INTERFAITH ALLIANCE STATE OF BELIEF RADIO JUNE 7, 2014

RUSH TRANSCRIPT: Welton Gaddy

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[REV. DR. C. WELTON GADDY, HOST]: Id like to take a minute to
comment on the remarkable and relentless attacks on Barack Obama
for freeing an active duty American soldier.
The disingenuousness of the rhetoric has been nothing short of
breathtaking. As our friend Rachel Maddow scrupulously
documented, a long list of conservative political leaders at first
celebrated Bergdahls release, and then, as if guided by a dog
whistle, deleted their congratulatory tweets, posts, and press releases
and proceeded to condemn the President of the United States, the
POW, the POWs family, and anything else within firing range. These
same leaders had complained that Obama had not done enough to
free Bergdahl, and a number of them had grumbled that an exchange
of prisoners shouldnt be so hard to do. But of course that was before
the President did just what they had urged.
Perhaps the dirtiest demonstration of what has come to pass for
political discourse in this country came in the form of a fundraising
email sent out by the Family Research Council President Anthony
Perkins. Perkins managed to contrast Barack Obamas action
regarding Bergdahl with his supposed inaction in the case of Meriam
Ibrahim, the woman in Sudan condemned to death because of her
marriage to a Christian man.
Set aside, for a moment, if you will, that action in the latter case
would, out of necessity, be taking place far from the public eye. And I
dont think weve got any Sudanese captives lying around, just
waiting to be exchanged.
How nakedly political does a group like FRC need to become before
its supporters finally take notice of what theyre really saying and
doing? What kind of morality allows a prominent, supposedly religious
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leader to basically declare that the freeing of an American soldier,
captured and imprisoned for five years, was somehow a mistake.
Since when do we pre-emptively court-martial our men and women in
uniform in the court of public opinion?
Theres a bitter anecdote about the more hypocritical of the anti-
abortion and even anti-birth control activists, who treasure every life
until birth and then work to cut benefits for child nutrition and health.
This is kind of the same type of thing: its patriotic to send our troops
into battle but somehow contemptible to work to bring them home.
For politicians, politics is in their job description. And so even the
most crass twists of logic can be understood as serving the purpose
of knocking the President no matter how transparently dishonest.
But for leaders of well-funded organizations to lower themselves to
the same level, while claiming some kind of moral authority on
religious grounds well, it just doesnt really get much lower than
that. A president this president was wrong to work to free an
American POW. Thats the message from todays Family
ResearchCouncil. What a shame. Not much there for Bowe
Bergdahls family. Not much research, either, when you look at the
long history of post-conflict exchange of prisoners. And it sure wasnt
wise counsel that led Perkins to lay his organizations credibility on
the line, just for the sake of a cheap political shot.
So well discuss the ethics of prisoner exchange another time. For
now, lets never fail to notice how principles, human lives and religion
itself have become nothing more than cannon fodder in the anti-
Obama culture wars.

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
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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.

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 leads the national
non-partisan grassroots and educational organization Interfaith
Alliance and 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 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
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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
in Jackson, Tennessee and his doctoral degree and divinity training
from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,
Kentucky.
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