Richard Cizik ( ) is Executive Director of the nonprofit Evangelicals for Democracy, and Co-Host of the new YouTube Podcast, "Your Voice Matters: Democracy in Action, a Discussion on Faith and Democracy. Evangelicals for Democracy. He was the Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and one of the most prominent Evangelical lobbyists in the United States.Cizik Matters: An interview with green evangelical leader Richard Cizik, by Amanda Griscom Little, Grist Magazine, October 5, 2005 In his position with the NAE, Cizik's primary responsibilities were setting the organization's policy on issues and lobbying the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Cizik also served as NAE's national spokesman and edited a monthly magazine, NAE Washington Insight. Since 2003, Cizik has been active in a type of environmentalism known as "creation care". His stance on global warming has drawn both support and criticism from fellow Evangelicals.Is God Green?, by Bill Moyers, Moyers on America, PBS, 2006 He serves on the board of advisors of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University.
Biography He studied in political science at Whitworth College and earned a Bachelor of Arts cum laude, then he studied in Public Affairs at Elliott School of International Affairs (George Washington University) and earned a Master of Arts in 1974. He also studied at Denver Seminary and earned a Master of Divinity.Duke University, "Board of Advisors - Rev. Richard Cizik - Nicholas Institute ". Accessed 2 May 2012. He was awarded a post-graduate fellowship by the Rotary International Foundation to study at the Political Science University in Taipei, Taiwan (1975–1976).
Career
National Association of Evangelicals Cizik was the primary lobbyist at the NAE from 1980 to 2008.Cizik biography at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions' website He described himself in the early years as a "pro-Bush conservative" and generally took conservative positions on issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and stem-cell research. As the organization's primary lobbyist, Cizik was influential in pushing conservative Evangelical-supported legislation at a national level. However, he began moving more towards the center in the 1990s. On December 11, 2008, Cizik resigned from his position with the NAE following a December 2 broadcast of NPR's Fresh Air in which he said he had voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election and expressed support for same-sex civil unions. His remarks on same-sex civil unions and his broader political views drew criticism from some evangelical leaders and were widely reported in the press. In a later Fresh Air interview in July 2010, Cizik said his resignation was "a sum total of everything," including his advocacy of creation care and climate change, a broader public agenda, and his comments on civil unions, which he said "offended the old guard."
In 2007, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine named Cizik to the Virginia Climate Commission. That appointment has led to his speaking on climate change at the University of Virginia, Eastern Mennonite University, Roanoke College, among many other universities around the country.
Cizik has subsequently been a regular participant in Global Zero gatherings, including Summits held in London, England, and the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, and as a speaker at the Global Zero Inaugural Conference, held in Paris, in December, 2008.
As national spokesman for millions of evangelicals, he has worked successfully with both Democrats and Republicans. In the fall of 2008, however, he began to publicly criticize John McCain ("I thought John McCain was a principled person," "But John McCain...seems to be waffling on issue after issue").Evangelical leader smacks McCain for lack of 'principle', by Cara Degette. Colorado Independent, 9/22/08 He voted for Barack Obama during the primaries,For Some Evangelicals, GOP Ties Are No Longer Binding, by Suzanne Sataline. Wall Street Journal, 8/22/08 and strongly implied that he had voted for Obama in the general election.Interview with Richard Cizik, with Terry Gross. NPR's Fresh Air, 12/2/2008
On December 11, 2008, Cizik gave his resignation from his position with NAE after a December 2 radio broadcast of NPR's Fresh Air in which he voiced support for same-sex civil unions.Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions, by Eric Gorski, "San Francisco Chronicle", December 11, 2008 His comments and his resignation have generated both strong support and strong criticism within the evangelical Christian community.New Evangelists Buck the Christian Right. ABC News. Published December 19, 2008. Accessed December 19, 2008 This, along with statements about abortion, did not represent the NAE's position.
Environmental activism After hearing scientist and fellow Evangelical John Houghton present evidence on global warming in 2002, Cizik was convinced that environmentalism, and especially climate change, should be a part of the Evangelical political agenda.
Some conservative evangelical leaders had earlier criticized Cizik's environmental advocacy and public comments on climate change and politics, arguing that his positions did not reflect the NAE's traditional priorities.
Cizik calls this environmentalism "creation care." He differentiates "creation care" from other environmentalism because of the former's roots "not in politics or ideology, but in the scriptures." Cizik cites several Bible verses to support his position, including Genesis 2:15 and Revelation 11:18.
Cizik has been criticized for his global warming advocacy by fellow evangelicals and conservatives. He has responded to some of these critics by asking whether his critics are possibly being influenced by ties to the conservative movement or oil and gas companies.
Cizik's name appeared as a signatory on an initial draft of the 2006 Evangelical Climate Initiative's "Call to Action," but it was absent from the final draft. In an interview with Bill Moyers, Cizik indicated that pressure from his colleagues at the NAE caused him to remove his name from the statement. In fact the Executive Committee, responding to twenty Evangelical leaders who asked the NAE not to take a stance on global warming,Cornwall Alliance.org/docs/appeal-letter-to-the-national-association-of-evangelicals-on-the-issue-of-global-warming.pdf 20 Christian leaders appeal to the NAE, January 2006 had passed a resolution stating that "global warming is not a consensus issue" and instructing its staff "to stand by and not exceed in any fashion our approved and adopted statements concerning the environment contained within the Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility."Cornwall Alliance fact sheetEvangelical Leaders Join Global Warming Initiative, by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, February 8, 2006 (The 2001 document, For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility, includes a section on "protect[ing] God's creation" but does not mention climate change.For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility , National Association of Evangelicals, 2004)
In January 2007, Cizik and Eric Chivian co-hosted the launch of a collaboration between scientists and Evangelicals, presenting it as a joint project of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment and the NAE.Media advisory , Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, January 17, 2007 The 28 participants released "An Urgent Call to Action," which presented human-induced climate change as a primary concern and called for prompt public policy solutions.An Urgent Call to Action: Scientists and Evangelicals Unite to Protect Creation
, January 17, 2007 Critics of the collaboration pointed out that the NAE had not changed its position on climate change,Contrary to Media Reports, National Association of Evangelicals Has Not Endorsed Latest Statement on Global Warming, Cornwall Alliance press release, January 17, 2007 but in response to a reporter's question Cizik insisted that the NAE board had approved "this dialogue."Transcript , press conference, January 17, 2007
In March 2007, James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family, and 24 other evangelical leaders signed a letter asking "the NAE board to ensure that Mr. Cizik faithfully represents the policies and commitments of the organization, including its defense of traditional values," and suggesting that Cizik resign "if he cannot be trusted to articulate the views of American evangelicals on environmental issues." A number of other evangelical leaders declined to sign Dobson's letter on the grounds that it was un-Christian. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention noted, "I didn't feel that it was the most productive, most redemptive way to address the problem," and Leith Anderson, NAE president, stated that his mail was "overwhelmingly supportive of Rich." Cizik has responded by saying that "It's time we return to being people known for our love and care of the earth and our fellow human beings.""Beliefwatch:Tree Hugger", Newsweek, March 19th, 2007, pg. 13
In December 2008, NAE President Leith Anderson reiterated that For the Health of the Nation contains the NAE's only official position on the environment, and confirmed that "we don't [have a specific position] on global warming or emissions. [Cizik] has spoken as an individual on that."Interview: NAE President Leith Anderson on Richard Cizik's Resignation, by Sarah Pulliam, Christianity Today. Published December 11, 2008. Accessed December 18, 2008.
Various commitments In January 2010, Cizik launched the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good together with David P. Gushee, professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, and Steve Martin, a pastor and documentary filmmaker.New Evangelical Group Calls for Haiti Debt Cancellation, by Michelle A. Vu, "The Christian Post", January 24, 2010
In 2010, Cizik helped create and serves as co-chair of "The Casablanca Institute" to foster interfaith dialogue, build relationships between Evangelical Christians and Muslim leaders, and to seek common ground on the major issues facing both religious constituencies and the planet. In 2013, the Casablanca Institute was named one of the top ten "Best New Think Tanks" in a global ranking called "Global Go To Think Tank Rankings.
From 2010 to 2012, Rev. Cizik served as Co-chair along with R. Scott Appleby, Ph.D., professor of Political Science and Muslim fundamentalism scholar at Notre Dame, of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Project entitled "Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative of U.S. Foreign Policy. The two-year project brought together 20 top government officials, diplomats, defense-policy experts, and religious leaders to examine recent foreign-policy history of the U.S. in the Muslim world and make recommendations for future engagement. The Report was distributed to U.S. Embassies around the globe by the U.S. Department of State.
In 2012, Rich Cizik became the Chief Spokesperson for the Good Steward Campaign, an ecumenically Christian environmental organization working on college campuses to inform and engage students in conversations about climate change, stewardship, creation care, and fossil fuel divestment. Rich travels up and down the East Coast doing speaking events for the Good Steward Campaign and spoken at schools like the University of Virginia and Eastern Mennonite University. He continues in this role today.