Capitol Conversations

Jeff, Chelsea, and Travis welcome back Olivia Enos of The Heritage Foundation to the roundtable to discuss the Hong Kong protests and human rights abuses in China, and how Christians ought to think about these events.

Olivia Enos serves as a senior policy analyst in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation specializing in human rights and transnational criminal issues. Enos has published numerous papers on human trafficking in Asia, human rights in North Korea, and reforming the U.S. refugee program and writes a bi-monthly column in Forbes. Her commentary has appeared in The Washington Post, The National Interest, The Diplomat, and Real Clear World, as well as numerous scholarly publications. She has also appeared on Fox News, CNN, and the BBC. She earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Patrick Henry College in Virginia, and a master of arts in Asian studies at Georgetown University. She and her husband Zach currently reside on Capitol Hill.

Returning from summer travels, Jeff, Steven, Travis, and Chelsea are back together around the table and to discuss the ERLC’s policy priorities for the fall.

One item from earlier in the year that has yet to recieve a vote in the House is the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This ought to shock the conscience. Today, September 10, Republican members of House are hosting a hearing on this legislation and the moral insanity of leaving these vulnerable infants outside the protection of the law.

Jeff and Chelsea welcome pro-life and adoption advocate Melissa Ohden, who was herself born-alive after a failed abortion attempt at seven months gestation, to Capitol Conversations to share her story. Her story is an awesome testament to God’s grace, the power of forgiveness, and the inherent dignity every person deserves no matter how small.

Melissa Ohden is the survivor of a failed saline infusion abortion in 1977. She’s a pro-life and adoption advocate, and has a Master’s Degree in Social work, and has worked in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence and sexual assault counseling, and child welfare. She’s testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and the Australian Parliament. Melissa founded the Abortion Survivors Network, which seeks to educate the public about failed abortions and survivors, while providing for emotional, mental, and spiritual support to abortion survivors.

As the summer wrapped up, the ERLC interns in Washington joined Jeff Pickering to reflect on their experiences. The group discusses their favorite projects, memorable meetings on Capitol Hill, and laughable moments at the Leland House.

Our internship program exists to prepare students and young professionals with a gospel-centered, kingdom-focused perspective on the issues of everyday life. We offer semester and year-long programs in both of our offices in Nashville and D.C. The ERLC is dedicated to seeing each generation engage the culture with the gospel of Christ. For more information and to apply, visit ERLC.com/internships.

This episode was recorded on August 2.

In this conversation you will hear from Kiah, Alyssa, Lacey, Eva, Marcus, Dani, Neal, and Nick – our 2019 summer interns in the ERLC office in Washington, D.C. They came to the Leland House from all over the country and are interested in faith, politics, and how to engage culture as followers of Christ.

With Congress in August recess, we take a break from our usual policy focused conversations to bring you interviews with leaders we admire who are shaping the world of Christian political engagement. This week, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik sits down with Jennifer Marshall Patterson of The Heritage Foundation and Reformed Theological Seminary.

Jennifer Marshall Patterson is a senior visiting fellow in the Institute of Family, Community and Opportunity at The Heritage Foundation and a visiting lecturer and director of the Institute of Theology and Public Life at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington. Previously, she served as a vice president of The Heritage Foundation. She has spoken at national and international forums, including many ERLC conferences, testified before Congress, authored the book Now and Not Yet: Making Sense of Single Life in the Twenty-First Century, and appeared on numerous radio and television shows. Marshall is pursuing doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in moral theology and ethics. She holds masters degrees in religion from Reformed Theological Seminary and in statecraft and world politics from the Institute of World Politics and a bachelor’s degree in French and from Wheaton College.

Last week’s episode: August Profiles: Justin Giboney on Christian compassion and conviction in politics

With Congress in August recess, we take a break from our usual policy focused conversations to bring you interviews with leaders we admire who are shaping the world of Christian political engagement. This week, Steven Harris sits down with Justin Giboney, founder of The AND Campaign.

Justin Giboney is an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia. Giboney has managed successful campaigns for elected officials in the state and referendums. In 2012 and 2016, Georgia’s 5th congressional district elected him as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention and he served as the co-chair of Obama for America’s Gen44-Atlanta initiative. A former Vanderbilt University football player and law student, Giboney served on the Urban League of Greater Atlanta Board of Directors. Additionally, Justin has participated in LEAD Atlanta, Outstanding Atlanta and the Georgia Bar Association’s Leadership Academy. He’s written op-eds for publications such as Christianity Today.

Last week’s episode | August Profiles: Russell Moore on faith, family, and friendships from Mississippi to Washington

With Congress in August recess, we take a break from our usual policy focused conversations to bring you interviews with leaders we admire. We hope to bring you interesting profiles of people shaping the world of Christian political engagement. This week, Jeff Pickering sits down with ERLC president Russell Moore to talk about his faith, family, and friendships along the journey from Mississippi to Washington.

Russell Moore is president of the ERLC. In this role, he leads the organization to connect the agenda of the kingdom of Christ to the cultures of local congregations for the sake of the gospel. He holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of several books, including Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel and The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home. A native Mississippian, Moore and his wife Maria are the parents of five boys.

At the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the messengers passed a resolution on the anti-gospel of alt-right white supremacy. Among decrying racism, the resolution also made clear our belief that the Kingdom of Christ is made up of a “multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language” in worship of our risen Savior (Revelation 7:9). This past weekend, the United States was hit with more tragic mass shootings, first in El Paso, Texas and then in Dayton, Ohio. The shooter in El Paso claimed allegiance to the evil ideology of white supremacy as the motivation for his attack in the Texas border town. David French joins Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow to discuss how this attack is connected with many others as this ideology is on the rise.

David French is a senior writer for National Review, a contributor to Time, and a New York Times bestselling author. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and a former lecturer at Cornell Law School. He has served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom. David is a former major in the United States Army Reserve. In 2007, he deployed to Iraq, serving in Diyala Province as Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He lives and works in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, Nancy, and his three children.

The 2020 presidential election kicked off with double header debates this summer for the Democratic Party’s nomination. As Christians, we want to approach these debates and each election thoughtfully to engage as well-informed citizens. Longtime politico, Brent Leatherwood joins Jeff Pickering around the Capitol Conversations table to talk about his recent article about the history of presidential debates and what we need to know going into 2020.

Brent Leatherwood serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships. Before coming to the ERLC, he served as the executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party from December 2012 to December 2016, where he managed the organization’s campaign apparatus at the federal, state and local levels. In addition, Brent has worked on Capitol Hill as a senior legislative aide to former Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla). He and his wife Meredith have three children and are members of The Church at Avenue South, where Brent serves as a deacon.

Last week, the State Department held their second annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, which turned out to be the largest human rights gathering in the history of the State Department. Nearly 200 foreign delegations and over a thousand of government representatives, religious leaders, survivors of religious persecution and members of civil society convened to discuss the challenges of religious persecution and promote the fundamental human right of religious freedom. In addition to the formal meetings at State, there were over 80 side events hosted by various non-profits, foreign embassies, and coalition groups. The ERLC hosted the only side event on North Korea and its religious liberty and human rights violations. Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Steven Harris discuss their experiences from the Ministerial, highlights from the ERLC’s side event and new documentary film, Humanity Denied.

North Korea today remains one of the most repressive regimes on earth restricting the freedom of its own people and considering Christianity a threat to the state. Kenneth Bae is a Christian missionary and American citizen who knows all too well about North Korean oppression. Although it is difficult to enter North Korea, Bae hosted state approved tourism visits from China. Each trip, though a risk, was a successful time of prayer for the Korean people until the country’s security officials arrested Bae after believing he posed a threat to the communist state. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor and, after two years, became the longest held U.S. citizen to be imprisoned in North Korea. He was released in 2014 returning home on a flight with then Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Kenneth Bae joins Jeff Pickering at the Leland House to share his story of imprisonment and release, holding onto hope in Christ, and his ministry to the North Korean people.

Kenneth Bae is an American citizen, born in South Korea, who serves as a Christian missionary in Seoul, South Korea. Since being released, Kenneth founded the Nehemiah Global Initiative, which is devoted to remembering the 25 million North Koreans and helping North Korean refugees physically and spiritually to rebuild new lives in South Korea. His book Not Forgotten: The True Story of My Imprisonment in North Korea recounts his full story.