Pastor Retreat Funded By Atheist

Press Release 

Pastor Retreat Funded by Atheist 

April 3, 2024 

American church-goers are being targeted with political extremism and misinformation by media figures and politicians. These messages contribute to our hyper-polarized communities, undermine our institutions, and are antithetical to the democratic norms necessary for our nation to flourish. 

Pastors are on the front lines of this crisis. Their congregants are being told that winning elections is a path to spiritual revival, political parties neatly align with the forces of good/evil and God/Satan, immigrants are undeserving of compassion, vaccines are fake, and other false narratives. The stresses pastors are under are evident in the many stories we have heard directly from them and in polling data. A recent survey found that 4 in 10 clergy members have seriously considered leaving their congregations in the last four years.

One reason they're under so much stress is pastors have been underprepared to deal with these problems. As a result, they've failed to prepare their congregations for the onslaught of rhetoric that uses the language of the church to promote ideas antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. To aid this shortfall, the American Values Coalition is building a network for pastors, the J29 Coalition, to help them recapture the evangelical political imagination. 

“Many evangelical pastors that I know have received little or no training in how their theology or doctrine applies to politics,” said Pastor Caleb Campbell, project lead for the J29 Coalition. “The J29 Coalition is meeting that need by providing coaching from nationwide church leaders in accessible and executable ways and by providing a network for ministry leaders to share resources, offer encouragement, and collaborate in recapturing the political imagination of evangelical churches.”

The first J29 cohort will meet 10 times this year on video conference calls to hear from experts, fellowship with each other, and share their common challenges and strategies for overcoming them. In September, they'll meet in person at a retreat in Chicago generously funded by the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. 

Why would an atheist fund a pastor retreat? And why would an organization led by an evangelical work with an atheist? Because of our shared goals of strengthening democracy and promoting civility. 

“Christian Nationalism is a direct threat to American democracy, and everybody needs to unite against this threat,” said Todd Stiefel, president of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. “Christians, atheists, and everyone else need to stand as one to protect America from those who think they should rule everyone else.”

Coalition-building is essential to a functioning democracy. We need not agree on everything before working together on areas of agreement. In working together, we gain an understanding of each other and break through the walls of division. 

Interview requests can be sent to napp@americanvalues.org. 

The American Values Coalition (AVC), a non-profit 501(c)(3), is a community of Americans empowered to lead with truth, reject extremism and misinformation, and defend democracy. AVC provides resources, skills, and community to counter extremism and misinformation in our families, churches, and neighborhoods. You can learn more about AVC at americanvalues.org.