The New Yorker Radio Hour: William Barber, and the Question of Faith and Politics

'In January, 2021, the Reverend William J. Barber II of the Greenleaf Christian Church delivered the homily for the inaugural prayer service. His appearance, speaking to, and for, the new Administration, was significant. Politics and religion go hand in hand for Barber, but his agenda is diametrically opposed to that of the Christian right, which has so deeply influenced U.S. politics. Barber thinks that conservative Christians who focus on banning abortion and limiting L.G.B.T.Q. rights—rather than ministering to “the poor, the broken-hearted, the sick, ... the stranger, and all of those who are made to feel unacceptable”—may be guilty of “heresy.” Progressives, Barber believes, made a mistake in walking away from Christianity during the rise of the Moral Majority.' -- The New Yorker Radio Hour