Faith Leaders Across Traditions Launch A Pledge for Moral Defiance
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On October 26, faith leaders from across religious traditions gathered on the median outside the White House to launch A Pledge for Moral Defiance. This new campaign calls people of faith and conscience to publicly resist authoritarianism. The launch was broadcast to nearly 300,000 viewers.
The campaign now has its home at moraldefiance.org. There, anyone can read the pledge, add their name, and find resources to bring its message to their congregation and community.
Why faith leaders are speaking together
Our faith traditions are different, but they call on us to care for people, protect human dignity and work toward the common good. Today, these values compel us to confront authoritarianism.
Across the United States, authoritarianism threatens the rights, freedoms and dignity of the people we serve. War destroys sovereign nations. Poverty deepens. Immigrants, people of color and those who are simply different from the favored few suffer relentless attacks. These are moral concerns.
The leaders behind the pledge also recognize that religious institutions are responsible for confronting their own silence and complicity when political movements use faith to justify injustice. They come together across religious and political differences because some moral responsibilities transcend partisan divisions.
Where the pledge began
A Pledge for Moral Defiance emerged from a convening of faith leaders across traditions, hosted by Repairers of the Breach and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, to recognize and counter authoritarianism. At the convening, leaders felt called by their faith traditions and moral responsibility to act. Following the gathering, Bishop William J. Barber II, a Senior Fellow with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, called on the original signatories to draft “An American Encyclical on Our Authoritarian Crisis.”
The Encyclical is the foundation of the campaign. It calls on faith communities to stand together to reject authoritarianism, defend freedom of conscience and stand in solidarity with vulnerable populations. It is available in English, Spanish and Korean.
What signers commit to
Guided by love for their neighbors and their communities, those who sign the pledge commit to:
- Reject authoritarianism and refuse to give any political ideology or leader their ultimate allegiance.
- Repent of silence and complicity, recognizing that privatized religion is dead religion.
- Stand in solidarity across diverse traditions to protect vulnerable groups from violent and malicious attacks.
- Defend freedom of conscience by ensuring all people remain free to practice — or not practice — faith in the United States.
Read the full pledge at moraldefiance.org.
Who is standing together
Signers include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Quaker leaders from across the country. Among them are:
- Bishop William J. Barber II, President of Repairers of the Breach
- Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Board Chair of Repairers of the Breach
- Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Rabbi Maurice Harris of Thriving Communities
- Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi of the Buddhist Association of the United States
- Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson of the United Church of Christ
- Rev. Adam Taylor of Sojourners
How to take part
- Sign the pledge at moraldefiance.org, and invite others in your faith community and networks to join you.
- Read the Encyclical and bring its message into your congregation, organization and community.
- Spread the word. Download shareable graphics and a printable flyer with a QR code, and use #PledgeForMoralDefiance on social media.
- Share your voice. Record a short video, 90 seconds or less, of yourself speaking the pledge or sharing why it matters to you and your faith community. Learn how to film and share your video.
We refuse authoritarianism because we love the divine, we love people and we love the places we call home.
For media requests, contact moraldefiancepress@spitfirestrategies.com. For general questions, email info@moraldefiance.org.