Center for Public Justice

Last updated

The Center for Public Justice is an American Christian think tank which undertakes to bring a Christian worldview to bear on policy issues. [1]

Contents

It is rooted in the Christian democratic political tradition of such Dutch figures as Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Abraham Kuyper, and Herman Dooyeweerd. James W. Skillen, who served as the organization's first Executive Director (1981-2000) and later President (2000-2008) has had an important influence on the organization. [1] Since July 2011 the organization has been headed by CEO Stephanie Summers. [2] Gideon Strauss, a former interpreter with South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and adviser to the group that drafted the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, was CEO prior to Summers and presently is a Senior Fellow. [3]

History

Founded in 1977 as the Association for Public Justice, the board of trustees renamed the organization in 1990. It is located in Washington, D.C.

Fellows

Fellows of the Center for Public Justice include Richard A. Baer Jr. (Professor Emeritus, Cornell University), Stanley W. Carlson-Thies (President, Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance), Charles L. Glenn (Professor, Boston University), Stephen Monsma (Research Fellow, Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics, Calvin College), and Harold Dean Trulear (Associate Professor, Howard University School of Divinity).[ citation needed ]

Views

The Center for Public Justice has argued there is a biblical basis for a positive role for the political process and public officials. [4]

Work

The Center for Public Justice has a few different initiatives, including Families Valued, Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, Shared Justice, and Sacred Sector. [5]

The Center for Public Justice has been involved in the promotion of the Charitable choice provisions of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 since 1994 [1] and, particularly through the efforts of former senior fellow Stanley W. Carlson-Thies, was an early advocate for the ideas that eventually led to the creation of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. [6] [7] [8]

In 2010 the Center for Public Justice sponsored a panel series on Immigration Reform in partnership with Nyack College’s Institute for Public Service & Policy Development, the Institute for Global Engagement, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. [9] They have publicly advocated what they believe is a just model of immigration reform. [10]

In response to the 2011 budget crisis, the Center for Public Justice released a "A Call for Intergenerational Justice: A Christian Proposal for the American Debt Crisis" in conjunction with the group Evangelicals for Social Action. [11] Signers of the document included Michael Gerson, Richard Mouw, Ron Sider, and Stephanie Summers. [12]

CPJ is a member of the Faith for Just Lending Coalition which "is seeking to increase awareness of predatory lending and to motivate individuals, lenders, churches and the government to help bring an end to the practice." [13]

CPJ has supported the Fairness for All act, which supports which both prohibits discrimination because of sex or sexual identity as well as providing religious freedom protections, since its first introduction by Congressman Chris Stewart in 2019. [14] [15]

Since 1996, the Center for Public Justice has published a weekly online journal, Capital Commentary. [16] [ better source needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Prison Fellowship is the world's largest Christian nonprofit organization for prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform.

Interfaith dialogue Positive interaction of different religious people

Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is distinct from syncretism or alternative religion, in that dialogue often involves promoting understanding between different religions or beliefs to increase acceptance of others, rather than to synthesize new beliefs.

Religion in Canada encompasses a wide range of groups and beliefs. Christianity is the largest religion in Canada, with Roman Catholics having the most adherents. Christians, representing 67.2% of the population in 2011, are followed by people having no religion with 23.9% of the total population. Other faiths include Islam (3.2%), Hindus (1.5%), Sikhs (1.4%), Buddhists (1.1%), and Jews (1.0%). Rates of religious adherence are steadily decreasing. The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms refers to God. The monarch carries the title of "Defender of the Faith". However, Canada has no official religion, and support for religious pluralism and freedom of religion is an important part of Canada's political culture.

Mainline Protestant Older, more establishment Protestant denominations

The mainline Protestant churches are a group of Protestant denominations in the United States that contrast in history and practice with evangelical, fundamentalist, and charismatic Protestant denominations. Some make a distinction between "mainline" and "oldline", with the former referring only to denominational ties and the latter referring to church lineage, prestige and influence. However, this distinction has largely been lost to history and the terms are now nearly synonymous.

Jim Wallis American activist and Evangelical writer

James E. Wallis Jr. is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian community of the same name. Wallis is well known for his advocacy on issues of peace and social justice. Although Wallis actively eschews political labels, he describes himself as an evangelical and is often associated with the evangelical left and the wider Christian left. He worked as a spiritual advisor to President Barack Obama. He is also a leader in the Red-Letter Christian movement.

Global Teen Challenge is a network of Christian faith-based corporations intended to provide rehabilitation services to people struggling with addiction. It was founded by David Wilkerson in 1961. The global headquarters is in Columbus, Georgia, United States.

Western religions Religions that originated within Western culture

The Western religions are the religions that originated within Western culture, which are thus historically, culturally, and theologically distinct from Eastern, African and Iranian religions. The term Abrahamic religions is often used instead of using the East and West terminology, as these originated in the Middle East.

Religion in Israel Overview of the presence, role and impact of religion in Israel

Religion in Israel is manifested primarily in Judaism, the ethnic religion of the Jewish people. The State of Israel declares itself as a "Jewish and democratic state" and is the only country in the world with a Jewish-majority population. Other faiths in the country include Islam, Christianity and the religion of the Druze people. Religion plays a central role in national and civil life, and almost all Israeli citizens are automatically registered as members of the state's 14 official religious communities, which exercise control over several matters of personal status, especially marriage. These recognized communities are Orthodox Judaism, Islam, the Druze faith, the Roman, Armenian Catholic, Maronite, Greek Catholic, Syriac Catholic, Chaldean, Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Anglican churches, and the Baháʼí Faith.

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

The Religious Action Center (RAC) is the political and legislative outreach arm of Reform Judaism in the United States. The Religious Action Center is operated under the auspices of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, a joint body of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism. It was founded in 1961.

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom American government agency

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.

Network is a national Catholic social justice lobby founded in 1971 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization focuses its lobbying efforts in the areas of economic justice, immigration reform, healthcare, peace making and ecology.

Growth of religion involves the spread of individual religions and the increase in the numbers of religious adherents around the world. Statistics commonly measure the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per-year, and the growth of converts in the world.

Kim Bobo American religious and workers rights activist

Kimberly Ann Bobo is an American religious and workers' rights activist, and current executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), a non-partisan advocacy coalition based in Richmond, Virginia. Bobo is a nationally known promoter of social justice who leads VICPP's advocacy, outreach, and development work. She wrote a book on faith-based organizing entitled Lives Matter: A Handbook for Christian Organizing.

Community Change Organization

Community Change, formerly the Center for Community Change (CCC), is a progressive community organizing group active in the United States. It was founded in 1968 in response to civil rights concerns of the 1960s and to honor Robert F. Kennedy. The organization's stated mission is "to build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to change their communities and public policies for the better." Community Change has received funding from the Democracy Alliance and the Tides Advocacy Fund.

<i>Sojourners</i> Progressive magazine published in the United States

Sojourners is a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization Sojourners, which arose out of the Sojourners Community. It was first published in 1971 under the original title of The Post-American. The magazine and online publication feature reporting, commentary, and analysis on Christianity and politics, the church and social issues, social justice, and Christian living. Articles frequently feature coverage of fair trade, interfaith dialogue, peacemaking, and work to alleviate poverty. The offices of the magazine are in Washington, D.C.

Christianity in Russia Aspect of religious life in Russia

Christianity in Russia is the most widely professed religion in the country. The largest tradition is the Russian Orthodox Church. According to official sources, there are 170 eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church, 145 of which are grouped in metropolitanates. There are from 500,000 to one million Old Believers, who represents an older form of Russian Orthodox Christianity, and who separated from the Orthodox Church in the 17th century as a protest against Patriarch Nikon's church reforms.

Citizens for Public Justice Ecumenical social justice organisation

Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is an ecumenical, non-profit organization that promotes justice in Canadian public policy through research and analysis focused on poverty reduction, ecological justice, and refugee rights.

Jubilee USA Network

Jubilee USA Network is a nonprofit financial reform organization based in Washington D.C. Jubilee USA's work began in conjunction with the global Jubilee 2000 movement, founded in the late 1990s to advocate for debt relief for developing countries. It is "an alliance of more than 75 U.S. organizations, 650 faith communities and 50 Jubilee global partners."

Johnnie Moore is an American evangelical leader and businessman who founded the Kairos Company, a public relations firm. Moore is a commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and president of Congress of Christian Leaders.

The status of religious freedom in Africa varies from country to country. States can differ based on whether or not they guarantee equal treatment under law for followers of different religions, whether they establish a state religion, the extent to which religious organizations operating within the country are policed, and the extent to which religious law is used as a basis for the country's legal code.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Politics: L-Z. Roy Palmer Domenico. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. ISBN   0-313-33890-6. p.102.
  2. "Passages". Christianity Today. August 30, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  3. Moring, Mark (June 22, 2010). "Graceful Justice". Christianity Today. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  4. Steinfels, Peter (August 24, 1996). "Beliefs". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  5. "The Center for Public Justice".
  6. Goodstein, Laurie (October 17, 2000). "Religious Groups Slow to Accept Government Money to Help the Poor". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  7. Gerstenzang, James (December 15, 2002). "Bush Circumventing Congress on Domestic Policy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  8. McLaughlin, Nancy H. (November 23, 2008). "Are faith-based programs flawed?". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  9. "CPJ Co-Sponsors Panel Series on Immigration Reform" . Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  10. Brubaker, Jack (November 21, 2010). "Of borders and barriers". Lancaster Online. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  11. Samuel, Stephanie (March 3, 2011). "Leaders Offer a Christian Proposal on U.S. Debt Crisis". The Christian Post. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  12. McKenzie, William (March 8, 2011). "TEXAS FAITH: How do we keep the debt from limiting the future of younger Americans?". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  13. Strode, Tom (July 29, 2015). "New rules protect military from predatory loans". Baptist Press News. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  14. "Stewart Protects Religious Freedom and LGBT Individuals". December 6, 2019.
  15. "H.R.5331 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Fairness for All Act". January 30, 2020.
  16. Capital Commentary