Institute on Religion and Democracy

IRD logo.

The Institute on Religion and Democracy is a conservative political group which seeks to reduce the public influence of the mainline Protestant Christian churches in the United States and their joint ministry, the National Council of Churches. The IRD is funded by gifts from both foundations and individuals. It 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] Although governed by a board heavily composed of Roman Catholics, the IRD focuses its criticism only on Protestant churches. 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 [1]– 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]

Background

The IRD was founded in 1981 by the conservative Roman Catholic Michael Novak and then-Lutheran (and later Catholic) 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 IRD also opposed 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.

Funding

Like many religious nonprofit organizations, IRD receives funding from a mixture of foundations and individual donations.

According to Group Watch (1998), "IRD reports that its income is derived from membership drives, literature sales, individual and church contributions, and foundation grants. The group's income for 1982 totaled $352,659. Of this, $200,000 came from Scaife Family Charitable Trusts/Scaife Foundations and $81,000 from the Smith Richardson Foundation. (1,4,8) IRD also received a $44,000 grant from USIA in 1985. (4,10) In 1985, IRD received grants of $5,000 from the Adolph Coors Foundation, $64,000 from the John M. Olin Foundation, and $90,000 from the Smith Richardson Fdn. In 1986, it received grants of $75,000 from the John M. Olin Fdn, $45,000 from the Smith Richardson Fdn, and $100,000 from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation."

Criticism

The organization has been the subject of a growing number of complaints and critiques and accusations that its tactics are having divisive and problematic effects on its targeted denominations. On the other hand, IRD claims that the divisions in those denominations already exist, and that it is simply giving voice to dissidents within those denominations.

see:

• [2]
• [3]
• [4]

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.

References

1. ^ IRD Mission Statement. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
2. ^ http://www.ird-renew.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKVLfMVIsG&b=356299

External links

• Institute on Religion and Democracy
  • Founding Document
• RightWeb Group Watch: IRD
• The Institute on Religion and Democracy 1985-2003 grant files at MediaTransparency.
• See Group Watch Article on the Institute on Religion and Democracy for detailed information on activities, as well as biographical information on the identified "players".
• Jim Naughton, "Following the Money", in Washington Window, the diocesan newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, April/May (?) 2006
• http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v20n1/clarkson_battle.html Frederick Clarkson: The Battle for the Mainline Churches (The Public Eye Magazine - Spring 2006)

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