Johnnie Moore Jr.

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Johnnie Moore Jr.
Born (1983-07-07) July 7, 1983 (age 42)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO of The Kairos Company, chairman of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Johnnie Moore (born July 7, 1983) [1] is an American evangelical leader and businessman who founded the Kairos Company, a public relations firm. [2] [3] Moore is a former commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom [4] and co-founder and president of Congress of Christian Leaders. [5] In June 2025 he was appointed the executive chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. [6]

Contents

Liberty University

Moore began his career in at Liberty University working in the campus pastor's office. He was senior vice president for communications at Liberty University [7] and often served as Jerry Falwell's assistant during his travels. [8] He was a professor of religion, and led the university's convocations. [8]

International religious liberty

Moore was a commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021. [4]

China

He has stood up for pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong, including Catholic businessman Jimmy Lai. [9] Moore condemned China's treatment of Muslims in 2017 and wrote an open letter to the Chinese premier alongside of Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. [10] In May 2021, the People's Republic of China issued retaliatory sanctions against Moore that banned him from entering the territory that it controls and the United States issued sanctions against a Chinese official for the official's involvement in the detention of Falun Gong practitioners. [11] [12] [13]

Middle East

In 2017, Moore attended a press conference for the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, where he called for tolerance and an end to bigotry. [14] [15] Moore played a key role in the release of the historic Bahrain Declaration calling for rights for religious minorities in the Middle East. Days after the move of the Jerusalem embassy, Moore led a multi-faith peace delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain on a pilgrimage in Jerusalem. [15]

In September 2018, Christianity Today called Moore the "most high profile evangelical" to ever visit Saudi Arabia. [16] As part of a group of evangelical advisors to President Trump, Moore met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed the death of Jamal Khashoggi as well as human rights issues. [17] In 2018, with a group led by Joel C. Rosenberg, and invited by the UAE government, Moore met with senior government officials for four days. [18] He also met with the World Council of Churches. [19]

In 2019, he visited Saudi Arabia on 9/11 and is an advocate of the Crown Prince's Vision 2030 reform agenda. [20] He advocate for persecuted Hindus in India. [21] Moore praised the Kingdom of Jordan for its interfaith efforts [22] as well as praising Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev as a model of peaceful coexistence. [23] He issued a travel warning for Turkey in light of its illegal imprisonment of evangelical pastor, Andrew Brunson. [24]

Moore referred to the ISIS as a "once in a 1000 year threat to Christianity". [25] He helped raise money for and coordinate the evacuation of selected Christian refugees from Northern Iraq to Slovakia over Christmas in 2015. [26] [27] On September 11, 2019, he and Muhammad al-Isa of the Muslim World League issued a joint statement calling for cooperation between evangelicals and Muslims with a focus on protecting Christian holy sites. [28] Moore is a critic of Iran and has called for the Iranian people to take back their religion from their supreme leader. [29] [30] He praised Pakistan's prime minister for the arrest of a leading terrorist [21] and in 2019 his advocacy was credited for the release of an 82-year-old Muslim prisoner of conscience in Pakistan, Abdul Shakoor. [31] [32]

Moore was among an evangelical delegation who met with Egyptian government officials [33] [34] and was the guest of Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for the grand opening of the Middle East's largest cathedral. [35]

He serves on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Task Force on Middle East Minorities. [36]

In June 2025 he was appointed the executive chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. [6]

Political activity

Foreign policy

Moore supports Israel [ vague ] and has described himself as a Christian Zionist. In 2023, Moore said: "I started going to Israel and going to Israel again and again and again. I found so much of my faith come alive through that experience. … Israel has impacted me far, far more than almost anything else. I almost can't think of my life as inseparable from Israel in some ways." [37]

He called the Obama foreign policy a "failed experiment in American humility” and advocated for greater American hegemony in the Trump administration while warning, "It takes theater to win the White House these days but it takes temperament to run it." [38] In 2016, he called on European politicians to do more to combat terrorism. [39] Moore wrote that one of the reasons why evangelicals supported Trump's move of the Jerusalem embassy was because they also care about Palestinians. [40] He repeatedly downplayed the idea that Christian theology is why evangelicals support Israel and stated that the real reason is more about geo-politics. [41] Moore was among a contingent of evangelical leaders who met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2010. [42]

Social justice

On immigration, Moore was described by NPR as "pro Trump" and "pro DACA". [43] He collaborated with U.S. representative Nancy Pelosi in advocacy for Dreamers. [44] He was credited along with other evangelicals with moderating the President's view on Dreamers. [45] He condemned Jeff Sessions for his child separation policy. [46] Moore is a noted advocate for prison reform. [47] Trump's prison reform effort began with a conversation between Moore, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Samuel Rodriguez at a White House dinner on the eve of the National Day of Prayer. [48]

Moore was part of a National Association of Evangelicals board that sought for legislation restricting LGTBQ discrimination to have religious exemptions. [49]

Moore condemned racism, white supremacism and anti-semitism in the immediate aftermath of Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. [50] [51]

Defense of evangelical Christians


Moore requested that Pope Francis meet with some U.S. evangelists after an article in a Jesuit journal criticized the political involvement of American evangelicals. [52] Moore criticized Joy Behar for remarks about Mike Pence which compared his claims of having heard Jesus to "mental illness". [53] [54] He advocated for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which bars the endorsement of political candidates by non-profits. [55]

2016 presidential elections

In 2016 CNN cited Moore as example of a "millennial evangelical", one of seven types of evangelicals that would make a difference in the election, quoting him as saying, "The difference between me and my parents' generation, the culture warriors, is that I actually know people on the other side, and I like them." [56] Early in the campaign Moore was candidate Ben Carson's "special faith advisor". [57] [58]

Moore would go on to serve on then-candidate Donald Trump's evangelical executive board alongside former representative Michele Bachmann, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition Ralph Reed, and others to create a "consistent dialogue between Mr. Trump and the evangelical community". He stated he would have similarly served as an advisor to candidate Hillary Clinton had he been asked. [59] [60]

On June 21, 2016, Moore was among 900 evangelical leaders who met with then-candidate Trump. He also one of around 25 high-profile evangelical leaders in a smaller meeting with Trump that day. He told a reporter that what struck him was Trump's "sort of unwavering commitment to issues related to religious liberty", and that he was the "one candidate who says he will support the things that are important to us". [60]

In 2017, after Trump was elected and in office, Moore tweeted a viral photo of evangelicals and spiritual advisers praying with Trump in the Oval Office with the caption "Such an honor to pray within the Oval Office for @POTUS & @VP." [61]

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Moore is the director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which is in charge of distributing aid in the Gaza Strip. The Foundation has been criticized for the opaqueness of its funding beyond the US$30 million given to it by the Trump administration. The GHF has replaced over 400 international aid distribution points with just four aid distribution hubs. Between May 27, 2025, and July 21, 2025, within less than two months, more than 1,054 Palestinian civilians have been killed [62] [63] and thousands more have been wounded while seeking humanitarian aid at those newly established four hubs in the Gaza Strip and being fired upon by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and by GHF-hired contractors. [64] [65] [66] As a response to the UN special report of the GHF hubs having become "sadistic death traps" and that snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they're given a license to kill [67] , Johnnie Moore claimed that the UN reports were "Lies all lies... We have seen no indication that the IDF is failing to comply with international law or its obligations.” [68]

Written works

Honors, awards and speaking engagements

Moore received the medal of valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. [74]

Moore has spoken at the Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Services [75] and the USC's Annenberg School of Journalism. [76] He also spoke to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, NC. [77]

References

  1. ↑ Date of birth information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding Library of Congress Linked Data Service :  linked authority record n2010078937 . Retrieved on May 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ Lovett, Ian (December 7, 2017). "Evangelical Christians Lobbied Hard for Trump's Move on Jerusalem". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Home". The Kairos Company. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Former Commissioners". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Sam Rodriguez, Johnnie Moore Launch New 'Congress of Christian Leaders' to Unite Global Church". christianpost.com. May 9, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Berman, Lazar (June 3, 2025). "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation taps US Evangelical leader Johnnie Moore as new chairman". Times of Israel. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Biography: Johnnie Moore, Founder, The Kairos Company". The Kairos Company. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Boorstein, Michelle (October 15, 2011). "Liberty University's Johnnie Moore speaks the language of young evangelicals". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ "China Sanctions Evangelical Leader Who Called Out Religious Freedom Violations". Christianity Today. May 27, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Dear President Xi: A rabbi and a reverend ask China to stop persecuting Muslims and Christians | Opinion". Newsweek. December 17, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  11. ↑ "China bars U.S. evangelical in response to sanctioning of Chinese official". Reuters . May 26, 2021.
  12. ↑ "China bans US religious figure from entry in latest exchange of sanctions". Apple Daily . May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  13. ↑ Zhen, Liu (May 26, 2021). "Eye for an eye: China bans US religious leader as payback for sanction over Falun Gong detention". South China Morning Post .
  14. ↑ "Muslim, Jewish, Christian Leaders to Sign Historic 'Bahrain Declaration' on Religious Freedom". christianpost.com. September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Davidi, Avi (January 7, 2018). "With rare Israel visit, Bahraini delegation seeks new dialogue for coexistence". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  16. ↑ Shellnutt, Kate (October 5, 2018). "Still No Churches in Saudi Arabia, But Small Steps Toward Religious Freedom". News & Reporting. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  17. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (November 2, 2018). "Trump's evangelical advisers meet with Saudi Crown Prince and discuss Jamal Khashoggi's murder, "human rights," spokesman says". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ Ross, A. Larry. "Why Joel C. Rosenberg Just Met Face-to-Face With UAE Crown Prince".
  19. ↑ ن, Johnnie Moore (June 15, 2018). "Grateful for the hospitality shown to me this week by @Oikoumene during my visit to their Chateau De Bossey & Ecumenical Center on the occasion of #WCC70. Thoughtful discussion w/ @OlavTveit, @peterprove, @frankchikane, my dear friend Archbishop Vicken Aykazian & so many otherspic.twitter.com/XIi9PzFuWh". @johnniem. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ "We visited Saudi Arabia on the eve of 9/11. The Kingdom is changing for good". english.alarabiya.net. September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  21. 1 2 "Plight of Kashmiri Pandits highlighted in State Department Ministerial". India Post News - Breaking and Latest News Worldwide - Indian Diaspora. July 25, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  22. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (March 5, 2015). "We must stand up for Middle East's persecuted Christians". Fox News. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Why Rev. Johnnie Moore Is Praising This Muslim-Majority Nation as a 'Model' for Other Countries". CBN News. November 28, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Christian Leaders Issue Travel Warning: 'If Turkey Isn't Safe for Brunson, It Isn't Safe for Us'". christianpost.com. July 28, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Evangelical Author: Western Christians Don't Care Enough About ISIS' 'Once-in-a-1,000-Year Threat' to Christianity". christianpost.com. March 18, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Glenn Beck, Johnnie Moore Evacuate 149 Iraqi Christian Refugees to Slovakia (EXCLUSIVE)". christianpost.com. December 11, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  27. ↑ Casper, Jayson (November 7, 2019). "The Road from Damascus: How a Syrian Christian Spoke at Harvard's Commencement". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  28. ↑ League, Muslim World. "Muslim World League Hosts Delegation of U.S. Evangelical Leaders, Reaffirming Need to Reject All Forms of Extremism and Hatred". prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Will Iran's Shias Take Back Their Religion From Khamenei?". IranWire | خانه. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  30. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (February 19, 2019). "Iran should return to ancient teachings of Islam, a religion hijacked in 1979 by a dictatorial regime". Fox News. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Muslim prisoner supported by Trump evangelical adviser Johnnie Moore released from prison". christianpost.com. March 19, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  32. ↑ Sheraz, Sairah (July 17, 2019). "This would not have been possible without commissioner @JohnnieM advocating for my grandfather, and believing in his #justice #ShukoorBhaipic.twitter.com/PtjWgyzLtg". @sairahsheraz. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  33. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (November 3, 2017). "President Trump's evangelical advisers meet with Egyptian leader Sissi in Cairo". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Evangelical Leaders Joel Rosenberg, Johnnie Moore, Michele Bachmann Meet with Egypt's President". CBN News. November 2, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Egypt's El Sisi Builds Middle East's Largest Church, A 'Game Changer' in the Region". CBN News. January 7, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  36. ↑ "ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  37. ↑ Shimron, Yonat (June 5, 2025). "Johnnie Moore, prominent pro-Israel evangelical, named chair of Gaza aid group". Religion News Service .
  38. ↑ "Can Donald Trump Protect the Christians Obama Abandoned?". Religious Freedom Institute. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Why Europe has become a key target of attack: Pros". cnbc.com. March 23, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Evangelicals support Trump's Jerusalem decision because we care about the Palestinians". Religion News Service. December 18, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  41. ↑ Amos, Owen (January 5, 2018). "Why do evangelicals support Trump on Jerusalem?" . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Benjamin Netanyahu Extends Condolences to Billy Graham's Granddaughter at Meeting in Israel". christianpost.com. February 23, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Pro Trump And Pro DACA: An Evangelical Minister Shares His Views". NPR.org. February 11, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  44. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (January 18, 2018). "Trump's Evangelical advisers, with Pelosi, push for 'Dreamers'" . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Did Evangelical White House Access Help Dreamers?". CBN News. September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  46. ↑ Green, Emma (November 7, 2018). "Trump's Evangelical Allies Really Didn't Like Jeff Sessions". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  47. ↑ McCammon, Sarah (May 20, 2018). "For Trump's Evangelical Advisers, Prison Reform Becomes A Front-Burner Issue". NPR.org. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  48. ↑ "How evangelicals teamed up with the White House on prison reform". Religion News Service. May 25, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  49. ↑ Derrick, J. C. "Boards back SOGI compromise - WORLD". world.wng.org. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  50. ↑ Marilia Brocchetto and Dan Merica (August 13, 2017). "Trump's faith advisers condemn white supremacists". CNN. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  51. ↑ Shellnutt, Kate (August 13, 2017). "Evangelical Advisers Condemn Charlottesville Rally More Than Trump". News & Reporting. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Trump's Evangelical Advisers Seek to Tamp Down Vatican Criticism". Time. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  53. ↑ "Trump Adviser on Christian 'Double Standard': What If Joy Behar Said 'Same Thing About Islam'". Fox News Insider. February 18, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  54. ↑ "Johnnie Moore on View Comments About Pence". Fox News. February 18, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  55. ↑ Vogel, Kenneth P.; Goodstein, Laurie (November 26, 2017). "In Tax Debate, Gift to Religious Right Could Be Bargaining Chip". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  56. ↑ Burke, Daniel (January 22, 2016). "7 types of evangelicals -- and how they'll affect 2016". CNN. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  57. ↑ "Ben Carson Appoints Johnnie Moore as 'Special Faith Adviser' to Presidential Campaign". Christian Post. November 30, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Carson's faith advisor: He's the epitome of dignity, values". Fox Business. February 4, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  59. ↑ "As some Republicans repudiate Trump, the 'Religious Right' stands by their man". ThinkProgress.org. October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  60. 1 2 Billy Hallowell (June 24, 2016). "Prominent Christian Johnnie Moore reveals what 'really struck' him about Trump during this week's evangelical meeting". Deseret News.
  61. ↑ "Trump spent part of his Wednesday praying with evangelical leaders". NBC News. July 12, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  62. ↑ Nicholls, Catherine (July 22, 2025). "At least 1,054 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military, UN says". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  63. ↑ Najjar, Farah. "More than 800 Gaza aid seekers killed by Israel since late May". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on July 14, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  64. ↑ "Gaza: Over 400 Palestinians killed around private aid hubs, UN rights office says". UN News. June 24, 2025. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  65. ↑ "US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza". AP News. July 2, 2025. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Briefing by Jonathan Whittall, Head of OCHA OPT, to journalists in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory. June 22, 2025. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  67. ↑ "Gaza: UN staff now fainting from hunger, exhaustion; WHO worker detained | UN News". news.un.org. July 22, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  68. ↑ Eichner, Itamar (July 28, 2025). "Gaza aid chief defends Israel, dismisses hunger reports as 'Hamas disinformation'". Ynetnews. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  69. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (2014). What Am I Supposed to Do with My Life?: God's Will Demystified. Thomas Nelson. ISBN   978-0849964527.
  70. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (2017). The Martyr's Oath: Living for the Jesus They're Willing to die for. Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN   978-1496419460.
  71. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (2017). 10 Things You Must Know about the Global War on Christianity. Tyndale House Publishers, Incorporated. ISBN   978-1496419545.
  72. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (2015). Defying ISIS: Preserving Christianity in the Place of Its Birth and in Your Own Backyard. ISBN   978-0718039592.
  73. ↑ Moore, Johnnie (December 31, 2012). Dirty God. ISBN   978-0849964510.
  74. ↑ "Johnnie Moore Recognized for His Advocacy for Persecuted Christians". RELEVANT Magazine. April 6, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  75. ↑ "Georgetown panel debates faith and the Republican Party". National Catholic Reporter. May 16, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  76. ↑ "CCLP convenes panel on media bias and free press | USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy". communicationleadership.usc.edu. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  77. ↑ ن, Johnnie Moore (April 8, 2014). "Great day at Fort Bragg speaking at the JSOC Force & Family Symposium. Amazing to be with so many American heroes.pic.twitter.com/U6X8k9dFKP". @johnniem. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
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