When: June 3, 1:00-1:30pm US Eastern Time

Registration required

As the work world emerges from the global COVID pandemic, many companies are grappling with the psychological toll in addition to covid’s physical toll.

Faith employee resource groups (ERGs) in the world’s most successful companies can play a role in advancing physical and psychological health in today’s world. Many, in fact, played a roll in keeping people connected and physiologically healthy during the pandemic, as was reported in numerous ERG community calls during the height of the pandemic.

Indeed, the positive connection between religion/spirituality and health is one of the most empirical and well-researched areas involving social determinants of health and wellbeing. The Duke University Medical School’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, led by Harold G. Koenig, M.D., M.H.Sc., has been at the forefront of these scientific discoveries.

For example from the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s own cutting edge research, see Belief, Behavior, and Belonging: How Faith is Indispensable in Preventing and Recovering from Substance Abuse, a Faith Counts study published in the Journal of Religion and Health by the father-daughter research team Brian & Melissa Grim.

Join the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s president Brian Grim as he discuss this with guests including Dr. Koenig, the World Economic Forum’s Kelly McCain, who will introduce the Forum’s project Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare. The Platform serves the mission to ensure every person on earth has equal access to the highest standards of health and healthcare by keeping populations healthy and delivering the best care.

Lena Barkley from CVS Health and Ronald Wampler from Aetna will describe how their Faith CRGs advance health.

Also, Fr. Greg McBrayer, Chief Flight Controller and Chaplain at American Airlines Flight Operations Center IOC in DFW, and lead for the Christian Employee Business Resource Group at American Airlines, will discuss how faith contributes to health in the airline and travel industries (also see: Airports Step Up Mental Health Assistance as Passenger Anxiety Soars).

Confirmed Panelists thus far include:

• — Harold G. Koenig, M.D. Duke University Medical School Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Associate; Professor of Medicine; Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Adjunct Professor, Dept of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Adjunct Professor of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, P.R. China; Visiting Professor, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
• — Lena Barkley from CVS Health and Ronald Wampler from Aetna will describe how their Faith CRGs advance health.
• — Fr. Greg McBrayer, Chief Flight Controller and Chaplain at American Airlines Flight Operations Center IOC in DFW, and lead for the Christian Employee Business Resource Group at American Airlines
• — Kelly McCain, World Economic Forum, Project Lead for Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare

For more on the connection between faith and health, see the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s research on faith and recovery.

Dr Susan Kerr, a Senior Research Fellow at the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation, has been appointed as the Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE’s) Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization. It has 54 participating states, stretching from Canada and the US, across Europe and Central Asia to Russia. OSCE participating states have made a number of important political commitments in the area of freedom of religion or belief.

Susan begins in this role today and we wish her every success in promoting religious freedom across the OSCE region.

by Kent Johnson, J.D., Senior Corporate Advisor, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

Part of the blog series, Authenticity & Connection

The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance on the first Thursday of May designated by the U.S. Congress, when people are asked to turn to God in prayer and meditation. On April 17, 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a Congressional bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer be declared by each president at a date of his choice. On June 17, 1952, Pres. Truman issued a proclamation for the first Day of Prayer to be held on July 4, 1952. The law was later amended so the day would be on the first Thursday in May as it still continues.

Increasingly, The National Day of Prayer (NDP) is being observed in schools and workplaces not only by Christians, but by people of many other faiths as well. Many are now seeing the NDP as an opportunity to build bridges while maintaining fidelity to their particular faith. The NDP illustrates some of the ways that freedom of religion and belief enables meaningful connection and flourishing in the workplace.

Prayer is a profoundly personal and intimate practice, often reserved for individuals in solitude or groups of like-minded people in dedicated settings. So for many, multi-faith NDP events stretch the boundaries of traditional prayer. Yet, done sensitively, they can be conducted in ways that are fully consistent with the diverse participants’ practices and beliefs; and in ways that free participants to live out their faith openly in the workplace.

As people across the religious and ideological spectrum gather voluntarily on the first Thursday in May to express goodwill toward one another and toward their companies and the world, they recognize that their prayers – and their gods – are different. For example:

• – Many Jews, Christians and Muslims direct their prayers to the one they consider the creator and sustainer of all things.
• – For many Hindus, prayers can be directed to various gods.
• – For many Buddhists, prayer isn’t seen as a petition addressed to any god or other being; rather, it’s intended to awaken a spiritual awareness or strength within.
• – For many atheists, the dedicated time of reflection provides occasion for a sincere exploration and expression of heart-felt ideas.

Where various faiths and belief systems are represented in the group, it’s important to clarify at the start the intent behind the gathering; including what it IS, and what it is NOT.

• – This IS an event where attendees should feel free to pray authentically, as they normally do in other settings, in accordance with the practices of their faith and culture.
• – Attendees are NOT, simply by their presence, necessarily joining in or agreeing with the prayers of people whose faiths differ from their own; nor are they affirming the efficacy or appropriateness of prayers given by people of other faiths.
• – Attendees are asked to listen to the prayers of others; and, in the silence of their own hearts, to affirm any sentiments and ideas that they personally identify with, in whatever way they consider appropriate and consistent with their personal beliefs.

In our many years of experience with this kind of public multi-faith prayer event, we’ve seen some important commonalities, despite the significant differences in belief:

• – The people who attend such an event are sincere. Their prayers come from the heart. Even those who come simply because they’re curious are sincere in wanting to learn something about others’ prayer practices and beliefs.
• – The prayers and meditations reflect participants’ earnest desire to connect with the divine or with ultimate reality.
• – The prayers reflect goodwill toward others, and toward the company.
• – The event creates opportunities for deeper, warmer and more personal connections among participants, as they experience one others’ sincere, selfless prayers on their behalf, for their flourishing.

There have been isolated instances where particular vocalized prayers at these multi-faith workplace events were interpreted by some as judgmental and negative. But that’s a very rare exception.

The National Day of Prayer is just one small sphere in which freedom of religion and belief is bearing fruit in workplaces; but it’s a particularly poignant one. The fact that it’s possible to engage meaningfully and positively with one another in this very personal activity of prayer illustrates that we can build bridges of understanding and compassion in many other ways as well.

That’s something to pray for.

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, together with faith-and-belief Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders from Walmart and Intel will hold a National Prayer Day event open for employees of companies from all faiths and beliefs to join on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 1pm Eastern Time.

by Kent Johnson, J.D., Senior Corporate Advisor, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

Part of the blog series, Authenticity & Connection

The launch of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation in 2014 was spurred by a powerful, well-researched White Paper entitled “Promoting Religious Freedom: A Corporate Social Responsibility.” In it, researchers affiliated with the new foundation cited many studies and highly regarded international standards in support of the proposition that a corporate focus on religious freedom (for employees and societies at large) is good for business and good for the world. Since then, the evidence supporting this CSR call to action has grown even more compelling.

This blog isn’t the right place to update the scholarly research. Instead, I’ll provide a few personal vignettes to illustrate some of the foundational findings from that White Paper.

First, let me share why the particular CSR cause of freedom of religion and belief (FoRB) is important to a lawyer like me. To my thinking, a healthy, ethical corporate culture must rest on more than written codes and compliance mechanisms. What’s needed is a connection with employees’ hearts – the core values and beliefs that govern what they do when nobody’s looking. From whence does a worker draw courage to raise questions about safety, or about compliance with ethical standards, when it seems the pressure is predominantly on short-term profitability? Why draw attention to the fact that a supplier uses slave labor, or pollutes the environment, or discriminates against a group of people? What impels employees to humbly acknowledge their own mistakes, or to re-direct credit to someone else for a job well done? What motivates a worker to care about people of another race, nationality, sexual orientation, culture, religion or belief? Why would one visit a diverse coworker in the hospital, or take the time to improve healthcare measures in a developing country?

The answer is that what motivates people to do these kinds of things is their faith, or their core belief (whether they identify as “religious” or not). Their ultimate “WHY” is what impels employees to embrace social responsibility. Helping employees connect with their ultimate “WHY” at work promotes CSR. What’s more, companies that actively promote FoRB in countries throughout the world will advance the cause of civility. It’s good for business and good for the world.

Recent research and events of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation have illustrated the strong and growing support of freedom of religion from industry leaders like Intel, Texas Instruments, Salesforce, and others identified in the Foundation’s REDI Index It’s clear: More and more companies are opening doors to religious expression, worship, prayer, religious mentoring and cross-faith celebrations and events in the workplace. And real-life stories of the positive effects of such openings are spreading widely. Here are a few of my personal experiences, illustrating how this focus on freedom impacts the world.

I’ve seen Jews, Muslims, Christians, Bahai, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Hindus eagerly learning about one another’s core principles and beliefs. I’ve known recruits who joined and stayed at companies because they provide an atmosphere where employees can live out their faith openly, and not “under cover;” where they can feel free to speak of what defines who they really are. I’ve seen atheists relishing the fact that they can “come out of the closet” and let others know of their core values and perspectives. I’ve seen a custodian quietly praying together with an executive over a personal loss; and insightful business mentoring rooted in rigorous study of the sacred writings of various religions. I’ve experienced stirring worship, prayer and scripture study taking place in workplaces, open to every person regardless of background or inclination. When layoffs became necessary, I’ve seen people of various faiths draw such strength from their beliefs that they became comforters to their bosses – the ones who were tasked with delivering the bad news. Between LGBTQ people and advocates of traditional faiths, I’ve seen unwarranted walls of distrust and fear supplanted by deep respect; kindness and admiration. And tears of joy as people are acknowledged for who they truly are. Collegial alliances in service to the needy, among people across faith divides. And bonding laughter. Lots of bonding laughter.

This is transformational stuff.

And it’s not a leap to conclude that these kinds of transformational experiences impact the entire world. The employees I’ve referenced hail from countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Africa, Russia… And they engage with buyers, suppliers and co-venturers all over the planet. The fact is, companies that seek to advance FoRB in all their spheres of influence business are making a difference.

It’s clear: Freedom of Religion is a worthy part of our companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. Embrace it; and watch your company transform the world for good.

Originally published 4/26/2021 by Global Leadership Network, GLN Staff Writer

What happens when people have religious freedom in the workplace? It has greater impact on our societies than you might think.

Research shows when leaders create environments where their employees feel free to bring their whole self to work, including their faith, it proves to be better for business, economies and even whole societies.

…where people are free to bring their whole soul to work, you create stronger teamwork…

Brian Grim, founding president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, is the world’s leading expert on the relationship between religious freedom and the economy, having held leadership roles with the World Economic Forum, as well as the Pew Research Center in Washington D.C. He was also instrumental in setting up the first western-style business school in Kazakhstan after the fall of the Soviet Union. Having spent 20 years in China, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the former USSR, Brian has acquired a wealth of research and first-hand experience which he now brings to his work to help leaders bring religious diversity, equity and inclusion into the workplace.

“In the data of religious freedom around the world, we see that religious freedom is being more restricted as we go on,” said Brian. “Even in this past decade, we’ve had religion related genocide in Iraq, Myanmar, China, etc.—and it’s harkening back to the holocaust. How can this be happening in this day and age? This is a blatant reminder that religious freedom is not respected, and as a result, people are killed because of their faith.”

A further dynamic found in Brian’s research was the realization that there are layers deeper than government restrictions at play in religious freedom. “It’s not just government restrictions, there’s a whole social dimension to whether or not people feel freedom. So, in my research, I began to include measures of the social restrictions that keep people from being able to fully practice, and it was the first time anyone had ever done that.”

These findings have led him to the important work he’s doing today. Brian explains that governments, advocacy and law have not been able to stop restrictions that lead to violence. So, who can influence this much-needed change? He believes it will be led by business. “Historically, religion has made its way through the world through business,” said Brian. “And where you have religious freedom in a business, where people are free to bring their whole soul to work, you create stronger teamwork, more investment in the company, more retention and greater motivation.”

Read full article at Global Leadership Forum.

by Kent Johnson, J.D., Senior Corporate Advisor, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

Part of the blog series, Authenticity & Connection

People often presume that corporate America only really cares about one thing: profits. But that’s not true! Companies are increasingly speaking out about and taking action to influence positive changes in society at large; to “do good.” We recommend that companies that are serious about doing good ought to free their employees to speak from their hearts and souls into the larger issue of what “doing good” ought to entail.

Let’s back up a bit, because in one sense it’s true: corporations don’t really “care” about anything. Corporations are a legal fiction. They have no moral compass or character, other than that of their leaders and workers. They have no direction other than the bare legal rules which include, in significant part, to pursue financial rewards for their stockholders. But HOW they do so – and WHAT ELSE they do in addition to seeking profits – are questions left significantly up to the discretion of the people engaged in the company.

So, WHY do so many companies increasingly invest money and resources to “do good?” WHY do they exceed the bare legal requirements, and voluntarily engage in good works like the ones listed in the graphic (among many others)?

Skeptics often presume that these kinds of “Corporate Social Responsibility” efforts are motivated simply by leaders’ desire to look good, and to avoid the embarrassment that would result if they were seen as callous to societal issues. Some think that the CEOs simply pick and choose the causes they want the company to champion based on personal bias or relationships, without giving any thought to the beliefs and values of their employees. In a growing number of companies, such skepticism is misplaced. They really are seeking to do good.

This raises some penetrating questions: How can we know that a company’s corporate social responsibility isn’t just for show; that it’s motivated sincerely? Where is the heart and soul of YOUR company? Framing the question differently: What keeps your company from single-mindedly pursuing profit maximization and, in so doing, enabling societal disintegration? Surely, the law isn’t enough: loopholes provide ample opportunity for uncaring people to tear the fabric of society – or neglect it – if doing so seems to aid profitability. And fear of bad publicity isn’t enough: it often seems easy to hide and dodge responsibility for a company’s callous disregard of what is beneficial for society.

The heart and soul of a healthy company ought to move it to look beyond bare legal compliance and avoidance of bad publicity; and beyond the CEO’s personal preferences. We’d submit that in such matters, voice should also be given to employees who care. If nothing else, opening the dialogue will provide corporate decision-makers richer peripheral vision for prioritizing projects for the greater good.

Increasingly, employees across the spectrum of beliefs (including atheists) say they care deeply about doing good – something meaningful. They’re not automatons motivated solely by money. When employees are freed to connect their faith and core beliefs in ways that enable the company to do good in the world, they get energized. Their lives are enriched. And the world is made a bit more civilized, a bit more caring.

We hope you’ll join the companies that are increasingly listening to the heart and soul of their employees; companies that are making a positive difference in the world through ventures of Corporate Social Responsibility, aided by the insights and energetic goodwill of a spectrum of employees who care.

by Brian Grim, President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

A young mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer at an advanced stage. Her family prayed for healing, as many families would do. Her father, however, prayed a different prayer. He came back to the family and said he knew she would be fine.

Some weeks later the cancer was gone. Completely gone. A miracle. His wife asked him how he was so sure that she would be cured. He said that he’d prayed that the cancer would come to him and spare their daughter. That same year, cancer claimed his life.

The beginning point for core values, for me, is such love. Not that I can say that I would have prayed that same prayer, but a love that lays one’s life down for others is the touchstone for all values.

In my faith tradition, a scripture passage quoting Jesus captures this:  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-13)

The call of love is even more challenging. In Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you … For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” (Matthew 5:43-44, 46a)

Such love is the beginning point for a robust approach to religious freedom. From that flows three core values.

First, religious freedom begins with our neighbors’ religious freedom, not our own.

In The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Violence in the 21st Century (Cambridge University Press 2011), we noted that an important indication of religious freedom in a country is when people consider that religious freedom for others is as important as religious freedom for themselves.

In analyzing data from the Pew Research Center, there was on average a 14-point “religious intolerance gap” between the number of people who consider freedom for “their own religion” very important and the number who consider freedom for “religions other than their own” very important. That is the space where religious freedom withers.

From my own faith perspective, this makes sense. The two greatest commandments are to fully love God and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). And when a cheeky lawyer challenged Jesus about who is our neighbor, Jesus replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It’s the story of foreigner with a foreign religion showing love and mercy to a gravely injured stranger who was striped and left to die in the middle of a road as his religious compatriots passed him by.

Put another way, helping people of other faiths and beliefs have full religious freedom is the road to religious freedom for oneself as well.

Second, judge not lest we be judged.

The religious intolerance gap mentioned above is not the only threat to religious freedom, so is the religious hypocrisy gap. Any successful program of religious freedom must bridge this gap by first, as Jesus said, “Take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)

In a recent talk by Sue Warnke at the 2021 National Faith@Work Conference, she shared how business students at a major secular California university were immediately drawn into a positive discussion of workplace religious freedom when she began by acknowledging the harm religion has done in some people’s lives.

In other words, defending religious freedom is not the same thing as defending religion.

Third, make peace as first recourse rather than litigate.

“Blessed are the meek … the merciful … the peacemakers” are part of the Beatitudes that kick off the Sermon on the Mount. These qualities provide humble and powerful approaches to advancing religious freedom.

Religious freedom is frequently seen primarily as a legal issue, and indeed I work with many lawyers who also work for religious freedom. However, when litigation replaces discussion and the core values espoused in this article, it’s often too late for religious freedom to become a matter of shared consensus. (See Matthew 5:25-26)

One way that I have put energy into this approach is to reach out to and discuss with people in the LGBTQ+ community ways in which religious freedom brings benefit to them. This is perhaps the most sensitive area today, which makes discussion all the more important.

I am not alone in this. Top companies across America ranging from Salesforce to Texas Instruments have found positive interactions are the norm between their Pride employee resource groups (ERGs) and their faith ERGs. For example, at a Salesforce Faithforce event called Multiple Closets, Jewish, Muslim and Christian persons who were also LGBTQ+ shared their personal stories of ‘coming out of both closets’ – both as LGBTQ+ and people of faith. And they simply shared their stories.

When we focus on loving our neighbor without judging and working for peace through meaningful personal discussions, there is much hope for religious freedom.

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, together with faith-and-belief Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders from Walmart and Intel will hold a National Prayer Day event open for employees of companies from all faiths and beliefs to join on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 1pm Eastern Time.

Prayers and meditations for our nation will be offered by members of faith-and-belief  ERGs from multiple faiths, including the major faiths in America as well as aiming to include a variety of faiths ranging from Native American prayers to Humanist reflections.

People from each faith tradition represented will pray in their fully authentic way, i.e., this is a multi-faith event bringing the richness of each faith’s identity for the common aim of praying for our nation.

To participate, register here. 

Corporate Partners for this event are welcome! Email with your company’s interest.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance on the first Thursday of May designated by the U.S. Congress, when people are asked to turn to God in prayer and meditation. On April 17, 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a Congressional bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer be declared by each president at a date of his choice. On June 17, 1952, Pres. Truman issued a proclamation for the first Day of Prayer to be held on July 4, 1952. The law was later amended so the day would be on the first Thursday in May as it still continues.

For additional insights on the National Day of Prayer in a pluralistic society, see blog by Kent Johnson.

by Kent Johnson, J.D., Senior Corporate Advisor, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

Part of the blog series, Authenticity & Connection

Faith-oriented ERGs provide terrific avenues for employees to connect with, to pray and worship with, and to draw inspiration and encouragement from people of like faith. By officially acknowledging faith as an integral part of diversity, a company sends a powerful message: That people of various faiths are valued for who they truly are. Employees need not go “under cover” with their particular faith. They can truly “be themselves” at work.

If this was all that faith-oriented ERGs accomplished, it’d be worth the effort. But there’s more. In nearly all companies, these ERGs also serve as significant bridge-builders — channels of connection and collaboration across faiths. They accomplish this unifying and reconciling role in ways that do not dilute or compromise participants’ personal commitments.

Both roles can be positively transformative.

One of the many terrific panels at the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s 2021 Faith@Work ERG Conference was entitled “Why set up an ERG? Because my colleagues’ beliefs matter to me.” Diverse speakers from SAP, PayPal and Dell Technologies shared how connections across religious traditions have enriched their work lives and helped them live out their respective faiths more authentically. Their personal stories and experience included:

• — Becoming “visible” to one another; learning what colleagues consider their core identity
• — Dispelling myths and defusing fears about various faiths
• — Promoting authenticity
• — Learning of various faith-rooted holidays, festivals and commemorative times
• — Engaging other worldviews
• — Reaching significant depth of mutual understanding
• — Strengthening mutual respect, without compromising their own faith
• — Transcending polarization
• — Becoming better colleagues and better friends
• — NOT feeling weird

Below you can watch the speakers speak firsthand about how it’s playing out in their companies.

Near the end of this panel discussion, it’s noted that the societal impact of these ERGs extends far beyond the companies’ walls. It reaches worldwide. This really MATTERS.

If your company hasn’t yet embraced faith as part of its diversity focus, consider prompting it. Those who have done this can help. The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation is also a wealth of knowledge and experience. We hope you’ll consider it.

Dr. Brian Grim, president and founder of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, has been named as a member of the Board of Advisors of the University of Notre Dame Law School’s new Religious Liberty Initiative. Grim will serve for a four-year term, through 2025, with the possibility of renewal.

G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, invited Grim to join the Board of Advisors “as one of the foremost leaders on religious freedom and economics.”

As a Board of Advisors member, Grim will participate in the inaugural Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit, scheduled for June 28th-29th, 2021, at Notre Dame in Indiana. In 2022, the plan is for this Summit to be held in Rome, Italy, July 19th through 22nd, at the Notre Dame Rome Global Gateway near the Colosseum. The following year, the aim is to hold the Summit in Jerusalem, at the Notre Dame Tantur Ecumenical Institute.

Notre Dame Law School launched the Religious Liberty Initiative in June 2020. The Initiative seeks to address threats to religious liberty in the United States and abroad, by promoting more religious liberty scholarship, coordinating events for thought leaders in this space, and launching a new Religious Liberty Clinic.

Stephanie Barclay, Associate Professor of Law, directs Notre Dame’s Religious Liberty Initiative. Through this program, students defend religious freedom for individuals of all faiths. Students advise clients outside of the courtroom, as well as pursue their claims in the trial courts and appeals up to and including the U.S. Supreme Court.