THE ONE THING EVERYONE CAN DO
FAITH IN PUBLIC LIFE
Faith in Public Life (FPL) has played an important role in changing the narrative about the role of faith in politics, winning major progressive policy victories, and empowering new religious leaders to fight for social justice and the common good. Their media expertise, rapid-response capabilities and strategic campaign development have made them respected commentators in the media and valued partners with a range of religious groups working for economic and social justice.
Rev. Jennifer Butler
Founder in Residence
BAPTIST JOINT COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
We are attorneys, Capitol Hill insiders, ministers, mobilizers and scholars. We file briefs in pivotal Supreme Court cases, advocate for and against legislation, testify in Congress and unite with others across faiths to ensure that all Americans have, and will always have, the right to follow their spiritual beliefs. Founded in 1936, we bring our uniquely Baptist perspective of “soul freedom” to protecting religious liberty for all and defending the separation of church and state. BJC is the only faith-based group working on the national level with this singular focus.
Why? Religious freedom is a pillar of American life, written into the U.S. Constitution and spelled out in the first 16 words of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” As bold as those words are, however, it’s not always obvious how to apply them in our modern society.
MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOUNDATION
Mikey Weinstein founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation in 2006 to restore the obliterated wall separating church and state in the United States armed forces. His family has a proud military history, with six family members graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. He served 10 years in the JAG Corps and 3 years as White House legal counsel under President Ronald Reagan – once a mainstream conservative Republican.
Personal experience with antisemitism as a Jewish family and the growing influence of a specific version of Christianity in the military, Mikey took up the battle against far-right militant radical evangelical religious fundamentalists. On the Military Religious Freedom Foundation website, you can find examples of vicious hate mail he has received over the years as a result of defending the constitutional rights of religion and free speech of men and women in the U.S. military.
Rev. Nathan Empsall
Executive Director
FAITHFUL AMERICA
They are the largest online community of Christians putting faith into action for social justice. Their members -- Catholic, Protestant, and more -- are sick of sitting by quietly while Jesus' message of good news is hijacked by the religious right to serve a hateful political agenda. They’re organizing the faithful to challenge Christian nationalism and white supremacy and to renew the church's prophetic role in building a more free and just society.
