Protesters holding signs.

U.S. Catholics are facing an authoritarian threat. The church has been here before.

The Catholic Church in the United States today is facing a crucial test. How will the church lead under what the New York Times columnist Ross Douthat calls an “imperial...

Korean Clergy and Monastics Resist Martial Law

 “Photo: Marcelo Schneider / WCC”Time Period: December 2024Location: South KoreaMain Actors: Protestant and Catholic clergy, Buddhist monastic leadersTactics:— Letters of opposition or support— Signed public statements— Prayer and worship— Assemblies of protest or support...

Salvadoran Catholic Clergy Condemn Bukele’s Attack on Freedom

Time Period: 2020-2025Location: El SalvadorMain Actors: Catholic clergy, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa ChávezTactics– Letters of opposition or support– Signed public statements– Prayer and worship Nayib Bukele was elected president of El Salvador in...

Argentine Catholic Clergy Oppose Javier Milei

Time Period: 2023-presentLocation: ArgentinaMain Actors: Catholic clergy, especially Curas Por la Opción Por Los Pobres (Priests for the Option for the Poor)Tactics - Letters of opposition or support - Prayer...

Buddhist Monks Defect from Myanmar’s Military Dictatorship

Time Period: 2007Location: MyanmarMain Actors: Buddhist monks, All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA)Tactics - Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance - Slogans, caricatures, and symbols - Assemblies of protest or support -...

Nonviolence in Action: Why Civil Resistance Works and the Role of Religion

Horizons Chief Organizer, Maria J. Stephan delivered this keynote address at the American Academy of Religion Annual Conference on November 24, 2024. Special thanks to Jin Y. Park, Professor and...

South African Clergy Support Early Defections from Apartheid

Time Period: 1948-1968Location: South AfricaMain Actors: Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (DRC), Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Christian Institute of Southern Africa, South...

Brazilian Religious Leaders and Democratic Backsliding

Time Period: 2019-2023Location: Brazil, especially Rio de JaneiroMain Actors: Brazilian Catholic Church, Brazilian Evangelical pastors (e.g., Henrique Vieira) and civil society groups (e.g., Novas)Tactics:  - Declarations by organizations and institutions...

The Quakers Advance Democracy in the US Civil Rights Movement

Time Period: 1956-1968Location: Montgomery & Birmingham, AL; Prince Edward County, VA; Washington, DC; Cape May, NJ; New Delhi, IndiaMain Actors: American Friends Service Committee, Bayard Rustin.Tactics - Publishing Dissenting Literature...

Sensemaking with Horizons: Shun Tucker-Allen, Senior Faith Partnerships Coordinator of Fair Count

The Horizons Project Director for Race & Democracy, Jarvis Williams, has a conversation with Shun Tucker-Allen, Senior Faith Partnerships Coordinator at Fair Count about her work organizing with faith communities...