Faith in Public Life

Faith in Public Life
Name	Faith in Public Life
Formation	2005
Founder	Minister Michael Wear
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States
Focus	Faith-based public engagement
Methods	Advocacy, coalition-building, public campaigns
Leader title	President
Leader name	Rev. Jennifer Butler

Faith in Public Life

Faith in Public Life is an American nonprofit advocacy organization that mobilizes religious leaders and congregations on social and political issues. It works with clergy, faith-based organizations, and advocacy networks to influence public debates involving civil rights, immigration, health care, climate change, and racial justice. The organization operates in coordination with a wide range of religious and civic institutions and public figures.

Overview

Faith in Public Life brings together leaders from mainline Christian denominations, evangelical organizations, Jewish institutions, Muslim advocacy groups, and interfaith coalitions such as National Council of Churches, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, American Jewish Committee, Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Interfaith Alliance. It engages with policymakers who serve in bodies like the United States Congress, the United States Senate, and state legislatures, and interfaces with administrative agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency on issues such as health policy and environmental stewardship. The organization often collaborates with advocacy partners including Sierra Club, NAACP, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, ACLU, and labor groups like the AFL–CIO and Service Employees International Union.

History

Founded in 2005 amid debates over the role of faith in public debates during the presidencies of George W. Bush and later Barack Obama, the group grew in prominence through engagements around legislation such as the Affordable Care Act and executive actions on immigration like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), connected to figures such as Antonio Villaraigosa and Julian Castro. Early leaders and allies included clergy associated with organizations like Sojourners, Faithful America, and the PICO National Network, as well as religious activists who worked with figures including Jim Wallis, William Barber II, and Cornel West. The organization expanded its outreach during the administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, responding to policy shifts on refugee admissions, environmental regulations tied to the Paris Agreement, and civil rights enforcement under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Activities and Campaigns

Faith in Public Life runs national and local campaigns, coalitions, and training programs that connect houses of worship such as First Baptist Church (Savannah), Trinity Church (Boston), and synagogues allied with federations like the Jewish Federations of North America to civic action. Campaigns have included support for comprehensive immigration reform involving advocates like Luis Gutierrez and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, voter engagement efforts in partnership with League of Women Voters and faith-based bodies, and environmental advocacy aligned with religious leaders at events such as the People’s Climate March and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism initiatives. The group has also engaged in public statements regarding criminal justice reform championed by activists associated with Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative, and has organized interfaith responses to humanitarian crises coordinated with International Rescue Committee and Doctors Without Borders.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization is structured with an executive leadership team, regional directors, and program staff who liaise with networks including Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and immigrant advocacy organizations such as United We Dream. Funding sources have included grants from philanthropic foundations like the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Lilly Endowment, as well as donations from religious foundations, congregations, and individual donors. It has partnered with advocacy intermediaries including Democracy Alliance-aligned groups, philanthropic collaboratives associated with Open Society Foundations donors, and faith philanthropy consortia that also fund initiatives at organizations like Bread for the World and Catholic Charities USA.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have accused the organization of partisan alignment and of endorsing positions that conflict with social conservatives represented by entities such as Family Research Council and Americans United for Life. Conservative religious leaders, including those affiliated with Focus on the Family and the Southern Baptist Convention, have contested its stances on abortion policy and same-sex marriage debates that intersected with litigation at the Supreme Court of the United States and the passage of state-level legislation in places like Texas and North Carolina. Other controversies involved debates over grantmaking transparency and donor influence similar to disputes that have affected nonprofit actors such as MoveOn.org and The Heritage Foundation.

Influence on Policy and Public Opinion

Faith in Public Life has sought to influence public opinion through alliances with media outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and faith press such as Sojourners Magazine and Christianity Today, and through testimony before legislative committees chaired by members of House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Its advocacy has intersected with policy outcomes on immigration executive actions, voting rights debates tied to legislation like the For the People Act, and climate policy discussions connected to the Green New Deal and international negotiations at United Nations Climate Change Conference. The organization’s ability to mobilize clergy networks has been cited in analyses by think tanks such as Brookings Institution, Center for American Progress, and Heritage Foundation.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in Washington, D.C.