Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy

Cultivating Free and Flourishing Communities

ProjectsNews & Events

Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy

Cultivating Free and Flourishing Communities

ProjectsNews & Events

Our Vision

The Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy envisions democratic societies which affirm the essential role of religious convictions, peoples, and institutions in cultivating free communities where all people can flourish.

Our Vision

The Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy envisions democratic societies which affirm the essential role of religious convictions, peoples, and institutions in cultivating free communities where all people can flourish.

Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Book of Common Prayer, 1928

Religion in America takes no direct part in the government of society, but it must be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of that country; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it facilitates the use of it. Indeed, it is in this same point of view that the inhabitants of the United States themselves look upon religious belief.

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)

Trust is the foundation of society. Where there is no truth, there can be no trust, and where there is no trust, there can be no society. Where there is society, there is trust, and where there is trust, there is something upon which it is supported.

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)

Christian beneficence takes a large sweep; that circumference cannot be small of which God is the centre.

 

Hannah More (1745-1843)

RELIGION

Involving obligations to the divine and others, religion is not merely a private matter. Belief and unbelief have social, political, and cultural consequences.

DEMOCRACY

At its best, democracy respects the dignity of human beings and the rights of citizens, including self-determination, expression, and representation.

CULTURE

In its most comprehensive sense, culture includes everything resulting from human action, flowing from transcendent duties and formed by political realities.

CRCD Programs

CRCD Programs

Fellowship programs provide participants with resources, knowledge, and training to advocate for human freedom in their communities, in their vocations, and in the public square.

Shaftesbury Fellowship

The Shaftesbury Fellowship’s rigorous curriculum consists of weekly readings and discussions on topics such as:

  • natural law and natural rights
  • the origins and nature of religious liberty
  • conflicts and concord between church and state
  • the place of the nation-state in the modern world
  • global dimensions of religious freedom

Become a fellow and you’ll be paired with a faculty member or professional mentor, who will provide guidance as you develop a publishable research article on a relevant topic of your interest.

D.C. Fellowship

D.C. Fellowship

We’ve gathered the best and brightest minds advocating for religious freedom today. As a fellow, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from, meet, and network with these leaders.

When you join us in D.C., you will learn all about public policy–what it is, the role statistics play in research, opinion writing, job searching, and funding and management.

After you officially complete the D.C. Fellowship, you will be equipped with the motivation and information you need to advocate for religious freedom for all Americans, starting right in your own circle of peers.

D.C. Fellowship

D.C. Fellowship

 Savannah Seminar

The CRCD’s Savannah Seminar provides students the opportunity to explore a wide range of topics related to the American founding, democratic ideals, and the important role that religious ideas and institutions play in the development of free and flourishing societies.

    Savannah is an appropriate venue for the CRCD’s Seminar on Democratic Ideals, as it embodied early American experiments in pluralism, religious liberty, and civil society. During the course of this five-day event, participants will enjoy interactive seminars, see the historic areas of the city on guided tours, and develop lasting friendships with peers and mentors.

    Don’t Miss

    News & Events

    News & Events

    Fellows and staff are at work facilitating scholarship and events you care about. Join us at an event or share an article to become part of the CRCD mission.

    Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy

    The Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy (JRCD) is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal focused on the intersection of religion and civil society.

    Religious Liberty in the States

    The Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy’s Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) is a project measuring legal safeguards for religious liberty across the United States.