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Faith in Public Life

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Faith in Public Life
Formation2008
FounderJennifer Butler
HeadquartersWashington, DC
WebsiteOfficial website

Faith in Public Life (FPL) is a non-profit founded by Christians that is focused on influencing state and federal government policies. Based in Washington, D.C., it was founded by Reverend Jennifer Butler and aims to influence policies relating to racial equality, immigration, healthcare, the economy, voting rights, women's equality, and LGBTQ rights.[1]

FPL experienced an increase in popularity following the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[2][3][4]

History

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Faith in Public Life originated in 2005 by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive policy think tank. CAP's first president and CEO, John Podesta, spoke often about how his faith informs his politics,[5] and worked with a little-known group, Res Publica, to draft a report on the future of the progressive faith movement.[6] The report recommended an independent entity that would act on its own as well as coordinate efforts with other religious groups. It was envisioned as "a sort of organizational anchor for the Religious left, a strategy hub that would coordinate disparate groups and develop overarching media strategies for campaigns."[7] CAP hired Jennifer Butler, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and spun it off as an independent organization in 2008.[8]

Activities

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In 2008 as the presidential election neared, FPL organized the Compassion Forum, an event where faith leaders asked candidates, such as then Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, questions about moral issues such as poverty, global AIDS, climate change and human rights. The event was hosted by author John Meacham and was broadcast live on CNN, giving moderate and progressive faith leaders a national platform.[9] [10]

In 2010 after Tea Party Town Halls in August drove down support for the Affordable Care Act, FPL and allies organized a health care for a call in with President Barack Obama and over 140,000 religious supporters of the bill. FPL organized faith leaders in six states where Democratic support was weak and where Christian right networks were falsely alleging that the ACA would fund abortions. FPL's impact was reported to be instrumental in landing key votes for the bill.[11] When in 2017 there was a movement to overturn the ACA, Jennifer Butler was among other leaders who protested outside the office of Senator Mitch McConnell.[12]

In 2011 Jennifer Butler engaged in non-violent direct action with eleven clergy praying in the Capitol Rotunda for Republicans to cease efforts to balance the budget on the backs of low-income Americans.[13] Also, Jennifer Butler joined others in bringing a golden calf to the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City in October,[14] and then to McPherson Square in Washington, D.C., in December.[15]

In 2013 FPL co-led a faith march  at the Capitol calling on Republicans to end the government shutdown and pass a moral budget that protected the poor.[16]

In 2015 The White House named Jennifer Butler to chair the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.[17][18]

In 2017 Jennifer Butler joined other religious leaders and lay leaders from across the country on Capitol Hill Monday to oppose attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, describing the four-term Republican as a throwback to an era of racism and intolerance.[19][20] The issue of whether businesses could refuse service to LGBTQ customers was also surfacing at this time, accentuated by a Department of Justice “religious freedom” order. FPL had worked in Florida to prevent housing discrimination against LGBTQ individuals.[21]

In 2018, Jennifer Butler joined other religious leaders in June in front of the US Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, DC and called on the Trump administration to end its "zero tolerance" policy of separating children from parents who cross the border.[22] In July, FPL organized 14 women faith leaders in McAllen, Texas, to speak with refugees and activists about the government's treatment of immigrants at the border.[23]

In 2019 Jennifer Butler was part of an National Public Radio interview about how the religious left is finding its voice in the era of the Trump presidency.[24] Also, FPL hosted a press conference where religious leaders stood with state lawmakers to demand action on passage of the Workforce Act banning discrimination against LGBTQ Floridians.[25]

In 2020 the Ohio chapter of Faith in Public life coordinated 100 Columbus faith leaders to sign a letter demanding that Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther decrease funding to the Columbus Division of Police.[26]

in 2021 Faith in Public Life organized Georgia members at the Georgia State Capitol in protest of the Georgia voting law SB 202 by handing out water bottles to state legislators.[27] In June, billionaire philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott announced the giving of grants to “286 Teams Empowering Voices the World Needs to Hear," [28] and Jennifer Butler said that Faith in Public Life was granted a “significant multimillion-dollar gift.”[29]

References

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  1. ^ "About". Faith in Public Life. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  2. ^ Graves-Fitzsimmons, Guthrie (2020). Just Faith: Reclaiming Progressive Christianity. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books. p. 148. ISBN 9781506462523.
  3. ^ Malone, Scott (March 27, 2017). "'Religious left' emerging as U.S. political force in Trump era". Reuters. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (June 12, 2017). "What a Leader of the Religious Left Admires About the Religious Right". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Liu, Joseph (2005-04-26). "Faith, Politics & Progressives: A Conversation with John Podesta". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  6. ^ “The Future of the Progressive Faith Movement, “ A Report by Res Publica. December 7th, 2004. Unpublished draft.
  7. ^ Jenkins, Jack (2020). American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country. New York, New York: HarperOne. p. 14. ISBN 9780062935984.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Jack (2020). American prophets : the religious roots of progressive politics and the ongoing fight for the soul of the country. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-06-293598-4. OCLC 1134534017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ "Dispatch from Compassion Forum". News & Reporting. 14 April 2008. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  10. ^ (1/5) Sen. Barack Obama at CNN Compassion Forum, 14 April 2008, retrieved 2021-03-08
  11. ^ Jack, Jenkins (2020). American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country. New York, New York: HarperOne. pp. 22–28. ISBN 9780062935984.
  12. ^ "Religious leaders arrested in act of civil disobedience against Senate's 'immoral' health care bill". 13 July 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  13. ^ McAuliff, Michael (July 28, 2011). "Religious Leaders Arrested At Capitol For Budget Protest". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  14. ^ Butler, Jennifer (October 13, 2011). "The Golden Calf and Occupy Wall Street". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  15. ^ Rogers, Katie (December 15, 2011). "Catholics United readies golden calf for Occupy D.C. march". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  16. ^ Kaufmann, Greg (October 16, 2013). "Praying for Broken Hearts in the GOP". The Nation. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Jones, Rick (November 9, 2015). "White House names the Rev. Jennifer Butler to lead President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships". Presbyterian Church, USA. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  18. ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". The White House President Barack Obama. September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  19. ^ Trull, Armando (January 9, 2017). "Religious Leaders Protest Jeff Sessions For Attorney General". American University Radio. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  20. ^ Duggan, Paul (January 9, 2017). "Hundreds join the Rev. William Barber's 'Moral March' in D.C. to protest Jeff Sessions as attorney general". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  21. ^ Butler, Jennifer (October 16, 2017). "People of Faith Aren't Exempt from Loving Their Neighbor". Sojourners. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  22. ^ Barfield Berry, Jennifer (June 9, 2018). "Women religious leaders denounce 'zero tolerance' policy". USA Today. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  23. ^ Perry, Benjamin (July 2, 2018). "Touching the Wound". Sojourners. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  24. ^ "Provoked By Trump, The Religious Left Is Finding Its Voice". National Public Radio. Jan 24, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  25. ^ Ogles, Jacob (March 21, 2019). "Faith leaders back Florida Competitive Workforce Act". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  26. ^ King, Denae (October 20, 2020). "Columbus Clergy Latest to Demand Police Defunding". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  27. ^ Fox 5 Atlanta Digital Team (March 31, 2021). "Georgia voting law: Protestors leave water bottles at state Capitol". Fox 5 Atlanta. Retrieved May 11, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Scott, MacKenzie (2021-06-15). "Seeding by Ceding". Medium. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  29. ^ "Faith groups among those granted money from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott". Religion News Service. 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
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