McLeod Brown Presentation on Sunday, May 19 at 5:00 PM
St. John’s Baptist Church, 300 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC 28204
Religious Freedom is a foundational principle of our nation. Yet, it is a fragile freedom. At various times, this principle has been attacked – sometimes by people who do not understand how their sincere dedication to their religious tradition can trample the freedom of another.
We welcome Amanda Tyler to serve as the 2024 McLeod Brown Presenter. She is executive director of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), in Washington, DC. Since 1936, this organization has defended the free exercise of religion and protected religious freedom for all people.
Amanda is also the lead organizer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign and co-host of the podcast, Respecting Religion. She is author of How to End Christian Nationalism, which will be published by Broadleaf Books on October 22, 2024. The book is available for pre-order now.
Tyler is often featured on national news outlets and has been named a rising star in religion, by Religion News Service. She is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar with experience working in Congress, in a private legal practice, and serving as a law clerk for a federal judge. She has testified before Congress on the threats of Christian nationalism to religious liberty. She also discussed before Congress the ways Christian nationalism proves cover for white supremacy. In 2018, she appeared before a U.S. Senate Committee to testify about threats to religious liberty around the world.
She graduated from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in foreign service, magna cum laude. She received her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law. In 2019, the school named her their “Outstanding Young Alumna.” Following law school, she worked in private practice and served as a law clerk for a U.S. district court judge in Dallas, Texas. She later joined the staff of U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in Austin and Washington, D.C. serving as Rep. Doggett’s counsel for the Ways and Means Committee. She has published columns in Report from the Capital and other publications, drafted statements on religious liberty issues, presented educational programs, and coordinated a broad coalition in support of religious land use.
McLeod Brown Presentation: On the evening of May 19th, at 5:00pm, local writer, podcast host, and retired attorney, Landis Wade, will interview Amanda Tyler in our sanctuary. This presentation is our 2024 McLeod Brown Presentation. This annual presentation honors two core leaders of St. John’s: Johnnie McLeod, M.D. and Judge Stan Brown. The focus of this year’s presentation highlights a principle promoted by Johnnie and Stan, “Christian Nationalism and the Threat to Faith and Democracy.’ For more information, see www.stjohnsbaptistchurch.org or call 704.333.5428, ext. 0.
