October 3, 2024, Washington, D.C. – Pepperdine University and the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) are pleased to announce a new partnership, grounded in our shared commitment to defend and advance religious freedom in the United States and around the world. David Trimble, President of RFI, and Danny DeWalt, Vice President and Chief of Staff of Pepperdine University, signed a formal agreement launching the partnership on September 9.

“Protecting religious freedom is the most fundamental aspect of protecting a free society; a people that are free to worship as they see fit is a people free to flourish in all other aspects of life,” said Pepperdine President Jim Gash. “We are thrilled to partner with RFI in the noble work of advancing religious freedom on university campuses and around the globe.”

“While RFI has worked closely with Pepperdine over the years, we are now taking our collaboration to a new level,” said RFI President David Trimble. “The threats to religious freedom today are enormous and joining forces with Pepperdine will enhance our ability to confront them like never before. Years ago the late, honorable Ken Starr envisioned that Pepperdine and RFI might work together to defend religious freedom around the world. Today, I am grateful to see his vision become a reality.” 

Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Pepperdine’s commitment to religious freedom for everyone is rooted deeply in its Christian identity. RFI is committed to achieving broad acceptance of religious liberty as a fundamental human right, a source of individual and social flourishing, the cornerstone of a successful society, and a driver of national and international security. RFI works to secure religious freedom for everyone, everywhere because human dignity and human nature demand it, and human flourishing depends on it. 

Religious freedom has become increasingly embattled in the first decades of the twenty-first century.  While the growing threats to religious freedom require engagement in politics and law, their underlying causes are cultural. Therefore, education must lead the way in bringing about needed change. 

It is in the education space that students are encouraged to reflect on the first principles underlying contemporary concepts like human dignity and human rights. Our common conviction is that restoring religious freedom to its proper place in American society, and securing due respect for it abroad, will require educating current and future leaders across the academy and civil society. They must be equipped with a genuine understanding of this fundamental human right as they forge ahead in their respective fields. 

In the years to come, Pepperdine and RFI will jointly undertake new research, develop innovative  programs, and lead training to advance religious freedom globally. Our world needs a strong voice that recognizes the innate need of all people to seek ultimate meaning and truth, and to do so in freedom. RFI and Pepperdine aim to be that voice.

---

The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) works to secure religious freedom for everyone, everywhere. RFI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.

Media Contact: Nathan Berkeley
media@religiousfreedominstitute.org
202-838-7734
www.rfi.org
@RFInstitute