Joint Clergy Statement on the Embrace of Religious Diversity
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof...
— Amendment I to the Constitution of the United States of America
1We, the undersigned clergy of greater Kansas City, with common purpose and unified voice, bear witness to and embrace religious diversity as a primary strength and foundational value of our American democracy.
2 This cherished diversity, born in mutual respect for the dignity God inheres in each human being, and which is foundational to our Constitution, promises freedom to worship and serve God as we see fit.
3 We further believe that the God who created us all loves all human beings equally, those of faith and those of no religious faith.
4 We urge all Kansas Citians to join in recognition of the sacred image in each human being.
5 We pledge to one another, and to our community, and we ask you to join us in conviction and practice, that no governmental body should ever preference any single religion’s principles or convictions above another.
6 While each of the undersigned is devoted to the Holy One as we understand the Holy One to be, we urge the complete separation between the powers of government and religion, affirming for each of us the absolute freedom to worship and practice as we understand the Sacred to require of us, and as guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
7 We declare that no single religion, group of religions or abstention from religion claims superiority to the law of the United States; and regardless of the individual religious convictions of the Founders, we acknowledge and promulgate that all religions have and shall by right possess, now and in the future, an equal status before the government of the United States and all other jurisdictions of this great nation.
Rabbi Doug Alpert
Congregation Kol Ami, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Dr. Cathleen Burnett
Rev. Sharon S. Cantrell
Christian Church (DOC)
Rabbi Javier E. Cattapan
Congregation Beth Torah, Overland Park, KS
The Rev. Jeffrey C. Clayton
Pastor, Southminster Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS
The Crescent Peace Society
Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn
Temple Israel, Overland Park, KS
Rev. Thomas Curran, S.J.Rockhurst University
Rabbi Dr. Stuart E. Davis, Ph.D.
Rev. Jean Renée DeTar
Unity Ministries
Pastor Lloyd Fields Sr.
Greater Gilgal Baptist Bible Fellowship, Kansas City, MO
Rabbi David M. Glickman
Congregation Beth Shalom, Overland Park, KS
Rabbi Moshe Grussgott
Kehilath Israel Synagogue, Overland Park, KS
Rev. Dr. Wallace Hartsfield II
Senior Pastor, Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Denise Hill
United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. Robert Lee Hill
Rev. Dr. Jane Fisler Hoffman
United Church of Christ
Rabbi Dr. Mark H. Levin
Congregation Beth Torah, Overland Park, KS
Rabbi Alan D. Londy, D.Min.
Fr. Chas Marks
St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Dr. Molly T. Marshall
Central Seminary, KS
Venerable John H. McCann
Episcopal Priest
Rev. Susan G. McCann
Board President, Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO)
Rev. Holly McKissick
Peace Christian Church, UCC, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Tom Minges
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Chase Peeples
Kansas City United Church of Christ
Rev. Roxanne R. Pendleton
Southwood UCC, Raytown, MO
Rev. Heidi A. Peterson
Central Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Michael Roach
St. James Catholic Church, Liberty, MO
The Rev. Dr. R. Stan Runnels
Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church & Day School, Kansas City, MO
Imam Sulaiman Z. and Antoinette Salaam
Al Haqq Islamic Center, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Dr. Tex Sample
Pastor, Trinity United Methodist Church, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Robin Sandbothe
Co-Pastor, Englewood Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO
Rev. Dr. Dane R. Sommer
Valley Center United Church of Christ
Rabbi Linda Steigman
Rev. Michael L. Stephens
Southwood United Church of Christ
Rabbi Debbie Stiel
Temple Beth Sholom, Topeka, KS
Rev. Elizabeth M. Strobel
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. Jennifer Thomas
ELCA
Rev. Stevie Wakes, M.Div.
Pastor, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Kansas City, KS
Rev. Gerald Waris
Rev. Kimi Yokoyama
Pastor, Zion UCC, St. Joseph, MO
