Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson joins faith leaders in denouncing authoritarianism in America

United Church of Christ General Minister and President/CEO, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, has joined with several other national faith and civic leaders, including the Rev. William Barber, in lending her voice to a new campaign denouncing authoritarianism in the United States.  

A Pledge for Moral Defiance “brings together faith leaders across religious traditions to publicly resist authoritarianism and take direct action to ensure our democracy works for everyone,” according to an official statement from the initiative. The initiative was born via a convening of faith leaders across traditions to counter authoritarianism and other forms of discrimination and violence.  

Thompson joins other prominent faith leaders, including Barber, the Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Shane Claiborne, president of Red Letter Christians; and Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in endorsing the pledge.

The pledge offers five commitments “rooted in our faith, values and responsibility to one another,” according to the website. It calls for co-signers to reject authoritarianism, repent of silence and complicity, stand in solidarity, join my neighbors, and defend freedom of conscience.  

In a pre-recorded video, Thompson offers words from the second commitment of the pledge, which reads, “Repent of silence and complicity, recognizing that privatized religion is dead religion.”

People are invited to join faith leaders across traditions in signing the pledge.

The video, which features Thompson, was created by the initiative and can be viewed at the Moral Defiance website.  

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