Religious Freedom Advocacy and the Challenge of Pluralism: Principles of Engagement
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ADVOCACY AND THE CHALLENGE OF PLURALISM: PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENT A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies and of The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Liberal Studies By Walter R. Ratliff, MALS Georgetown University Washington, D.C. November 12, 2018 Copyright 2018 by Walter R. Ratliff All Rights Reserved ii RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ADVOCACY AND THE CHALLENGE OF PLURALISM: PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENT Walter R. Ratliff, MALS DLS Chair: Michael J. Kessler, Ph.D. ABSTRACT This thesis examines the promotion of religious freedom among a representative selection of evangelical groups in order to identify a set of ethical principles for advocacy that take into account contemporary pluralism, best practices derived from the social sciences, and core debates within Protestantism over religion in public life. The three case studies presented here cover political mobilization by American evangelicals, rights- based development by Coptic evangelicals in Egypt, and transnational religious freedom advocacy represented by the Institute for Global Engagement’s efforts in Vietnam. The primary social science methodology employed to examine these advocacy and mobilization efforts is Social Movement Theory. Each of the three case studies examines how each group identified a political issue, framed the issue according to its ideological outlook, developed political resources to address the issue, and mobilized its resources to resolve its grievances. This study explores the limits of religious mobilization through the theological critiques of leading Christian theologians and public intellectuals such as Reinhold Niebuhr and Stanley Hauerwas. These critiques highlight the paradox of Christians seeking to maintain the integrity of their faith while seeking to exercise political power. It also examines approaches among religious freedom advocates that transcend the common mobilization narrative in an interdisciplinary way that iii increases their effectiveness and mitigates concerns about the polarizing effect of identity group politics. The result of this analysis is a set of principles for religious freedom advocacy that reflects practical observations from the field and addresses theoretical and theological concerns. The principles are as follows: (1) Christian leaders should emphasize within their own communities the central role of the universal free conscience that appears in scripture, theology, and tradition, and the implications of this in a pluralistic context. (2) Christian public engagement in defense of religious liberty should be consistent in its emphasis on freedom and justice for all religious and nonreligious groups in society. (3) Religious freedom advocacy should emphasize the role of faith groups serving the common good through participation in civil society. (4) Religious freedom advocacy groups integrate their work with others across religious and social identity lines. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Case Studies .......................................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 24 An Ethic of Engagement ....................................................................................................................... 27 Niebuhr and the Contemporary Context ............................................................................................. 43 Principles of Religious Freedom Advocacy .......................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................ 52 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 54 Evangelical Mobilization ...................................................................................................................... 58 IRFA-Framing the Grievance .............................................................................................................. 63 IRFA-Available Resources ................................................................................................................... 64 IRFA-Evangelical Mobilization ............................................................................................................ 66 Evangelical Anti-Sharia Campaigns .................................................................................................... 68 Framing the Grievance ......................................................................................................................... 72 Anti-Sharia: Mobilization Resources ................................................................................................... 79 Anti-Sharia: Evangelical Mobilization ................................................................................................. 81 Features of the Evangelical Movement ................................................................................................ 86 CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................... 102 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 104 Coptic Orthodox: Church and State .................................................................................................. 106 v Coptic Evangelicals: Pursuing an Alternative Path ........................................................................... 115 Method ................................................................................................................................................ 119 Ethics of Engagement ......................................................................................................................... 127 Modes of Engagement ........................................................................................................................ 132 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 141 CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................... 148 Identifying and Framing the Grievance ............................................................................................. 152 Backdrop for Engagement.................................................................................................................. 156 Resources & Political Opportunity .................................................................................................... 169 IGE’s Mission ..................................................................................................................................... 180 Mobilization Timeline ......................................................................................................................... 183 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 189 CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................. 202 Principles of Engagement ................................................................................................................... 211 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 227 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 232 vi CHAPTER ONE Religious Freedom Advocacy and Pluralism Introduction In the United States and around the world, religious groups seek protection from what they observe as encroaching government restrictions and rising social hostilities.1 This issue remains at the forefront of many debates over the role of religious groups in society. The question arises as to whether current rhetoric and mobilization approaches are sufficient to address religious freedom concerns.2 This project examines the different modes of religious freedom advocacy at work among contemporary Protestant organizations, including evangelicals, in the United States and in international contexts. It examines how a cross-section of religious networks and organizations tackle the pursuit of religious freedom in the contemporary context. From the case studies examined here, four principles emerge that help religious freedom advocates avoid the pitfalls of past efforts and produce a more robust and lasting presence in the pluralistic public square. In addition to sociological analysis