Christian Leaders Available to Respond to “War on Christians" Conference
Spokespeople Available for Interviews through Duration of Conference
Friday, March 24, 2006
Christian leaders are available to respond to “The War on Christians and the Values Voter in 2006" -- a conference featuring prominent members of the Religious Right and the Republican Party this coming Monday and Tuesday in Washington, DC.
Christian leaders Rev. Jim Wallis, Rev. Bob Franklin, Glen Stassen, Hollyn Hollman and Amy Sullivan agree that there is a war on Christians – a war on Christian values. With legislation under consideration in Congress that would punish clergy and humanitarian workers who give aid to immigrants, and aid falling short for victims of Hurricane Katrina, there is certainly a war on the values that obligate Christians to care for their neighbors and those most in need.
Rep. Tom DeLay and Sen. John Cornyn and Brownback will join Religious Right leaders Phyllis Scahfly, Gary Bauer, Alan Keyes and Janet Parschall at the “War on Christians" conference. To book responsible Christian leaders and spokespeople – who don’t believe they need Tom DeLay to defend them-- please contact Jessica Watson (781) 367-7746 or Sally Aman at (202) 544-7881.
Rev. Jim Wallis, Christian evangelical leader and author
Jim Wallis is editor of Sojourners magazine, covering faith, politics and culture, and convenor of Call to Renewal, a national federation of churches, denominations, and faith-based organizations from across the theological and political spectrum working to overcome poverty. He is also author of God's Politics, Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It.
Rev. Robert Franklin, author, scholar-preacher, educator
Rev. Robert Michael Franklin, Jr. is the presidential distinguished professor of social ethics at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and former president of the Interdenominational Theological Center. He is currently President of the Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, a scholar-preacher, educator, and former foundation executive and provides commentary for “All Things Considered," a National Public Radio program. Rev. Franklin is also the author of Another Day’s Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis and is in the process of completing a book, Crisis in the Village, which addresses the declining situation of families, churches, schools and nonprofit organizations in African-American communities.
Glen H. Stassen, Christian Evangelical Scholar
Glen H. Stassen is the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, a Christian evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California. His areas of expertise include social justice, just peacemaking theory (the new paradigm in Christian ethics on peace and war) recovering the Sermon on the Mount for Christian ethics and churches that practice what they preach. He is the author of several books, including Just Peacemaking and Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context, which won Christianity Today's award for best book of the year in theology or ethics. Stassen has frequently appeared in the media, including the Los Angeles Times and Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor.
K. Hollyn Hollman, Baptist Joint Committee General Counsel
The Baptist Joint Committee is nearly 70-year-old organization serving 14 Baptist denominations and conferences that works to further the Baptist heritage that champions the principle that religion must be freely exercised, neither advanced nor inhibited by government. A member of the District of Columbia and Tennessee bars, Hollman graduated with honors from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Politics and received her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Hollman is a native of Jackson, Mississippi, and now resides in Arlington, Virginia. Hollman frequently appears in the media, including USA Today, The Washington Post, and CNN.
Amy Sullivan, frequent commentator or religion and politics
Amy Sullivan is an editor of The Washington Monthly and has emerged as one of the leading experts on politics and religion. Sullivan has written on the topic for a broad range of publications, including the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Salon, and The Washington Post, and is a frequent commentator on MSNBC, NPR, and Air America. Previously, Sullivan served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle and as editorial director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Harvard Divinity School.
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