Faith Commons

Background

Faith Commons was founded in 2018 by Baptist pastor George Mason and Jewish Rabbi Nancy Kasten, with involvement from Islamic scholar and civil rights activist Omar Suleiman. ¹ It is an inclusive “multi-faith, multi-ethnic” group in Dallas, Texas that advances a left-leaning approach to social matters on issues such as race, immigration, health care, and abortion access. ²

Work Areas

Faith Commons produces a weekly podcast called Good God, publishes a blog and content on social media, does advocacy work, and hosts seminars. As a part of the Good God podcast, Mason and Kasten produced a video series called “10 for 10: Voting Vision not Division.” These were ten 10-minute-long videos that covered topics related to the 2024 election, including education, health care, climate change, immigration, and the economy. ³

The Faith Commons web site characterizes a series of issues as “Challenges to Our Faith.” These include “Christian Nationalism,” “Poverty,” “Racial Justice,” “Immigration,” and “Reproductive Rights.” ⁴

Political Advocacy

In 2021, Faith Commons co-signed a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) along with other faith organizations in Texas including Faith in Texas to protest President then-President Donald Trump’s visit to Alamo Texas to mark the completion of more than 400 miles of border wall, indicating that “his very presence has become a symbol of insurrection and lawlessness.” ⁵

Faith Commons opposes “Christian nationalism,” a term used to describe the idea that America is a Christian nation and should be governed by Christians. Faith Commons leader George Mason claims that “Christian nationalism is the greatest threat to democracy today.” ⁶ It has hosted several events on the topic of Christian nationalism, including a September 2024 event featuring Jim Wallis, the author of the False White Gospel ⁷ which condemns white Christian nationalism and supports “a politically progressive view of scripture and the role of the Christian church in society.” In the book he claims that the ”white American church has fallen prey to ill-intentioned conservative political forces.” ⁸

In a 2022 opinion article by Mason, he argued, “We must urge the fossil fuel industry to transition quicker to cleaner energy and press politicians to support the same.” ⁹

In a November 2022 article in the Dallas Morning News, Kasten voiced support for abortion access, claiming that the “religious right … has worked tirelessly to ensure that Texas be synonymous with “anti-abortion.” ¹⁰

In October 2024, Mason and Kasten were speakers at an event entitled “Unleashed LGBTQ+ 2024” where they discussed the “rise of Christian Nationalism.” ¹¹ Mason’s support of LGBT members into the church caused a rift with the broader Southern Baptist Convention. ¹²

Its 10 for 10 video “Aligning Our Values with Economic Policies” aligns with several left-of-center policies. Presenter Kasten indicated that we have an obligation to help people and “not punishing them for being poor.” ¹³

The 10 for 10 video “On Immigration – Faith at the Border” supports immigration into the United States, claiming that the U.S. created instability in other countries and needs to support refugees and immigrants. ¹⁴

The final 10 for 10 video published after the election encouraged listeners to “not be discouraged” if “our” candidates didn’t win and “our” philosophy of government does not get elected. It references the “adverse effects of the political weather” following the 2024 elections. ¹⁴

Funding

Faith Commons reported $217,663 in revenues and $251,441 in expenses for the 2023 tax year. ¹⁵

Communities Foundation of Texas donated $10,427 in 2023. ¹⁶ Faith Commons also raises funds through online initiatives such as the North Texas Giving Day, through which  it received donations from 94 individuals. ¹⁷

Leadership

George Mason is founder and president of Faith Commons. Mason was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1984 and received a master’s degree of divinity and a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was a pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas for 33 years. While there, he voted to accept LGBT members into the church and began ordaining women and divorced people as deacons. As a result, his church split with the Southern Baptist Convention and he co-founded a group of more “inclusive churches,” known as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He founded Faith Commons in 2018 and retired from his role as senior pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in August 2022. ¹²

Nancy Kasten is chief relationship officer at Faith Commons, a Reform rabbi, a community educator, and a liberal political activist. Previously she was a director of the Campus Jewish Network at Southern Methodist University, and later the associate chaplain. ^{18 19}  She has a master’s degree in Jewish education from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in Hebrew letters from the Jewish Institute of Religion. ²⁰

Kenton Keller is the board chair of Faith Commons. He is founder and president of Accelerence Executive Coaching where he coaches clients on leadership development and succession planning. He is also an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University. Previously he held a senior position with nonprofit ministry Buckner International, and he worked as a consultant with the management consulting company Accenture for 29 years. Kenton earned a Ph.D. in leadership from Dallas Baptist University. ^{21 22}