Rev. Jen Butler
Rev. Jen Butler has spent the last three decades strengthening and rebuilding the progressive faith movement. She has dedicated her life to helping individuals and communities ground themselves in liberative spirituality that empowers them to speak out with a faithful voice to change the world.
In 2005, she founded Faith in Public Life to amplify progressive faith voices and forge multi-racial, multi-faith and ideologically diverse faith coalitions to work for justice and the common good. In founding FPL, Rev. Jen drew on her decade long experience countering religious extremism with a faithful argument for democracy, the rights of women and LGBTQ people. Her book Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized (Pluto Press) remains a go-to resource for those tracking white Christian nationalism globally.
Butler served as CEO of Faith in Public Life from 2005 to 2022. Highlights of her work as CEO include mobilizing a multi-state faith strategy to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act and defeating Republican efforts in 2017 to gut the bill. She spearheaded faith based campaigns to defeat fake religious freedom bills at the state level by empowering ideologically diverse religious leaders to oppose discrimination in the name of faith. Rev. Jen also led FPL in the Trump years to draw a bright moral line in the sand against rising authoritarianism and racism.
Today, Rev. Jen is a speaker and consultant working with nonprofits and government agencies to strengthen human rights and democracy in the U.S. and around the world. Her most recent book, Who Stole My Bible? Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny, makes a biblical case for muti-racial democracy in the face of rising white Christian Nationalism and authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world.
In 2022, she was named one of Center for American Progress’ Faith Leaders to Watch. She served as the chair of the White House Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships (2015-2016). You can find her writing in Religion News Service, Sojourners and Red Letter Christians.
Rev. Jen was a Peace Corps volunteer in a Mayan village in Belize, Central America. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, she studied public policy and community organizing and graduated with a MSW from Rutgers University. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary. Rev. Butler lives in Atlanta, GA.
TOPICS:
White Christian nationalism is a threat to our democracy and to our faith. Rev Jen Butler inspires and equips communities to reclaim their faith voices to protect our democracy. By being grounded in spiritual disciplines that have strengthened justice-centered communities for centuries and reclaiming their voice in public life, they can transform the nation and the health of our faith communities. Together we can build a true multi-faith, multiracial democracy where every person can thrive.
How to help friends and loved ones who have been drawn into QAnon and other conspiracy theories
During the Trump Presidency and the pandemic, many of us saw friends, family members, congregants and colleagues succumbing to conspiracy theories and extremist viewpoints. While speaking around the country about my book, Who Stole My Bible?I am always asked how to handle those drawn into cult-like conspiracy theories and ideologies, particularly QAnon and white Christian nationalism. My workshop explores how conspiracy theories attract people and offers scientifically tested methods to break through to those captivated by such beliefs. This is an interactive workshop where participants put these methods to the test?
Christian Nationalism and the threat to Democracy
What is Christian nationalism and how can we live faithfully address its negative impact on our faith communities and our democracy? Rev. Butler explores the history and modern impact of Christian nationalism and shares inspiring stories of how people of faith can respond individually and as a community.
Developing a Spiritual Practice to find Courage in an Era of Rising Tyranny
These are frightening times in which violence and autocratic rule are on the rise. Fortunately we have deep spiritual resources, including scripture which is actually a handbook for resisting tyranny. From the Creation story to Revelation it is the story of people walking with God through the shadow of oppressive empires. Rev. Butler uses Lectio Divina, an ancient way of reading scripture, to explore biblical texts as “living word–” as speaking to us now, in our current context in radical ways. She helps people understand some of the familiar scriptural passages in the context of resistance to oppression, drawing spiritual practices that can help them find meaning and courage to take action in troubled times.
Faith and Democracy
The Christian Right has dominated the narrative around the role of faith in our democracy, but that is not the full story. Throughout history, progressive people of faith have pushed back on Christian nationalism and advocated for policies that honor the dignity of all people. Learn more about how communities of faith have organized in the past. This can be done as a speech or as a workshop for those who want practice putting their faith voice in action.
