The Institute on Religion and Democracy is a Christian think tank that promotes Christian conservatism in public life. The organization comments on current events in the Christian community. Their stance on biblical and social issues has attracted criticisms from the agencies of Mainline Protestantism, ecumenical groups such as the National and World Council of Churches and liberal evangelical groups.
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] IRD's board includes Roman Catholics.
The IRD focuses much of its criticism on the policies of the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Notable members of the organization's Board of Directors include journalist Fred Barnes, United Methodist theologian Dr. Thomas C. Oden, Princeton University ethicist Dr. Robert P. George, former papal biographer Michael Novak and theologian George Weigel.
The IRD critiques church officials and agencies that it asserts have strayed from orthodox theology or replaced traditional church work with political activism. Problems IRD has attributed to some church officials 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."[1]
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The IRD was founded in 1981 by United Methodist evangelist Edmund Robb and AFL-CIO official David Jessup. Michael Novak and Richard John Neuhaus joined the IRD board early on, as did Christianity Today magazine founding editor Carl F. H. Henry. IRD challenged churches that supported the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua and other Marxist liberation movements. Emphasizing the importance of democracy, human rights and religious liberty, IRD urged churches to peacefully support democratic reforms under repressive regimes.
Since the early 1990s, the IRD has actively urged U.S. churches to affirm traditional Christian sexual ethical teachings, including opposition to same-sex marriage. IRD has also challenged Mainline Protestant church agencies that support abortion rights. According to the IRD, international religious liberty is a chief concern, and their religious liberty program has especially focused on southern Sudan.
Since 9-11, IRD has emphasized the importance of traditional Christian "Just War" teachings. Most recently, IRD has challenged church officials who they say uncritically accept worst case scenarios regarding human-induced climate change. Mark Tooley became IRD's president in 2009.
Critics of IRD have said that "IRD's conservative social-policy goals include increasing military spending and foreign interventions, opposing environmental protection efforts, and eliminating social welfare programs" and that the organization is non-religious in nature but rather a front group for conservative political groups that hope to undermine Christian voices opposed to conservative public policies.[2]
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.
Many Mainline Protestant church officials and liberal caucus groups in those denominations have criticized IRD as an outside force within their churches. IRD has responded that its staff and supporters are long-time members of Mainline Protestant churches.