs Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and The Newshour
with Jim Lehrer, C-SPANs Washington Journal, ABCs World News,
and CNNs American Morning. Former host of Morally Speaking on
NBC affiliate KTVE in Monroe, Louisiana, Dr. Gaddy is a regular
contributor to mainstream and religious news outlets.
While ministering to churches with a message of inclusion, Dr. Gaddy
emerged as a leader among progressive and moderate Baptists.
Among his many leadership roles, he is a past president of the
Alliance of Baptists and has been a 20-year member of the
Commission of Christian Ethics of the Baptist World Alliance. His past
leadership roles include serving as a member of the General Council
of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, President of Americans United
for Separation of Church and State, Chair of the Pastoral Leadership
Commission of the Baptist World Alliance and member of the World
Economic Forums Council of 100. Rev. Gaddy currently serves on
the White House task force on the reform of the Office of Faith Based
and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Prior to the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist
Convention (SBC), Dr. Gaddy served in many SBC leadership roles
including as a member of the conventions Executive Committee from
1980-84 and Director of Christian Citizenship Development of the
Christian Life Commission from 1973-77.
Dr. Gaddy received his undergraduate degree from Union University

11

in Jackson, Tennessee and his doctoral degree and divinity training

from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,
Kentucky.

State of Belief Radio

State of Belief is based on the proposition that religion has a positive
and healing role to play in the life of the nation. The show explains
and explores that role by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in
America the most religiously diverse country in the world while
exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion for
partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government for
sectarian purposes.
Each week, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy offers listeners critical
analysis of the news of religion and politics, and seeks to provide
listeners with an understanding and appreciation of religious liberty.
Rev. Gaddy tackles politics with the firm belief that the best way to
secure freedom for religion in America is to secure freedom from
religion. State of Belief illustrates how the Religious Right is wrong
wrong for America and bad for religion.
Through interviews with celebrities and newsmakers and field reports
from around the country, State of Belief explores the intersection of
religion with politics, culture, media, and activism, and promotes
diverse religious voices in a religiously pluralistic world.

12