Christian Leaders Unite to Denounce Trump Administration's ‘Anti-Christian Bias Task Force’

Mainstream leaders representing millions of American Christians call task force a threat to religious freedom, democracy and the church

WASHINGTON – A group of influential Christian leaders representing millions of American Christians denounced the Trump administration’s “Anti-Christian Bias Task Force” in a joint letter released today. 

The letter, organized by the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, CEO and president of Interfaith Alliance, calls the task force a threat to religious freedom and criticizes the hypocrisy of the Trump administration. Recent public polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Christians – including two out of every three white evangelicals – do not support “the establishment of a federal task force that focuses exclusively on discrimination against Christians rather than discrimination against all religions.” 

The letter, in part, reads: “Far from Trump as a protector of Christians, the major threats to Christians in the United States are coming from Trump’s own administration. Authoritarian theocracy does not serve the interests of Christians. We have already seen that any Christian who steps out of line with this administration will be targeted, which greatly diminishes how we can follow Christ.” 

The full text of the letter is available here. 

On the urgency for convening Christian leaders for this initiative, Raushenbush said, “As an ordained Baptist minister and the leader of an organization that champions religious freedom, I want to be crystal clear: This unfounded new crusade has absolutely nothing to do with protecting Christians or advancing true Christian values. It’s a dangerous political witch hunt. The letter offers a powerful witness from Christian leaders across multiple traditions saying that not only do we not need the president’s protection, we, as Christians, have a duty to resist his thinly veiled crusade against multi-faith democracy.”

The initial list of signatories of the letter includes: 

The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, CEO and President, Interfaith Alliance** 

The Rev. Traci D. Blackmon,  Founder, HopeBuilds, LLC 

The Rev. Thomas L. Bowen, Earl L. Harrison Minister of Social Justice, Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington

The Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Democracy

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., Author and historian

The Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Distinguished University Professor, Vanderbilt

The Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck, Executive Director, Faithful America

Lisa Sharon Harper, President and Founder, Freedom Road.us

The Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Chair, Public Missions, American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York

The Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada

Jeanné L. Lewis, CEO, Faith in Public Life

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Professor of History, Calvin University

Bridget Moix, General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers)

The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ

Joan Neal, Interim Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

The Rev. Michael Neuroth, Director of the United Church of Christ's Office of Public Policy & Advocacy

Doug Pagitt, pastor and executive director of Vote Common Good 

The Rev. Sharon Prestemon, Acting Associate General Minister & Co-Executive of Global Ministries, United Church of Christ

Bishop Dwayne D. Royster, Executive Director, Faith in Action Network

Dr. Stephen Schneck, Catholics for the Future

The Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners

Paul Tché, President, Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

The Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice & Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign

Jemar Tisby, PhD, Professor of History, Simmons College of Kentucky

Amanda Tyler, Executive Director, BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Ecumenical Officer, Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church

*Titles and organizations are listed for identification purposes only.
**Lead organizer of joint statement

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Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.