Amanda Tyler is one of a dozen women highlighted by Sojourners as “revolutionary women shaping the church” in 2025.
Tyler leads BJC, also known as Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, based in Washington, D.C. She also leads the advocacy group Christians Against Christian Nationalism.
“Our nominees engage in diverse work, but these women are united through a fearless pursuit of justice,” Hojung Lee of Sojourners wrote. “They lead through empathy. They build community. They fight against rising tides of hopelessness in our world with messages of radical and inclusive love. These women shape policy, raise awareness and mobilize communities around a variety of vital causes. Whether they’re strengthening pluralistic democracy, protecting reproductive justice, resisting Christian nationalism, defending asylum seekers, or upholding immigrant rights, these women choose to lead through faith.”
Other honorees include author Sarah Bessey, co-founder of Evolving Faith; Young Lee Hertig, cofounder and CEO of Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity; Jenn Hosler, minister of Christian social justice and peacemaking at Washington City Church of the Brethren in Washington, D.C.; Dani M. Jiménez, writer and illustrator from San José, Costa Rica; Jeanné Lewis, CEO at Faith in Public Life; Mia McClain, senior pastor of Riverside Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.; Lizzie McManus-Dail, vicar and founding planter of Jubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas; Rhina Ramos, founder of Ministerio Latino, a Spanish-speaking faith community that is home to the Latine immigrant LGBTQ community; SueAnn Shiah, a Taiwanese American musician, filmmaker, community organizer, ethnomusicologist, pastor and public theologian; and Angela Tyler-Williams and Iyalosha Latishia James, co-executive directors of Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity.
Asked by Sojourners why her work is important right now, Tyler responded: “I view Christian nationalism as the single biggest threat to religious freedom for all in the U.S. today. The work I do alongside my colleagues and partners brings awareness to the problems of Christian nationalism and provides tools for communities to mobilize action against it and organize for change. Our work strengthens a free civil society, a necessary ingredient for pluralistic democracy, while providing a Christian witness to love our neighbor through advocacy for everyone’s dignity and freedom.”