Richard Land
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Richard D. Land (born 1946) is the president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public policy entity of the Southern Baptist Convention in the United States, a post he has held since 1988. He is also the host of For Faith & Family and For Faith & Family's Insight, two nationally syndicated radio programs. He was the primary author of the Land letter, an open letter sent to President George W. Bush by leaders of the religious right in October 2002 which outlined a "just war" argument in support of the subsequent military invasion of Iraq.
In 2001, President Bush appointed Land to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a federal agency, created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1988, for the purpose of monitoring the freedom of conscience, thought and religion or belief abroad. President Bush reappointed Dr. Land for a second term in June of 2004. He was subsequently appointed by then Majority Leader Bill Frist in July 2005. Land continues his service to the Commission.
Land appeared prominently in the PBS Frontline documentary The Jesus Factor, covering the Evangelical Christian views of President George W. Bush. Land often appears on news programs to discuss Christian matters. An article in Rolling Stone on Christian evangelicals trying to remake America in their own image described Land as Dominionists' "direct line to the White House."[1] Land also appeared in the movie Article VI, in which he discusses religion in politics.
Land is associated with the conservative right and often speaks for the conservative position on issues ranging from religion to tax cuts on news reports and as a guest on radio talk shows.
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[edit] Books authored
Land is a prolific writer, with his most recent book, The Divided States of America? What Liberals and Conservatives are Missing in the God-and-Country Shouting Match! published by Thomas Nelson. Prior to that, he authored Imagine! A God-Blessed America (Broadman & Holman, 2005) and Real Homeland Security (Broadman & Holman, 2004). His other books include: For Faith & Family, The Earth Is The Lord's, Life At Risk, Citizen Christians, and Christians In The Public Square.
Land serves as Executive Editor of FFV, a national magazine dedicated to addressing issues of traditional religious values, the challenge of Christian ethics, and other cultural trends.
[edit] Education
- A.B., Princeton University
- Th.M., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
- D.Phil., University of Oxford