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Religious Liberty and Civic Duty: Insights from The Policy Circle’s Faith & Civic Life Symposium

On Monday, September 30th, The Policy Circle launched our latest project: the Faith and Civic Life Initiative. The Initiative features a robust and engaging Policy Circle Brief which outlines the various ways that faith impacts civic life. Together with more than 200 attendees, The Policy Circle hosted a morning gathering at The Museum of the Bible featuring remarks from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin.

 

Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin address The Policy Circle’s Faith and Civic Life Symposium, Washington, D.C.

The Youngkins spoke about their deep and committed faith that propelled them into public service. “I was asked recently on one of the national networks, ‘Well what about separation of church and state?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I respect that, but I’m a Christian, and I’m that first. And that doesn’t mean I have to check my faith at the door. What it means is I bring it with me and what I do. I also don’t impose it on anyone. You don’t have to be a Christian in order to be in our Administration, or to do great work, or for us to be eager to engage in really important policy and dialogue.”
 
Governor Youngkin shared that his faith inspires him to lead with his values at the forefront. “What it has translated to, I think, are some really important steps for us to identify, at the heart, some of the principles that then we go work to make happen.”
 
To the Governor and First Lady, faith-based communities are a powerful group to mobilize in civic engagement. The First Lady remarked, “You need to think creatively about the needs of people and make sure you’re marrying the hearts and the talents of people to the needs of other people, and who better than those who are walking in faith? And I want to put an exclamation point on all faiths. Because we do not limit this work to those who are stepping out in the Christian faith.”
 
 

The Becket Fund’s Erik Baxter and EdChoice’s Leslie Hiner, moderated by The Policy Circle’s Stacy Blakeley

Following remarks by Governor and First Lady Youngkin,  The Policy Circle’s CEO, Stacy Blakeley, moderated an insightful discussion about the future of litigation and the courts as it relates to religious liberty and educational choice. As the number of private school choice programs grow, there has been an increase in lawsuits challenging the legality of these programs. Further, faith-based private school leaders have voiced concerns over the potential of government interference in their schools, risking their autonomy. The panel featured remarks from EdChoice’s Leslie Hiner and Erik Baxter from The Becket Fund.
 
“We have under the U.S. Constitution a right to be people of Faith, to practice our faith, not only privately but publicly… and we have a right to… participate in government activities, school activities, and all activities of life,” noted Hiner.
 
Baxter remarked, “There’s a feeling in our country and a long tradition legally where once you send your kids to school your rights end at the schoolhouse doors, and so we’re doing work to fight that trend.”
 
 

Rabbi Yitz Frank, Pastor Joshua Robertson, and Jennifer Daniels, moderated by Randan Steinhauser

To conclude the morning programming, Senior Advisor to The Policy Circle Randan Steinhauser led a discussion with faith leaders from various backgrounds on the role of the values-driven voter leading up to the November elections. Joining Randan on stage was Rabbi Yitz Frank of Agudath Israel, Pastor Joshua Robertson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Jennifer Daniels, founder of The Faithful Citizenship Institute.
 
The Faith and Civic Life Initiative was launched in partnership with Ambassador Enterprises and the Symposium was sponsored by EdChoice and DonorsTrust. The event is the beginning of a series of programming including virtual conversations, Days at the Capitol, and additional opportunities for faith leaders to engage with The Policy Circle.
 
 
For more information on the Initiative, please visit www.thepolicycircle.org/faith-and-civic-life and click here to view all of the photos from the event.