Brian Grim pictured with three of the Fellows from BYU Hawaii, (L-R) Soktheavy Phouk, Fahina Lauti, and Jane Sandberg

Washington DC, October 7

Dr. Brian Grim, President of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, addressed the 2022 J. Reuban Clark Law Society Religious Liberty Fellows on October 7. Now in its fourth year, the Fellowship was held in Washington, D.C. This year it was also cosponsored by the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Grim drew attention to “building” religious liberty, an approach that expands religious freedom by increasing the space in society where deeply held faiths and beliefs are respected, celebrated and engaged. The example Grim focused on was the growing acceptance in some of the world’s biggest and best companies of religion and belief as a full-fledged part of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion, as measured by the Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index.

One example Grim shared of how this works is summarized in the following video introducing Google’s Inter Belief Network (IBN) Employee Resource Group (ERG).

Grim Also shared examples from numerous companies that participated earlier this year in the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s National Faith@Work ERG Conference, Dare to Overcome, including the testimony of American Airlines in the following video.

Grim also shared how, thanks to the senior counsel at PayPal, they were able to launch their interfaith ERG “Believe.”

In addition to hearing from Brian Grim, Fellows heard from federal judges, congressional staffers, nationally recognized religious liberty advocates and scholars, and interfaith representatives (see program). The Fellowship allows participants to build both their knowledge of the law, strengthen their networks, and formulate plans to promote religious liberty in their communities.

Related video:

Also see Brian Grim’s 2021 BYU Marriott School of Business NAC Presentation.

by Brian Grim

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, in partnership with the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, launched a dialogue on Oct. 4 where people of different faiths, beliefs and convictions came together to discuss how faith is a dimension of diversity.

The “way” that this very diverse group of 80 business and community leaders came together was in support of each other’s right to hold their deeply held beliefs and live according to them without necessarily extending moral equivalency to the other’s beliefs. An approach we refer to as Covenantal Pluralism (see video).

The opening of this dialogue is certainly in line with the mission of the YMCA, which is “To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.”

So, how is it that such a dialogue fits in with the Christian principles of the YMCA? Two teachings of Jesus referenced during the dialogue give the answer:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

These words of Jesus from Matthew 7:12 are referred to as the Golden Rule and are reflected in many religious traditions. And, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replied,

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:37-40).

In an age of polarization, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte is demonstrating “love of neighbor” as the way forward. As Nancy Fisher from the YMCA said, “I look forward to talking with attendees and hearing how they will spread what was learned in their businesses and organizations of influence.”

I look forward to this as well. If your organization would like to host a similar event, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s initiative is one to replicate in cities and towns across the country. Our next event will be November 11 in Lehi, Utah. Hope to see you there!

For leaders and members of faith-oriented ERGs in business, knowledge of the latest trends in religion is valuable. It helps companies better understand the religious contexts they operate within as well as ERGs discover better ways to engage.

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s partner, the Faith & Media Initiative, just released the results of the first-ever Faith & Media Index.

On Monday, Oct. 3, 12-12:30pm ET, Brook Zaugg, vice president of the Faith & Media Initiative, and I hosted this briefing for businesses on the study’s findings and their relevance for corporate communications.

Google it? See how Google’s faith-friendly workplaces help make googling more enjoyable.

By Brian Grim

Google has taken steps to make their workplaces more faith-friendly through their Inter Belief Network (IBN) employee resource group (ERG). This allows them to better connect with their billions of users, the majority of whom are also people of faith.

Naomi Kraus, Google Senior Content Strategist & Global Chair of IBN, introduced the above video at our Dare to Overcome conference this past May, showing an example of how this faith-friendly approach impacts one of their products.

So, now, back to the question. Where do you go when you want to learn about something religious? For many people, the first thing they do is “google it.” With Yom Kippur coming up this coming week, click below to see what you find.

And, btw, as someone who has attended three different theological seminaries and has a doctorate in the sociology of religion, I admit, I googled it. 🙂

Religious Freedom & Business Foundation Vice President, Greg Clark, J.D., and Senior Education Engagement Specialist Christina Clark, Ph.D., will make a plenary presentation at the Eighth Annual Southeast Asia Freedom of Religion or Belief Conference (SEAFORB) Bali, Indonesia 7 – 9 November 2022.

They will present on the benefits of promoting religious freedom within a country, including its connection to economic growth, social stability, human and social development, among other benefits.

They will also describe how religious freedom benefits a company from within, including enhanced bottom line and increased well-being of employees bringing their whole self to work, including their faith and beliefs.

The 5th annual DFW Summit for Religious Freedom at Southern Methodist University will take place on Thursday, October 27. RFBF’s Senior Corporate Advisor, Kent Johnson, will kick off the event with a talk on “Religious Freedom in Business: Where It’s Being Done Well,” focusing on REDI Index leaders like American Airlines, Intel and Dell.

In the afternoon, Kent will also moderate a panel of representatives from REDI Index leaders on “Advancing Human Dignity and Civility in Business: How to Start Faith-Oriented Business Groups that Make a Difference.”

Other Summit topics include “Religion in Public Schools,” “Religion in the Town Square,” “Balancing LGBTQ Rights and Religious Freedom,” and “Living Peaceably on a Foundation of Religious Freedom and Civic Harmony.”

These Summits have been wonderful and thought provoking. Attendees and speakers will include people from a wide range of faiths and worldviews. We hope many of you will come join us, in person or virtually. Register here.

Upcoming Events

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November 7-9, 2022 (Bali, Indonesia, in-person)

November 11, 2022 (Lehi, Utah, in-person)

PAST EVENTS

October 3, 2022 (virtual)

October 3, 2022 (virtual)

October 4, 2022 (Charlotte, NC, in-person & virtual)

October 6, 2022 (virtual)

October 19, 2022 (virtual)

October 27, 2022 (Dallas, TX, in-person & virtual)

October 31 – November 3, 2022 (Tel Aviv, Israel, in-person)

Day of Nonviolence Webinar

The International Center for Religion & Diplomacy is hosting a three-day webinar to celebrate the International Day of Nonviolence, with a celebrated lineup of Speakers!

Dr. Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, will speak on how business is a powerful force for interfaith understanding & peace.

When? Monday, October 3, at 9:30am ET. Registration required (free)

The virtual event will take place on Zoom and host a lineup of speakers ranging from industry professionals, grassroots advocates, religious leaders, academics, and more! Speakers will discuss topics of nonviolence, tolerance, and peacebuilding.

The Webinar will include interactive activities to encourage collaboration and innovation across fields and disciplines in order to advance nonviolence efforts when addressing conflict. There will be a lunch or happy hour session included each day to allow Speakers and Guests to network and connect as well.

The Webinar dates and times are:

• – Sunday, October 2nd: 1–3:30pm ET.
• – Monday, October 3rd: 9–12pm ET.
• – Tuesday, October 4th: 9–12pm ET.

See related publication:

On September 21, Dr. Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, made an invited presentation to a roundtable with representatives from the Vietnamese government’s Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs (COMINGO). Grim spoke on the connection between faith and business, including faith’s economic value to the US economy ($1.2 trillion annually) as well as the embrace of faith-friendly workplaces by some of the world’s biggest and best companies.

Grim also invited the Vietnamese delegation to participate in Dare to Overcome 2023, to be held in India.

The roundtable took place at Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington DC, facilitated Suhail Khan, Senior Fellow for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Institute for Global Engagement and Director of External Affairs at Microsoft Corporation.

The roundtable was organized by the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) at COMINGO’s request for the purpose of promoting engagement and cooperation between Vietnam and American faith-based charities and NGOs.

COMINGO was established in 2001 by the Prime Minister of Vietnam. Its mission is to provide coordination between key Vietnamese government ministries and agencies to assist the Prime Minister in addressing issues related to foreign NGOs. The COMINGO delegation is led by its vice chairman, Phan Anh Son.

The discussion included about a dozen faith-based organization representatives.

IGE has been working to promote religious freedom in Vietnam over the last 17 years. While there have been significant positive changes over the last decade, there is still much work to be done. The work continues.

See presentation bellow by the Vietnamese government’s Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs (COMINGO). Click for full PDF.

Global study reveals high consumer demand for more news on religion and faith, along with roadblocks among journalists and editors

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s partner, the Faith & Media Initiative, just released the results of the first-ever Faith & Media Index.

The largest-ever global poll of its kind looks at the portrayal of faith and religion in the media. It reveals a strong demand across the world for more news media coverage on faith, despite the reality that journalists and editors admit coverage of the topics is rarely encouraged in newsrooms.

The study captures the views of 9,000 global citizens as well as journalists and editors in 18 countries covering the world’s major religions. The research was commissioned by the Faith and Media Initiative (FAMI) and conducted by global market research company HarrisX.

The study reflects the feeling among the general population that media coverage can perpetuate faith-related stereotypes rather than protect against them. It also lays out some of the factors that journalists and editors think can lead to religious and faith stereotypes in news coverage.

The study also signals universal recognition among journalists and editors that coverage of faith and religion needs a reset. It captures detailed insights about the complex set of factors that have created the current status quo affecting editorial coverage. See full press release.

As part of the initiative, I recently published Faith Can Be a Core Element of DEI — And a Way to Convene a Dialogue Around These Issues. Also, my colleague Simran Jeet Singh from the Aspen Institute just published How to Talk About Religion at Work in Harvard Business Review. He argues, “Religion is a conversation that is not just overlooked but often deliberately avoided in the workplace. However, by ignoring the problem, we further exacerbate it.”

Avoiding talking about religion creates polarization, but including religion – albeit tricky at times – overcomes suspicions and creates opportunity for understanding and trust.

See Background on Study from our Dare to Overcome Conference