A group of Tarrant County civic organizations aims to educate voters about the influence of religious nationalism in state and local government with a panel discussion and day of action Saturday.
The League of Women Voters of Tarrant County planned the event as a way to educate neighbors about what they see as an attack on democracy, president Janet Mattern told the Fort Worth Report.
The league is concerned about “the gutting of voting rights,” the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and other local government policy changes they believe are often traced to a common factor, Mattern said.
“That movement is the Christian nationalist movement, and they have been working towards undermining our democracy,” Mattern said. “In the League of Women Voters, we have as part of our mission to defend democracy … and so we thought it was very necessary to educate ourselves and to educate the community about what Christian nationalism is.”
Christian nationalism is the belief that the United States is a country defined by Christianity, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan nonprofit that seeks to protect First Amendment rights such as religious liberty. According to the forum, Christian nationalists generally believe the government should advocate for Christian values and pass laws reflecting those values and that the separation of church and state should not be maintained.
If you go
What: Faith, Freedom, and Democracy — Panel Discussion and Day of Action
When: 10 a.m. Aug. 8
Where: Broadway Baptist Church, 305 W. Broadway Ave. in Fort Worth
Cost: Free
Register: https://www.mobilize.us/lwv/event/970249/
The League of Women Voters is a national grassroots network whose members believe the freedom to vote is a nonpartisan issue and work to empower voters, according to its website.
At the group’s annual convention in June that Mattern attended, she said members approved a measure reaffirming that the league stands for “the separation of church and state and religious freedom founded upon individual conscience, free of social or political influence by any state or religious body.”
The discussion on Christian nationalism isn’t about political parties or candidates, Mattern said, emphasizing that it will follow the league’s nonpartisan standard.
Billed as a discussion on “faith, freedom and democracy,” the panel features faith leaders, election experts and free speech advocates, according to a promotional flyer:
Perry Crenshaw, spiritual director for the NAACP’s Arlington chapter.
Chris and Mendi Tackett, a Fort Worth couple who run the website See it. Name it. Fight it. aimed at helping people understand Christian nationalism.
Laney Hawes, co-director of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, which advocates against book bans in Texas.
In addition to the League of Women Voters, the event is hosted by the NAACP’s Fort Worth and Arlington chapters, March to the Polls, Faith and Justice Coalition of Tarrant County, Pastors for Texas Children, Texans Defending Democracy and other civic groups.
After the discussion, attendees can hear from the host groups about how to become civically engaged around Christian nationalism.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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