Faith-based activists must continue the fight for voter rights if religious freedom and a pluralistic democracy are to survive the 2024 election and thrive beyond it, said Adam Phillips, chief strategy officer for Interfaith America. Members of congregations across the…
Election 1980: When a D.C. congregation had to vote on one of its own
During the four years of his presidency, Jimmy Carter was an active member of the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., worshipping at least 75 times in the sanctuary a mile north of the White House and,…
Trump or Harris? An open letter to undecided and to open-minded voters
Author’s note: This article began as a response to multiple family and friends who engaged me in constructive correspondence about the presidential election. Dear Kind Family and Friends Who Have Written Me About the Presidential Election: You’ve sent me…
A politician’s worst enemy and a leader’s greatest ally
A well-informed electorate is a politician’s worst enemy and a leader’s greatest ally. This proves consistent in every race from a city council to the presidency. Politicians thrive in areas where constituents take them solely at their word. But as…
Zimbabwe’s bitter elections create rifts between pastors and congregants
On Aug. 24, Zimbabwe held presidential elections where the military-supported governing party, which has governed for 43 years, won again, dubiously against a 45-year-old pastor. The bitter aftertaste of the election, which the United States government condemned as a “sham,”…
Candidates seek to increase LGBTQ representation in public office
A growing number of LGBTQ elected officials are pushing back against discrimination while encouraging more members of their community to seek elected office, according to a new study by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and Loyola Marymount University. “A record number…
Pastors, politics and the unending controversies about prophecies in Nigeria
Politics and prophesies go together in Nigeria, where a recent presidential election brought out religious figures speaking of divine visions. Weeks ahead of Nigeria’s election, a video of Passion Java, a Zimbawean pastor, made the rounds. In the video, Java…
It was a tough day for election deniers, Brookings panel says
Americans who embrace democracy and shun conspiracy theories have reason to be cautiously optimistic about the U.S. political system after the 2022 midterm elections, said Norman Eisen, founder and executive chair of the States United Democracy Center. Nov. 8 was…
‘Send these bigots and homophobes and misogynists back under the rocks out from which they crawled’
Churches and individual Christians must become more ardent in their opposition to Christian nationalism in the wake of the midterm elections, according to John Dorhauer, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ. “We must seek to engage…