More than 350 faith leaders endorse Biden, citing ‘need of moral leadership’

A coalition of more than 350 faith leaders endorsed Joe Biden for president late Thursday, citing a “need of moral leadership” and “hope for a better future.”

The array of endorsements includes well-known progressive faith leaders such as Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran minister who founded the LGBTQ-friendly House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, and Robert W. Lee IV, a descendant of the Confederate general, who stepped down as pastor of a North Carolina church in 2017 after publicly supporting Black Lives Matter.

Former Democratic state lawmakers such as Paul Rosenthal (Colo.) and Natalie Phelps Finnie (Ill.) are also on the list.

It also includes a number of names who have never politically endorsed before, according to a press release from Faith 2020, which calls the range of names “big tent” and “multi-faith.”

The more unusual endorsements include Ron Sider, president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action, John Phelan, former seminary dean and president of the evangelical North Park Theological Seminary, and the Reverend David Beckmann, who served for nearly 30 years as president of Bread for the World.

“This election presents a stark moral contrast between the common good values of the Biden-Harris agenda and the divisiveness of the current administration,” said Frederick A. Davie, the chair of the board for the coalition, also referring to Biden’s vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris. “I hope you will join us in putting principle over partnership as we support a better way forward.”

The endorsements, while an impressive show of support representing some faith communities, don’t necessarily reflect whether Biden is making a dent in the large majority of white evangelical voters who backed President Trump in 2016 and appear to be backing him in 2020.