This week, the Trump administration revealed a list of 26 individuals from diverse backgrounds who will act as advisors on a new committee aimed at safeguarding religious freedom.
The members encompass religious figures, scholars, legal professionals, and media specialists, all contributing their expertise to the Religious Freedom Committee.
Earlier, the White House had shared the names of the 13 committee members, which is chaired by former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and co-chaired by Texas Lt. Col. Dan Patrick.
“It is the policy of administrative agencies to actively implement historic and robust protections for religious freedom, as defined in federal law,” stated a Presidential Order. It went on to emphasize that the founders envisioned a nation where religious perspectives could thrive in public discourse and where individuals and groups could openly practice their beliefs without facing discrimination from the government.
The committee is tasked, according to the White House, with creating a comprehensive report detailing the foundations of religious freedom in America.
Below are the names of the 26 advisors on this committee:
Religious Leaders Advisory Committee
– Bishop Salvatore Cordileone – Archbishop of San Francisco and a member of the USCCB’s Committee on Marriage, Family Life, and Youth.
– Pastor Gentezen Franklin – Senior pastor at Free Chapel, which has multiple campuses in Gainesville, Georgia.
– Archbishop Elpidoforos of America – The American Archbishop since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1922.
– Father Thomas Ferguson – Pastor of Good Shepherd Parish located in Alexandria, Virginia.
– Rabbi Mark Gottlieb – Chief Education Officer at Tikvah and Dean of the Tikvah Scholars Program.
– Pastor Jack Graham – Senior pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas.
– Rabbi Yaakov Menken – Vice President of the Jewish Values Union.
– Bishop Thomas Paprocki – Bishop of Springfield, Illinois.
– Bishop Kevin Rhodes – Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, and chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Religious Freedom.
– Rabbi Eitan Webb – Co-founder of Chabad House at Princeton University and Jewish pastor there.
– Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel – Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel of America, representing Orthodox Jews.
Legal Expert Advisory Committee
– Francis Beckwith – Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies, and Associate Director of the Graduate Philosophy Program at Baylor University.
– Jason Bedrick – Researcher at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Educational Policy.
– Josh Blackman – Professor at South Texas State University in Houston.
– Gerald Bradley – Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame.
– Alyza Lewin – Chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights and co-founder of Lewin and Lewin LLP.
– Kristen Wagoner – CEO and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom.
Advisory Committee for Confederate Leaders
– Abigail Robertson – Co-host of the “Heaven Meets Earth” podcast.
– Gene Bailey – Winning Channel.
– Mark David Hall – Professor at Regent University’s Robertson School of Government.
– Alveda King – Board member and Priest at the American Dream Center.
– Christopher Levenick – Director at the Connelly Foundation and Editor-in-Chief of Philanthropy Magazine.
– Sammy Ramunshi – Advocate before the Montgomery County Board of Education on a Supreme Court case.
– Ismail Royer – Director of the Islamic and Religious Free Action Team at the Institute of Religious Freedom.
– Ryan Tucker – Senior Advisor at Alliance Defending Freedom.
– Shaykh Hamza Yusuf – Co-founder of Zaytuna College, America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college.
Photo Credit: ©White House
