What a Year!
Friday, December 21, 2007
The movement to reclaim the American values debate has come so far in just a few years, thanks to the visionary leadership and hard work of so many of our colleagues here in Washington and all over the country.
As a go-to media resource, a bridge builder and a movement organizer, Faith in Public Life (FPL) has had the privilege to work with some of the most inspiring religious leaders working for social justice and the common good and the opportunity to help educate the media about their great work. We never thought we'd accomplish so much so quickly.
Please read on for some of our personal highlights of the year and click here to check out our top news stories of 2007.
Amplifying a broader faith agenda: Coalitions of religious groups across the ideological and faith spectrum came together in 2007 to declare compassion issues such as immigration, human rights, global poverty and climate change critical faith and values issues. Faith in Public Life was there to amplify these efforts. “Values voter” and “religious right” are not synonymous, and the compassion issues are here to stay.
Making news. Progressive faith leaders, from heads of national groups to grassroots organizers, are standing up for their values in the public square. FPL has organized press conferences, reached out to the media, conducted media trainings, and provided strategic message guidance to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill, Jewish Funds for Justice, We Believe Ohio, Christian Peace Witness, Evangelicals for Human Rights, Great Warming Call to Action, and many other faith-based coalitions and faith leaders dedicated to causes for justice.
Passing it on. FPL has become a valuable resource for journalists working on stories about the changing values debate. We regularly field calls and emails from reporters and correspondents from influential news sources -- New York Times, Christian Broadcasting Network, Religion News Service, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Reuters and the Associated Press, to name a few -- all looking for sources to interview or a new angle to develop.
And the hits keep on comin'. FPL secured more than 600 media hits for the faith leaders and coalitions we serve. Favorite bookings and placements this year included Rev. Derrick Harkins' immigration debate with CNN's Lou Dobbs -- an interview that reigned as one of the most popular videos on YouTube; Revs. Jeff Carr and Jim Winkler on Fox to discuss the necessity of diplomatic talks with Iran; a full-page story on religious advocacy for a more equitable Farm Bill in Politico; and Rev. Dr. Paul de Vries in the NY Times and on CNN speaking about the public witness of evangelicals on climate change.
Bridging ideological divides: As a resource center for faith leaders dedicated to redefining the values debate, Faith in Public Life has sought to develop trust across partisan and ideological lines in order to make progress on pressing moral issues. Numerous bridges spanned the chasm between left and right this year, and we’re proud to have helped build them.
Abortion and gay rights NOT off limits. FPL helped the think tank Third Way build support for “Come Let Us Reason Together,” a study that laid the foundation for common ground solutions between progressives and conservative evangelicals on divisive issues such as abortion and gay rights. We introduced Third Way’s study authors to evangelical leaders interested in ending partisan gridlock without compromising their principles, promoted the paper and its supporters to the press, and defended the study from fallacious attacks.
It's not about left and right, Mr/s. President -- it's about right and wrong. People of faith are bridging ideological divides now more than ever to address issues of compassion, including poverty, AIDS, climate change, and human rights. Yet they have had few opportunities to hear presidential candidates discuss these issues. To fill this void, FPL is organizing the bipartisan Compassion Forums, co-sponsored by an unprecedented right-left coalition of faith leaders and organizations. Leading presidential candidates of both parties will be invited to participate in the Forums this spring.
Building a movement: An idea or a voice is only as strong as the movement behind it. From the grassroots in the states to national events to cyberspace, Faith in Public Life provided vital resources to help faith-based justice movements build their lists, expand their networks, and connect on- and off-line.
Taking action online. FPL recently acquired Faithful America, an online community with 70,000 members. We are redesigning the FA web site and developing e-campaigns to harness FA’s power to promote the common good in 2008 and beyond.
Connecting online. FPL launched Mapping Faith, a Google Maps-powered database that identifies 3,000 faith-based groups nationwide organizing around compassion issues, including poverty, the environment, human rights and peace, race, and immigration. Mapping Faith documents the vibrancy of progressive faith organizing nationwide, allows groups across the country to find new allies, and provides reporters with an unprecedented resource for finding local sources.
Go-to web resource. FPL's website has become an online hub for the changing values debate. We send FPL's News Reel, the most comprehensive source for faith and politics news, to thousands of opinion makers each day and we publish our blog to be a resource for the progressive faith bloggosphere.
On the ground in the Heartland, the Rockies and back East. FPL provided crucial infrastructural and list-building support for We Believe Ohio, a statewide interfaith group of hundreds of religious leaders uniting to achieve social justice. We Believe had several successful campaigns this year, including advocacy for a moral budget in May and clean political campaigns in November. We Believe is becoming a model for interfaith coalitions for the common good in other states. With support from FPL, faith-based coalitions in Colorado and Pennsylvania already have developed core leadership and will play key roles in advancing common good agendas in 2008.
Spreading the word. FPL staff has been pleased to accept invitations to speak this year at high profile events and venues, including the Religion Newswriters Association’s annual conference, Yale Divinity School, Take Back America Conference, Georgetown University, the National Press Club, and many others. A growing movement of people of faith dedicated to a common good values agenda has caught fire.
It has been truly an amazing year and an absolute privilege to work with the amazing leaders in this movement; we can't wait for 2008!
Blessings,
Jennifer, Katie, Ron, Dan and Beth
(The FPL Team)
