Category: Citizenship/Politics

How to Pray for our Nation’s Leaders

How to Pray for our Nation's LeadersPeople of faith are called to pray for those in civil authority, whatever their political persuasion. But how do we best pray for our nation’s leaders? What if we don’t agree with them? What if our prayers feel pointless?

1 Timothy 2:1-2 encourages each of us to offer petition, prayer, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people — “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Prayer is not a partisan endeavor; it transcends politics. It does not endorse a particular party or candidate. Rather, prayer exalts the one true God. And prayer is one way we can stand united, even in moments where unity seems out of reach.

As we approach the 4th of July holiday, I invite you join me in praying for our nation’s leaders. I’ve created a convenient one-page guide based on scripture that offers 8 ways we can lift our leaders in prayer each day. Download it for free today!

How to Pray for our Nation’s Leaders prayer guide

 

 

Our Civic Mission

Our Civics MissionHow do we cultivate thoughtful, engaged and informed citizens, and what is our civic mission? In his farewell address to the nation on January 11, 1989, President Ronald Reagan posed the question, “Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?”

Fast forward a few decades and the answer seems a solid “no.” What might have been a clarion call by the 40th President back then has turned into a formidable crisis in the 21st century. Continue reading “Our Civic Mission”

Religious Freedom Focus of Historic UNGA Meeting

Religious Freedom UNGA Meeting
Photo Credit: State Department/Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain

On Monday, President Trump became the first U.S. President in history to convene a meeting at the United Nations focused solely on the issue of religious freedom. The event, hailed as a “Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom,” kicked off this year’s U.N. General Assembly in New York.

“Today, I ask all nations to join us in this urgent moral duty,” said Trump to a room crowded with high-level government officials, faith leaders, business leaders, and religious freedom advocates. “We ask the governments of the world to honor the eternal right of every person to follow their conscience, live by their faith, and give glory to God.” Continue reading “Religious Freedom Focus of Historic UNGA Meeting”

IRF Ministerial Wrap-up

IRF Ministerial Wrap-up
Delegates at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom [State Department photo by Michael Gross/ Public Domain]
A short post to wrap-up coverage of this week’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. More substantive posts will follow in the weeks ahead to unpack the many important initiatives and stories that flowed from this week’s discussions. In this space, a few observations: Continue reading “IRF Ministerial Wrap-up”

A Fighting Chance against Poverty

A fighting chance against povertyTomorrow is my youngest daughter’s birthday. She turns eight this year. Though I know she dearly loves her dolls, dreams of becoming a lawyer, and her favorite color is yellow, I have never actually met this precious little girl. Maria (not her real name) is my sponsored daughter. My birthday gift to her is a fighting chance against poverty.

Maria lives in one of the poorest nations on earth, in a mud home with dirt floors and few luxuries. Crime and poverty define her town. But Maria is lucky. Each day her belly is full and she has clean water to drink. Medicine keeps her healthy. She wears suitable clothes, and she has a place to go to school. Others are not so fortunate. Continue reading “A Fighting Chance against Poverty”

Summer Reading List

Summer Reading List 2019

The Memorial Day celebrations have ended. That means it’s time for a new summer reading list!

The books on this year’s list run contrary to popular headlines, which daily magnify the real and growing division Americans encounter in all corners of our culture.

The truth is, we have a trust issue. Confidence in the nation’s leading societal institutions has been waning for decades. According to a Gallup survey, between 1998 and 2018, government, education, the media, and big business all have received persistently low confidence ratings.

The church in particular has succumbed to this trend. In 1998, nearly 60% of respondents said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the church or organized religion. By 2018, that number plunged to 38%.

In this climate, it is getting harder to discern what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. The works profiled on this year’s summer reading list draw us back to that path, not to dismiss our current challenges, but to confront them head on.  These books remind us much remains in our culture that is worthy of our trust and deserving of our nurture.

So pull up a beach chair, slap on some suntan lotion, and let’s start reading. Here’s the list! Continue reading “Summer Reading List”

Social Capital: America’s True Measure of Wealth

Social Capital: America's True Measure of Wealth

The American Dream often comes wrapped in an ethos of prosperity, homeownership, and upward mobility. Turns out that view misses the mark. According to a recent Survey on Community and Society (SCS) conducted by the American Enterprise Institute, most Americans value freedom and family more than the size of their mortgage or the number of digits in their bank account. Likewise, when gauging the nation’s collective riches, it would seem social capital is America’s true measure of wealth.

Social capital is the benefit we bank as a result of the relationships we forge with each other. Civic engagement, social connectedness, and community involvement all contribute to social capital. What counts as engagement? Involvement with volunteer public service groups such as Rotary or Kiwanis, for one. Coaching or supporting athletic teams and groups like Little League, AYSO, or YMCA. Then there’s the local PTA, cultural or hobby organizations, homeowners association, or Veterans groups.

In his bestseller Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse, Timothy P. Carney writes, “Strong communities function not only as safety nets and sources of knowledge and wisdom, but also as the grounds on which people can exercise their social and political muscle. These are where we find our purpose.”

Continue reading “Social Capital: America’s True Measure of Wealth”

BLOG POST: Rich History of IRF Act Captured in a Single Volume

Understanding the history of the IRF Act: When people are free to seek truth for themselves directly, they become empowered to create societies that protect the conscience rights of all people.

 

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Long-time religious freedom champion Katrina Lantos Swett offers remarks at the release of new IRFA historical retrospective

By Erin Rodewald // December 13, 2018

In the fall of 1998, members of Congress made a deliberate and unanimous choice to stand as beacons for the most fundamental of all human rights — freedom of religion or belief. Passage of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) came after months of debate and resulted in a law that has driven considerable human rights initiatives around the world for the past two decades while also codifying the first freedom as a top priority within U.S. foreign policy.

In this 20th anniversary year, human rights organization  21Wilberforce embarked on a legacy project that would commemorate and capture the achievements of this landmark legislation. The result is The 20th Anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act: A Retrospective, introduced this week at an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

For the first time, valuable IRFA source documents, personal recollections, and scholarly materials from the past 20 years have been collected and thoughtfully archived in a singular place with a succinct timeline. Included are candid conversations and observations culled from more than 55 interviews with prominent international religious freedom stakeholders, from elected officials and foreign policy experts to human rights advocates and academics. Continue reading “BLOG POST: Rich History of IRF Act Captured in a Single Volume”

ARTICLE: Survivors of persecution breathe new life into religious freedom movement

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Genocide survivor Nadia Murad welcomed by Vice President Pence [Photo credit @NadiaMuradBasee]
 

By Erin Rodewald // July 31, 2018

(This article was originally written for and posted to 21Wilberforce)

Nadia Murad had dreams of being a teacher, not a sabia — not a slave. In one horrific August afternoon in 2014, ISIS terrorists invaded her village in Northern Iraq and shattered those dreams. The militants slaughtered hundreds of Nadia’s neighbors in a single hour, including six of her brothers and stepbrothers. She and the other young women who remained were rounded up and sold as slaves to ISIS fighters. Nadia endured months of brutality before escaping her captors.

Nadia is a victim of the devastating Yezidi genocide. She is also a survivor. Last week Vice President Mike Pence recognized her and several other survivors of religious persecution at the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C.

“We are honored by your presence. We are inspired by your courage,” said Pence, speaking directly to Nadia. “The people of the United States are inspired by your testimony and your strength and your faith. And it steels our resolve to stand for your religious liberty in the years ahead.” Continue reading “ARTICLE: Survivors of persecution breathe new life into religious freedom movement”

BLOG POST: U.S. Leadership Puts First Freedom in First Position

 

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U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley delivers remarks to close out the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom [Photo Credit: US Holocaust Museum]
 

By Erin Rodewald // July 27, 2018

Twenty years ago, the U.S. Congress codified religious freedom as a priority for U.S. foreign policy by passing the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). This week, leadership at the highest levels of U.S. government re-affirmed a commitment to that first freedom, hosting the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.

“The United States of America stands for religious freedom yesterday, today, and always,” said Vice President Mike Pence at the closing session of the Ministerial. “We do this because it is right. But we also do this because religious freedom is in the interest of the peace and security of the world.”

To that end, the Ministerial has issued the Potomac Declaration, an official statement that underscores U.S. commitment to the advancement of religious liberty and the protection of those persecuted for their beliefs. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Declaration at the conclusion of the Ministerial, saying it “is a formal affirmation that says right up front that the U.S. takes religious freedom seriously, that we will work with others around the world to help those under attack for their beliefs, and that we expect leaders around the world to make it their priority as well.”

Among the principles elevated by the Declaration: Continue reading “BLOG POST: U.S. Leadership Puts First Freedom in First Position”