posted on: Monday, August 14, 2006

Not all Christian nonprofit organizations are created equal. My hat goes off to Sojourners Magazine, a small nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that is gaining momentum within the ranks of Christians thanks in part to its evangelical leader, the Rev. Jim Wallis’ tireless media tour and its staff’s dedication to progressivism.

While many of its fellow Christian organizations commenting on politics in the US are remaining steadfast Sojourners has instead been outspoken against the war in Iraq, the administration’s failure to address domestic issues of poverty and healthcare, and the US’s lack of commitment to peaceful diplomacy (see their most recent publication, If You Only Have a Hammer…).

In its August 2006 issue, Sojourners also expresses a vision shared with NCRP; the importance of financial accountability in nonprofit organizations. On page 11, an article entitled “Follow the Money” elaborates on a report released by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC last May that explains the philanthropic activity of various secular and religiously affiliated donors that have funneled money toward politically conservative advocacy groups in an attempt to campaign against the ordination of homosexual clergy within the Episcopal Church.

Sojourners shows its commitment to adhering to a message that is not only socially responsible, but also financially moral by reporting on the financial motives of foundations and individuals alike who are attempting to politicize a Christian church. Read NCRP’s summer issue of Responsive Philanthropy for my article, “Warming Up to Environmentalism: A Changing Climate in the Politics of Evangelicals.” It offers a review of evangelical Christian organizations and addresses a pragmatic approach in analyzing the motives and activities of such organizations as they apply to the current state of the environmental movement in the US.

Kevin Kovaleski is a summer research intern at NCRP.