People of faith reject Senator Kelly Loeffler’s attacks against Rev. Raphael Warnock and the Black Church As people and organizations of faith, we applaud the Rev. Raphael Warnock for preaching our shared values of nonviolence, righteousness and justice in the prophetic tradition of the Black church, following in the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his predecessor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. We also appreciate Rev. Warnock’s work keeping alive the ministry and legacy of the late Rev. Dr. James Cone, one of the most pre-eminent Christian theologians of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Senator Kelly Loeffler’s desperate attacks against Rev. Warnock and Dr. Cone are an immoral and dangerous attempt to hijack religion for dishonest, hateful political purposes. Dr. Cone condemned racism, shared the Christian teaching that God broke into human history as a working-class person of color to lift up the marginalized, and welcomed allies of all races to the fight against white supremacy. As Americans of many faiths, we call on Senator Loeffler and her allies to cease these baseless attacks at once. Rev. Warnock is right to stress the nonviolence that characterizes so many of our faith traditions. He is equally right to stand with Dr. Cone against the injustice of white supremacy, which has historically cloaked itself in the words of our faith traditions and must be constantly rooted out. Taking Rev. Warnock and Dr. Cone’s words out of context to score cheap political points and divide Americans by race and religion draws on a long history of bigoted attacks against the Black church. To smear the pastor of a prominent mainstream Black church like Ebenezer Baptist Church just to win an election is shameful, disingenuous, and harmful to the fabric of our democracy. It is this very faith that has helped sustain Black Americans through countless injustices and that has led Black churches to frequently play a critical role in holding our nation together. Senator Loeffler and her allies must apologize to people of all faiths and stop these immoral, racially charged attacks on Rev. Warnock’s prophetic ministry at once. Such smears divide Georgians, denigrate citizens of faith, and undermine the crucial role that religion can play in building a more ethical and just nation. We call upon the senator and all officials to show respect for the crucial role our multifaith traditions play in building a more ethical and just nation, and expect them to focus on the issues Georgians care about: tackling the COVID-19 crisis, expanding access to affordable health care, and building an economy that works for all Georgians. Sincerely, The undersigned 45 organizations, 1,821 faith leaders, and 9,990 grassroots people of faith Georgia Organizations ELCA Southeastern Synod Georgia NAACP The New Georgia Project ARC (Anti-Racism Committee) of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Pembroke Magnolia Baptist Church, Statesboro National and International Organizations Auburn Seminary Bend the Arc: Jewish Action The Centre for Prophetic Activism The Clergy Emergency League Community Change Action Faith in Public Life Action Faithful America Green the Church GreenFaith Mormon Women for Ethical Government NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice New Moral Majority Pax Christi USA Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference Inc. Showing Up for Racial Justice Transform Network T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights Unitarian Universalist Association Vote Common Good Wind of the Spirit, Immigrant Resource Center Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER) State and Local Organizations Ecumenical Peace Institute/Clergy & Laity Concerned (California) Boulder Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO (Colorado) Open Table United Church of Christ (Illinois) Bluegrass District, AME Church (Kentucky) Kentucky Council of Churches Seventh Principle Team, First Unitarian Church of Louisville, KY Maine Council of Churches Michigan Faith in Action Michigan People's Campaign Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, NJ New Mexico Caregivers Coalition Ecclesia Ministries of New York Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie, NY Carolina Jews for Justice (North Carolina) Comunidad Vida Nueva (North Carolina) The Freedom BLOC (Ohio) Individual Clergy and Faith Leaders John Adamski, Atlanta, GA James King, Duluth, GA Sue Boardman, Avondale Estates, GA Harry Knox, Quitman, GA Terri Brice, Atlanta, GA Joshua Lesser, Atlanta, GA Kathy Brockman, Atlanta, GA Caroline Magee, Decatur, GA Juanita Burney, Kennesaw, GA Micahel Malcom, Jekyll Island, GA leigh Campbell-Taylor, Atlanta, GA Lilton Marks, Mcdonough, GA Nancy Christensen, Atlanta, GA Joseph McBrayer, Decatur, GA Roger Cochran, Fayetteville, GA William Mckissack, Avondale Estates, GA Ernestine Cole, Avondale Estates, GA Lydia Medwin, Decatur, GA Joseph Conyers, Austell, GA Philip Miller, Blue Ridge, GA Colleen Cook, Columbus, GA Scott Moncrief, Atlanta, GA Wayne Cook, Rossville, GA Robert Morgan, Savannah, GA Nancy Cothran, Newnan, GA Sabrina Murphy, Hamilton, GA Steve Cothran, Newnan, GA Phillip Nall, Atlanta, GA Kathleen Deegan-Neal, Athens, GA sungman park, Columbus, GA Bertis Downs, Athens, GA Francois Pellissier, Fitzgerald, GA Bruce Edwards, Jekyll Island, GA Frederick Penman, Sr., Riverdale, GA Jason Emerson, Ringgold, GA Carolyn Poling, Madison, GA Priscilla Eppinger, Tucker, GA Russell Pregeant, Clayton, GA Jonathan Favors-Grimes, Decatur, GA Gail Pyle, Gainesville, GA Dorothy Foster, Sautee Nacoochee, GA Adrienne Roberts, Lithonia, GA Daniel Gray, Santa Rosa, GA Jonathan Rogers, Decatur, GA Tom Hagood, Decatur, GA Kent Russell, Haddock, GA Cathy Harmon-Christian, Decatur, GA Rudolf J. Siebert, Suwanee, GA Colin Harris, Stone Mountain, GA Jeremy Smith, Tucker, GA Amy Hayes, Atlanta, GA Anthony Spears, Athens, GA Philip Hedgecoth, Grovetown, GA Ken Spence, Columbus, GA Colin Holtz, Atlanta, GA Michael Spring, Riverdale, GA Marvin Huggins, Marietta, GA Taryn Strauss, Decatur, GA Glenda Hunt, Decatur, GA Duncan Teague, Decatur, GA Victoria Jarvis, Roswell, GA Rev Robert Thompson, Atlanta, GA Rev. Louis Kavar, Atlanta, GA Velma Tilley, Atlanta, GA David Key, Athens, GA Melanie Vaughn-West, Decatur, GA Mimi Walker, Lilburn, GA Eileen Altman, Palo Alto, CA Ken Whitehurst, Stone Mountain, GA Amy Alward, Chico, CA Shavonne Williams, Hephzibah, GA Rebecca Anderson, Oakland, CA Leslie Withers, Decatur, GA Helen Archerd, Calistoga, CA Camille Yahm, Carrollton, GA John Ayala , Fullerton , CA Rev. Dr. John C Bush, Decatur, AL Ellen Ayres, Atascadero, CA Sonya Gravlee, Trussville, AL Rev. Dr. Barbara Barkley, Concord, CA Richard Krause, Birmingham, AL Rev. Carol Barriger, Redwood City, CA Mark LaGory, Birmingham, AL Mary Bartosh, Spring Valley, CA Frank Turner, Saraland, AL Julie Best, Valencia, CA Tara Carman , Anchorage, AK Sofia Betancourt, Oakland, CA John Sonin, Douglas, AK Susan Bjork, Long Beach, CA Kathalin Walker, Y, AK susan black, Berkeley, CA Rev. Mike Wright-Chapman, Y, AK Susan Blomstad , Arroyo Grande, CA Mercy Aiken, Flagstaff, AZ Malcolm Blue, Valencia, CA Susan Armer , Dewey, AZ Bruce Bramlett, El Cerrito, CA Anthony N. Beltran, Phoenix, AZ Onetta Brooks, Inglewood, CA Frank Bergen, Tucson, AZ Stephen Bulfer, Mariposa, CA Rev. Dr. John Brangenberg, Tucson, AZ jacques Burgering, OAKLAND, CA Donald Crawford, Mesa, AZ Bonnie Burke, San Diego, CA Scott Deasy, Flagstaff, AZ Gail Cafferata , Santa rosa, CA Anne Fitzsimons, Prescott, AZ Matthew Campos, Morongo Valley, CA Maria Grant, Tucson, AZ Judy Carle, Burlingame, CA Rev Elaine Groppenbacher, Mesa, AZ Mark Charlton, Antioch, CA Joseph Keesecker, Phoenix, AZ Jim Clark-Moore, San Jose, CA Richard Mallory , Tucson, AZ Ernest Cockrell, San Jose, CA Voce Moody, Tombstone, AZ John Coleman, San Francisco, CA Mark Perry, Sierra Vista, AZ RevJim Conn, Santa Monica, CA Kristin Rice, Phoenix, AZ Tom Cotter, Clovis, CA Julie Rogers, Tucson, AZ Rev. Norm Cram, Sonoma, CA Sister Jean Ryan, Saint Michaels, AZ Mary Louise Cross, Watsonville, CA Kristina Schlabach, Tucson, AZ Carly Crouch, Altadena, CA Patricia Sills-trausch, Phoenix, AZ Laurie Curtis-Abbe, Ventura, CA Riccardina Silvestri , Sacaton, AZ Michael Dack, Sacramento, CA Rev. Michael D Smith, Tucson, AZ Rev Dr Donald J Dallmann, Cambria, CA David Stabenfeldt , Clarkdale, AZ Jennifer Davidson, PhD, Pleasant Hill, CA Mary Lynn Walters , Phoenix, AZ John Davis, Imperial Beach, CA Judith Wellington, Phoenix, AZ Jo'Ann De Quattro, Monrovia, CA Lana Wilson, Tucson, AZ Jean Denton, Claremont, CA Gail Brooks, Little Rock, AR Don Dewey , Orange, CA Steve Evans, Fort Smith, AR Cal Domingue, San Francisco, CA Ray Granade, Arkadelphia, AR Elizabeth Dowdy, Apple Valley, CA Reverend Kaye Lee-Moore, Eureka Frank Dunn, Palm Springs, CA, CA Springs, AR Rev. Ronald Dybvig, Ventura, CA Charles Alger , Oceanside , CA Nica Eaton-Guinn, Santa Barbara, CA Dojin Sarah Emerson, Sebastopol, CA Gabriella Lettini, Berkeley, CA Christine Fahrenbach, Santa Cruz, CA Emily Lin, Alameda, CA Neil Ferguson, Vacaville, CA Clifford Lindeman, Lomita, CA Zev-Hayyim Feyer, Pomona, CA Rebecca Littlejohn, El Cajon, CA Ted Firch, Sacramento, CA Sr Deborah Lorentz, Los Angeles, CA Sister Ellen FitzGerald, Burlingame, CA Ann Lougee, San Jose, CA Raymond Flanders, Turlock, CA Larry Love, Woodland, CA Rev. Victor Floyd, San Francisco, CA Marcia Lovelace, Oakland, CA Yvette Flunder, Oakland,