WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal panel that monitors global conditions for religious freedom has elected an evangelical Christian activist as its chairman.
Michael Cromartie will serve as the 2005-06 chair for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Cromartie, who was appointed to the bipartisan panel by President Bush, is vice president of the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he heads programs on religion and media and evangelicals in civic life.
Cromartie, a graduate of Covenant College and American University, has spoken and written frequently for Christian and secular news outlets — including Christianity Today, National Public Radio and the Washington Times. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.
The commissioners elect a new chair annually, and follow a tradition of alternating between Democratic and Republican appointees. Cromartie replaces human-rights attorney Preeta Bansal, who was an appointee of former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).
The commission also re-elected Felice Gaer and Nina Shea to serve as vice chairpersons. Gaer, an appointee of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is director of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights of the American JewishCommittee. Shea, an appointee of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House, an international human-rights group.
The commission, established as a result of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, is charged with auditing the status of religious freedom around the world and making recommendations to U.S. policy-makers when it finds violations.