Paul Raushenbush

On July 22, 2022, it was announced that Raushenbush would become the new president and CEO of The Interfaith Alliance, replacing Rabbi Jack Moline. Raushenbush was asked the question: "Is separation of church and state going to be a big issue for the Interfaith Alliance?" Rev. Paul Raushenbush replied:"Absolutely. The origin of church and state is to protect religion from over-encroachment by the state. Public schools should be places where people can come as they are. That includes nonreligious people, whether secular humanists or atheists. I’m not interested in erasure. I want to draw the line at making religion positive and non-coercive." == Political Views and Alliance Leadership ==

Raushenbush has been critical of the Trump administration’s positions on religious freedom, especially as it pertains to democracy, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. He participated in local protests in Minneapolis after the killings of Renée Nicole Macklin Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti by U.S. federal immigration agents. Raushenbush has stressed the importance of peaceful protests by faith movements and communities against ICE. Raushenbush and Interfaith Alliance are named co-plaintiffs in a 2026 lawsuit, The Interfaith Alliance v. Trump, filed against the Trump Administration’s Religious Liberty Commission in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging that the commission’s almost exclusively Christian membership undermines religious freedom and violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act. On February 24, 2026, Raushenbush delivered the opening remarks at the People’s State of the Union, a live counterprogramming event to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union featuring Democratic elected officials and progressive leaders. Raushenbush stated that the Trump administration is “the most hostile to religious freedom in generations” and has “weaponized religion for their white Christian nationalist crusade.” Raushenbush has been a critic of book and library censorship, attempts to insert religion into public schools, and attacks on NGOs and civil society. ==Bibliography==