Editing Institute on Religion and Democracy

{{Short description|American think tank}}
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{{Infobox organization
| name                = Institute on Religion and Democracy
| image               = IRD-logo.png
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| abbreviation        = IRD
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| formation           = {{start date and age|1981}}
| founder             = {{unbulleted list | David Jessup | Edmund Robb}}
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| headquarters        = [[Washington, DC]], US
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| leader_title        = President
| leader_name         = [[Mark Tooley]]
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The '''Institute on Religion and Democracy''' ('''IRD''') is an American [[Christianity|Christian]] conservative [[think tank]] that promotes its views among [[mainline Protestant]] churches, as well as advocating for its values in the public square. Its critics claim that it has been instrumental in criticizing mainline Protestant denominations in the United States including the progressive [[United Methodist Church]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Renewal or Ruin?: The Institute on Religion and Democracy's Attack on The United Methodist Church |website=youtube.com |date=7 September 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUkGdIeIIXQ}}</ref>

Founded in 1981, the institute's primary focus through the 1980s was [[communism]] and their opposition to elements within mainline Protestantism that they perceived as supportive of communism.{{sfn|Coulter|2016|p=373}} In more recent years, the IRD has turned their main purposes to the promotion of [[conservative evangelicalism|theological]] and political conservatism in mainline churches, particularly on issues of "traditional" [[sexual morality]] and support of [[Israel]].{{sfn|Coulter|2016|pp=373–374}}

==Background==
The IRD was founded in 1981 by United Methodist evangelist Edmund Robb and [[AFL–CIO]] official David Jessup.<ref name="NYTimes2004" /> [[Michael Novak]] and [[Richard John Neuhaus]] joined the IRD board early on, as did ''[[Christianity Today]]'' founding editor [[Carl F. H. Henry|Carl F.&nbsp;H. Henry]].{{sfn|Coulter|2016|p=373}} [[Mark Tooley]] became IRD's president in 2009.

The early focus of IRD was to identify [[Marxist]] tendencies in mainline Protestant churches and draw attention to attacks on [[freedom of religion|religious liberty]]. IRD challenged churches that supported Marxist regimes such as the [[Sandinista]] regime in Nicaragua and Vietnam in the 1980s.<ref name="NYTimes2004" />{{failed verification|date=February 2018}} In 1985, IRD co-sponsored a conference with [[presidency of Ronald Reagan|Ronald Reagan's administration]], where speakers criticised the [[National Council of Churches]] for its efforts to develop contacts with church leaders in the Soviet Union.<ref name="RegisterGuard1985">{{cite news |date=April 27, 1985 |title=Critics Voice Church–State Concerns on Conference |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-6xVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5259,6801437&dq=institute+on+religion+and+democracy&hl=en |newspaper=Eugene Register Guard |volume=118 |issue=186 |location=Eugene, Oregon |agency=The Washington Post |access-date=March 17, 2012}}</ref>

Since the early 1990s, the IRD has actively urged American churches to affirm traditional Christian sexual ethical teachings,{{disputed inline|date=February 2018}} including opposition to same-sex marriage. IRD has also challenged mainline Protestant church agencies that support [[abortion]] rights. International religious liberty is a chief concern for the IRD, and their religious liberty program has especially focused on southern [[Sudan]].

Since the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, IRD has emphasized the importance of Christian [[just war]] teachings.<ref name="TimesNews1991">{{cite news |date=February 7, 1991 |title=Just Whose Side Is God Really On? |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WBsaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=piQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3959,1552679&dq=institute+on+religion+and+democracy+just+war&hl=en |newspaper=Times-News |location=Hendersonville, North Carolina |volume=114 |issue=38 |agency=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2012}}</ref>  Most recently, IRD has challenged church officials who they say uncritically accept worst-case scenarios regarding human-induced climate change. The IRD focuses much of its attention on the policies of the [[United Methodist Church]], the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] and the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]].

Notable members of the organization's board of directors include journalist [[Fred Barnes (journalist)|Fred Barnes]], United Methodist theologian [[Thomas C. Oden]], Princeton University ethicist [[Robert P. George]], theologian [[Michael Novak]] and former papal biographer [[George Weigel]].

==Criticism==
Chuck Currie, a [[progressive Christianity|progressive]] minister in the [[United Church of Christ]], blogged that "IRD's conservative social-policy goals include increasing military spending and foreign interventions, opposing environmental protection efforts, and eliminating social welfare programs" and that the organization is non-religious in nature and a front for conservative political groups that hope to undermine Christian voices opposed to conservative public policies.<ref>{{cite news |last=Currie |first=Chuck |date=April 12, 2011 |title=Institute on Religion and Democracy Continues Campaign of Disinformation |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-chuck-currie/institute-on-religion-and_b_847261.html |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref> The IRD's self-stated goals are, "working to reaffirm the church's biblical and historical teachings, strengthen and reform its role in public life, protect religious freedom, and renew democracy at home and abroad."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theird.org/about/our-mission/ |title=Our Mission |website=theird.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018200222/http://theird.org/about/our-mission/ |archive-date=2013-10-18}} </ref>

In their book ''Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion'',{{sfn|Culver|Dorhauer|2007}} [[United Church of Christ]] associate conference ministers John Dorhauer and Sheldon Culver<ref>{{cite web|last1=United Church of Christ|title=Revs. Sheldon Culver and John Dorhauer|url=Sheldon Culver|website=youtube|access-date=February 23, 2017|date=2009}}</ref> accused the IRD of encouraging small groups of theologically conservative Christians to divide and then take over their mainline (UCC, [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]] and [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterian Church [USA]]]) congregations and lead them out of their respective denominations and into more conservative ones. The process, which they called "steeplejacking", is allegedly done against the wishes of the majority of the original congregants. Though the authors of "Steeplejacking" point to a number of historical instances and facts to bolster their central argument, the IRD disputes this characterization of their activities and instead suggests that much of the book is based on circumstantial evidence, observations, and experience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://juicyecumenism.com/2007/07/09/commentary-steeplejacking-ird-critics-weigh-in/|title = Commentary: Steeplejacking? IRD Critics Weigh in|date = 9 July 2007}}</ref>{{tone inline|date=February 2018}}

==Funding==

The IRD is funded by gifts from both foundations and individuals. IRD's board includes [[Roman Catholic]]s.

According to [[GuideStar]], the Institute on Religion and Democracy generated $1.1 million in contributions in 2009.<ref name="Guidestar">{{cite web |url=http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/52-1265221/institute-religion-democracy.aspx | title=INSTITUTE ON RELIGION & DEMOCRACY | access-date=March 17, 2012  }}</ref>

Donors include the [[Scaife Foundations]], the [[Bradley Foundation]], the [[John M. Olin Foundation|Olin Foundation]] and Howard and Roberta [[Howard Ahmanson Jr.|Ahmanson]]'s Fieldstead & Company.<ref name="NYTimes2004">{{cite news |last1=Goodstein |first1=Laurie |last2=Kirkpatrick |first2=David D. |author2-link=David D. Kirkpatrick |date=May 22, 2004 |title=Conservative Group Amplifies Voice of Protestant Orthodoxy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/22/us/conservative-group-amplifies-voice-of-protestant-orthodoxy.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity|Conservatism}}
* [[Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals]]
* [[Confessing Movement]]
* [[Israel lobby in the United States]]
* National Pro-Life Religious Council
* [[Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|22em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite encyclopedia
|last=Coulter
|first=Michael L.
|year=2016
|title=Institute on Religion and Democracy
|editor-last=Smith
|editor-first=Frank J.
|encyclopedia=Religion and Politics in America: An Encyclopedia of Church and State in American Life
|volume=1
|location=Santa Barbara, California
|publisher=ABC-CLIO
|pages=373–375
|isbn=978-1-59884-436-8
|oclc=921863922
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Culver
|first1=Sheldon
|last2=Dorhauer
|first2=John
|author2-link=John C. Dorhauer
|year=2007
|title=Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion
|location=New York
|publisher=Ig Publishing
|isbn=978-0-9771972-8-6
|url=https://archive.org/details/steeplejackingho00culv
}}
{{Refend}}


==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book
|last=Diamond
|first=Sara
|author-link=Sara Diamond (sociologist)
|year=1989
|title=Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right
|location=Boston, Massachusetts
|publisher=South End Press
|isbn=978-0-89608-361-5
|url=https://archive.org/details/spiritualwarfare0000diam
}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Fast
|first=John G.
|year=1985
|title=Political Theology or Theological Politics? An Analysis of the Institute for Religion and Democracy
|url=http://www.directionjournal.org/14/1/political-theology-or-theological.html
|journal=Direction
|volume=14
|issue=1
|pages=51–57
|issn=0384-8515
|access-date=February 2, 2018
}}
* {{cite AV media
|people=Martin, Steven D. (director)
|year=2007
|title=Renewal or Ruin? The Institute on Religion and Democracy's Attack on the United Methodist Church
|url=https://vimeo.com/381786
|medium=motion picture
|oclc=124076030
|access-date=February 2, 2018
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Neuhaus
|first=Richard John
|author-link=Richard John Neuhaus
|year=1981
|title=Christianity and Democracy: A Statement from the Institute on Religion and Democracy
|location=Washington
|publisher=Institute on Religion and Democracy
}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Steinfels
|first=Peter
|author-link=Peter Steinfels
|year=1982
|title='Christianity and Democracy': Baptizing Reaganism
|journal=Christianity and Crisis
|volume=42
|issue=5
|pages=80–85
|issn=0009-5745
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://juicyecumenism.com/ Juicy Ecumenism blog]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1981 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Faith and theology think tanks in the United States]]
[[Category:Religion and democracy]]
[[Category:Social conservatism]]
[[Category:Think tanks established in 1981]]
[[Category:United Methodist Church]]
[[Category:Think tanks based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Conservative organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Anti-communist organizations in the United States]]