CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Free, fair elections, including the right of every citizen to cast a ballot that is duly counted, form the bedrock of American democracy. Voting rights are referred to as “the right preservative of all others,” since only through voting can the people of a community peaceably remove leaders who seek to oppress them. The world’s faith traditions collectively affirm voting as a responsibility both civic and spiritual: through voting, we express our preferences for the circumstances our neighbors will live in.
INDIVIDUAL ACTION
Individual civic participation is the primary building block of our democracy, like cells are the primary building blocks of our bodies. Individual actions—like voting and speaking out on issues—may seem small or insignificant, but collectively they drive our policies and our future.
COLLECTIVE ACTION
Congregations and other faith groups can help their members fulfill their civic engagement responsibilities. They also can serve the wider community by opening doors to civic participation.
ADVOCACY 101
Advocacy means using your voice to advance something you care about. In public policy, advocacy means expressing your views in a way that influences policymakers.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Events
NEWS + UPDATES
Paving the Way for Religious Freedom in the 88th Legislative Session
In a press conference on February 7, Representative Salman Bhojani of House District 92 announced his new Religious Freedom Agenda, a package of bills that expands religious...
The Texas Legislature is Set to Vote on Changes to the PUCT, ERCOT, and OPUC
On Tuesday, January 10th, the Texas Legislature began its 88th legislative session, gathering to pass a variety of laws and a two-year state budget. From January until May,...
Christian Nationalism
[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in an Oct. 26 seminar at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., reiterated The Episcopal Church’s position that white...
Fossils
While representatives of national governments are parsing diplomatic language in meeting rooms at the climate negotiations, outside the rooms advocates from “civil society” use...
600,000
On May 24, 2022, Texas held its party primary runoffs. The message from those primary runoffs is that little has changed and we’re in for more of the same: despite the fact that...
Unclenched Hands
This weekend, I spent some time in the Texas Hill Country at the MoRanch Women’s Conference, talking with my (mostly) Presbyterian sisters about how people of faith can be...