Wake Forest University School of Divinity Dean Corey D. B. Walker Contributes to National Report on Religious Freedom
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Wake Forest University School of Divinity Dean Corey D. B. Walker is among twenty nationally recognized scholars, faith leaders, legal experts, and elected officials contributing to Religious Liberty for All: Celebrating This Founding Freedom at America 250, a new report examining the promise and future of religious freedom as the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary.
Published by the Center for American Progress, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Interfaith Alliance, and the American Humanist Association, the report offers a vision of religious liberty rooted in constitutional democracy, human dignity, and the equal rights of all people to practice—or not practice—a religion according to the dictates of conscience.
Walker, whose scholarship examines religion, democracy, and American public life, contributes an essay arguing that religious freedom is not simply an individual right but a civic practice that sustains democratic life and enables communities of profound difference to flourish together.
“Religious freedom is not merely the absence of coercion; it is the democratic discipline of creating a society where every person’s dignity and freedom of conscience are protected,” Walker said. “As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we are called to reclaim religious liberty as a common good—one that strengthens our constitutional democracy, nurtures genuine pluralism, and enlarges our capacity to pursue justice, reconciliation, and our shared flourishing.”
The report features essays from elected officials, legal scholars, and leaders representing a broad range of religious traditions, including Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rabbi David Saperstein, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, Sunita Viswanath, Dr. Homayra Ziad, and Rev. Carlos L. Malavé, among others.
The report was released in conjunction with a public event in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Center for American Progress, featuring national leaders, scholars, and faith leaders in conversation about the future of religious freedom in American public life.
The full report, Religious Liberty for All: Celebrating This Founding Freedom at America 250, is available through the Center for American Progress.
About the Wake Forest University School of Divinity
Founded in 1999, Wake Forest University School of Divinity is a graduate, professional school that is Christian by tradition, Baptist in heritage, and ecumenical in outlook. Guided by the University’s motto, Pro Humanitate, the School prepares leaders informed by a theological understanding of vocation and equipped to serve as agents of justice, reconciliation, and compassion in a complex world. The School offers masters and doctoral degree programs including dual degree programs in bioethics, counseling, education, law, management, and sustainability.
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