Showing community and public officials the distinct value of their mission and services is one way faith-based organizations can preserve their freedom to serve the community in accordance with their religious beliefs. As the Sacred Sector Toolbox on Public Policy states, “Positive public regard can influence lawmakers, regulators and courts to protect the religious freedom that faith-based organizations need.”

America World Adoption Association (AWAA) is a Sacred Sector participant and faith-based organization in McLean, Virginia that employs this concept well.

Paid family leave is an issue that affects almost every American at some point, from the new mother who wants to bond with her baby to the aging grandparent who needs help with medical care. Recently, Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would allow new parents to finance their paid leave by drawing from their Social Security benefits early. Senator Rubio, along with Ivanka Trump, is hopeful that the bill will gain bipartisan support.

In the United States, faith-based adoption agencies have been a trending topic in the news. A recent vote in the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to a bill which prohibits the government from discriminating against child welfare agencies because of their “sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions.” This bill will allow more faith-based adoption agencies to live out their religious beliefs by placing children in loving homes without compromising their views on traditional marriage.

Faith-based organizations are often caught in a net of contradictions while trying to advocate for justice in the public square. On the one hand, faith-based organizations recognize the biblical call to speak on behalf of the oppressed. On the other hand, advocacy and lobbying can be depicted as inappropriate activities for organizations with sacred missions, especially when government is involved. How are faith-based organizations supposed to bring about justice while avoiding government entanglement?

School safety is not the only discussion that neglects the needs of non-government or faith-based entities. In any matter involving government support, faith-based organizations tend to be overlooked due to the perception that faith-based and government collaborations foster religious establishment or undermine religious freedom. Yet the best way to prevent both religious establishment and religious freedom violations is to allow faith-based and secular organizations to have equal opportunity to apply for government funds.

When it comes to taking on comprehensive issues such as poverty, homelessness and human trafficking, it’s easy to choose one of three courses: emphasize the need for individual responsibility and ingenuity, rely on the saving power of government or give up hope of ever remedying such pandemic problems.

Recent headlines about churches accepting public funds for historic preservation have reignited the public debate about church-state separation. Though not expressly established in the Constitution, the separation of church and state is a value many Americans affirm. Yet this value can also have negative consequences; it tends to enforce the idea that church and state are fundamentally at odds, and that church-state collaborations ultimately undermine the integrity of one institution or the other. However, in reality, when faith-based organizations such as churches and nonprofits choose to partner with government it can benefit the organization, the government and the common good…

Christian colleges and universities can often find themselves on the defensive. They may be asked to explain their commitment to their Christian values, their high standards for faculty, staff and students, or how their sacred mission contributes to their academic goals. Although they are frequently scrutinized, the reality is that Christian colleges and universities make irreplaceable contributions to the common good not only in terms of advancing faith and intellect, but also in terms of economic impact…

When a local church is featured in the media, it isn’t usually to highlight its thriving ministry. Media consumers are more interested in church controversy than in the important work of small groups or outreach programs. Media organizations aren’t the only ones missing out on the important work of local churches; in fact, society often perceives the work of local churches as primarily taking place on Sunday mornings. However, many churches contribute extensively…

Religious freedom is a comprehensive issue that deals with a range of topics. Religious freedom protections have implications for whether an Orthodox Jewish community can build a temple, whether a Muslim man can retain a beard while imprisoned or whether a public university can host a Catholic club on campus. Today, conversations about religious freedom often revolve around the intersection of religion and sexual orientation/gender identity (SOGI). While religious freedom has to do with far more than…

Recent contentions surrounding the term “Evangelical” have forced Christians to reckon with the differences embedded in their faith community. As disagreements arise and counterpoints are exchanged, it is becoming increasingly clear that the terms “Evangelical” and “Christian” can mean a variety of things to different people. Yet despite political or theological divisions…

A new report on race and economic mobility in the United States exposes the stark racial divides between black and white American men with the same economic starting points. Using data from government sources to track the lives of 20 million Americans born between 1978 and 1982, the report indicates that...

On Tuesday, March 20, the U. S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra. The case concerns whether crisis pregnancy centers — often faith-based organizations — can be forced by California’s law, the Reproductive FACT Act, to advertise abortion to their patients.

According to this 2015 law, a licensed clinic providing primarily family planning...

The scriptural basis for caring for the orphan is clear: passages on the subject span the Old and New Testament and leave no room for interpretive error. Perhaps because of this, the Christian community has a history of caring for orphans through adoption agencies, foster programs, orphanages and other ministries. Yet while Christian communities are often generous...

Recent frustration over the government’s inability to preserve DACA has sparked renewed concern about immigration, especially as it involves youths and children. Stories about individual Dreamers who meaningfully contribute to U.S. society have circulated and amassed public, bipartisan support of DACA. But what if instead of having to come to the United States to succeed...

Criminal justice isn’t just a political issue. When over 2.7 million U.S. children have parents in prison, it’s also a family issue. When those single-parent families struggle to help their children succeed in school, it’s an education issue. When incarceration presents mental-health challenges, it’s a medical issue, and when returning citizens struggle to re-integrate into society, it’s a community issue. Finally, when the conditions in the criminal justice system lead to a sense of deep...

Most people can agree that our criminal justice system is flawed. There has been a 500% increase in prisoner populations over the last 40 years, with 2.2 million individuals in the United States living behind bars today. Severe racial and socioeconomic inequalities also pervade the criminal justice system; though people of color constitute 35% of the U.S. population, they make up 67% of the prison population. It is clear something needs to change. But what? ...

It’s no secret that nonprofit organizations — and faith-based organizations in particular — are being increasingly overlooked by the media and the public. According to FrameWorks Institute, one contributing factor is that the media tends to report on things on an episodic, rather than a thematic level. Media is much more likely to cover stories that highlight the individual tragedy or victory than the systems, structures and institutions that contributed to the individual’s story. This can be damaging for the faith-based nonprofit sector because it makes it all the more difficult for faith-based nonprofits to help frame the public discourse around the importance of...

How can faith-based organizations make themselves relevant to the particular cultural, political or news-cycle moment? The media often reports on what government is doing or what individuals are doing, but rarely focuses on all the communities and organizations in which we live our lives. These communities — family, church, school, neighborhood associations, civic groups, after-school programs, food banks — play a primary role in...

Apostle Angeloyd Fenrick was offered over one million dollars for the apartment building that she currently owns in Ward 8 of Southeast D.C, but she refused to sell. Why? Because this isn’t just any apartment building. This building is the home of Columbia Learning International Ministries (CLIM), a faith-based, Christ-centered non-profit organization located in DC that provides housing, case management services, and spiritual supports to the working homeless. CLIM’s sacred mission and vision calls it to...