For God's sake, Let's Focus on the Earth!
by Richard Cizik, President of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good
Friday, November 2, 2012
12:15 p.m.
Robert A. Jones '59 House conference room
Richard Cizik has been recognized as a leader in bringing evangelical Christians together with scholars and policy-makers in the search for common ground on a host of national and international challenges, including climate change, civil liberties, economic justice, and national security. He served for ten years as Vice President for Governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, the top staff position of the organization, a post he left in 2008 after enduring years of political opposition from the Religious Right. An interview with NPR's "Fresh Air" in which he expressed support for civil unions, climate change, and political collaboration with the newly-elected Obama Administration, led to a national uproar within the movement and over one-hundred top evangelical leaders defecting to a "New Evangelical" agenda.
In 2007, Cizik formed a group of scientists, including nobel laureate Eric Chivian and Harvard Professor Emeritus Edward O. Wilson, along with leading evangelical pastors and professors, to together release a groundbreaking document entitled the "Scientist and Evangelical Call to Action." In 2008 he was named to TIME Magazine's list of "TIME 100" most influential people.
Sponsored by the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, with generous help from the Rohatyn Center for Global Studies, the Academic Enrichment Fund, the Department of Religion, the Franklin Environmental Center, the Program in Environmental Studies, Newman Club, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
