Institute on Religion and Democracy

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IRD logo.

The Institute on Religion and Democracy is a neo-conservative political lobbying group in the United States. Although funded and directed by right-wing forces within the Roman Catholic Church, the IRD describes itself as "an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches’ social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad." ^[1] Notable members of the organization's Board of Directors include journalist Fred Barnes, Dr. Thomas C. Oden, Dr. Robert P. George, philosopher Michael Novak and theologian George Weigel. Its goals are to influence decision-making in three Mainline Churches – namely the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church – because the Institute judges the leadership of these churches to be most seriously astray. The problems they attribute to these church leaderships include "the pursuit of radical political agendas", which they feel are not justified by "Scripture or Christian tradition", but instead are "left-wing crusades": "feminism, environmentalism, multiculturalism, revolutionary socialism, sexual liberation, etc."^[2]

1 Background
2 Funding
3 Criticism
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Background

The IRD was founded in 1981 by neo-conservative Roman Catholics Michael Novak and Richard John Neuhaus. The foundation claimed to further education for democracy and be a financing organization for the Coalition for a Democratic Majority. It was meant to be a counterweight to progressive Protestant organizations like the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. It opposed Latin American liberation theology and conducted an aggressive media campaign in support of the policies of the Reagan Administration in Central America. It accused leading representatives of churches of advocating Marxist goals and advocated increases to the defense budget, an interventionist foreign policy while opposing LGBT rights. It considers these policies to be the "renewal of democratic society" (the term used on its own website) at home and abroad.

Since 1981 the IRD has worked toward two objectives:^{[citation needed]}

Influence US domestic and foreign policy with a conservative Christian viewpoint.

Reform the mainline American Protestant denominations. The IRD views the mainline denominations as being endangered due to their clergy and leadership having surrendered to secular and leftist political influences.

[edit] Funding

According to GuideStar.org, the Institute on Religion & Democracy generated $1.1 million in contributions in 2004 (the most recent IRS 990 form available online). Contributions to the IRD equate to less than 1% of the budgets of all mainline churches combined.

[edit] Criticism

The organization has been the subject of a growing number of complaints and critiques for its tactics which are having divisive and problematic effects on its targeted denominations.

see:

[edit] See also

Balkan Action Committee
Citizens for a Free Kuwait
Coalition for a Democratic Majority
Committee for the Free World
Committee for the Liberation of Iraq
Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf
Committee on the Present Danger
Prodemca (Friends of the Democratic Center in Central America)
Project for the New American Century
Project for the Republican Future

While IRD board members may have connections with some of the above groups, IRD does not work either directly or indirectly with any of them. IRD has not taken an official stance either for or against issues such as the Iraq War.