Interviews
Presbyterian pastor fears for future of religion as more support white Christian nationalism With the rise of former President Donald Trump we’ve seen Christian nationalism rise too — or at least come out into the open. A poll from Politco earlier this month showed that a majority of Republicans favor declaring the United States a Christian nation. And for the Rev. Jennifer Butler, it’s a threat not just to democracy but to religion. Butler is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the founder of the organization Faith in Public Life. She’s also a leader in progressive Christianity. She’ll be in Tempe this weekend at Dayspring United Methodist Church to talk about the threat of white Christian nationalism. The Show spoke with her to learn about her concerns. The conversation began with her own faith, and why she thinks diversity must be at the center of it.
Rev. Jennifer Butler was a guest on MSNBC's Morning Joe to talk about how the majority of people of faith support access to legal abortion care and why white Christian nationalism is dangerous to Christians.
Faith in Public Life Founder in Residence Rev. Jennifer Butler joins Zerlina Maxwell to discuss why it’s imperative that faith leaders share their support for abortion access and the impact that overturning Roe v. Wade will have on their congregations.
The Rev. Jennifer Butler has been a leading voice for decades in the faith-inspired movement for justice. She’s spent her career mobilizing religious communities to address the AIDS epidemic, advocate for women’s rights, and counter religious extremism through faith-based arguments for human rights. Jen has just announced that she’s stepping down as CEO of the effective nonprofit she founded 17 year ago, Faith in Public Life. and Welton will take this opportunity to look back – and forward – with his colleague and friend. Jen’s the author of the powerful book, Who Stole My Bible? Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny.
We talk with Rev. Jen Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life and author of Who Stole My Bible?, about leading an interfaith network of religious leaders, watching community organizing in action in Belize, and how a group of Muslim women inspired her to finalize her ordination.
The Heresy of Christian Nationalism Rev. Jennifer Butler, Presbyterian minister, President of Faith in Public Life, www.faithinpubliclife.org, and author of “Who Stole My Bible?” discusses a recent article examining Christian Nationalism under the lens of Christian orthodoxy.
The 1954 tax law known as the Johnson Amendment is meant to temper just how much religion and politics collide, but it doesn't bar all intersections. The blurred line between politics and religion is nothing new. Seeing politicians in the pulpit is about as normalized as seeing the pastor himself, with presidents from Clinton to Trump mentioning their relationships with the church in speeches. However, churches and other tax-exempt organizations are not allowed to outright endorse or oppose political candidates.
Compassionate Christian Voices: Today and Tomorrow - Episode 7 Books by Jennifer Butler include "Who Stole My Bible?" and “Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized"
Jennifer Butler joins us to discuss the right-wing's manipulation of religion. She is committed to amplifying the connection between faith and social justice, has the heart of a community organizer, and is an ordained minister. She is the founding Executive Director of Faith in Public Life, which works to change the narrative about the role of faith in politics, wins major policy victories, and empowers religious leaders to fight for the common good. Jennifer was the chair of the White House Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships (2015-2016) and spent ten years working in the field of international human rights representing the Presbyterian Church (USA) at the United Nations. She is the author of Who Stole My Bible? and Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized, which calls for a religious response to global culture wars of the religious right.
Now let's talk of religious voters. When we talk about voters who are people of faith, religious conservatives get most of the attention. But with liberals increasingly energized, some faith leaders want to rally religious voters for progressive causes. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on the prospects for reviving the religious left. TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: There's been no hotter political issue in recent months than what to do about all the migrants, including families, showing up at the U.S. border. Among those pushing for a more open policy is a group called Faith in Public Life. It's led by an ordained Presbyterian minister, Jennifer Butler, who shows up at rallies wearing her clerical collar.
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