Suggested Practices and Examples for Implementation:

• Host a workshop on listening skills.
• Host studies, forums, and round-table discussions on the role of faith in a democratic system of government. Pay particular attention to the principle of separation of church and state.
• Provide opportunities for listening teams to discuss various principles of faith with scriptural grounding as they relate to issues our government addresses (emphasize respectful listening).

General Information Related to this Strategy:

• Advocate with Compassion, tools from NCIPL
• Talking points for discussing voting and climate change
• More Light, Less Heat: How Dialogues Can Transform Christian Conflicts Into Growth, book by Joseph Phelps
• On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets, and Politics Hasn’t Learned about Serving the Common Good, a book by Jim Wallis
• Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis, book by Jimmy Carter
• What to do (and what not to do) when having political conversations with faith communities

Available Resources in Western North Carolina:

• Advocating with Compassion Webinar