Redeeming Babel is a nonprofit founded by Evangelical Protestant theologian Curtis Chang to help Christians navigate the modern world. The organization is best known for its After Party project, a program that helps Christians and pastors engage in politics with coaching from Chang, Russell Moore, and David French, all three of whom are Evangelical opponents of President Donald Trump and his presidential administrations. ¹

Redeeming Babel has received funding from several nonprofits including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. ^{2 3 1}

Activities

Redeeming Babel was established in 2019 by theologian Curtis Change to change how Christians live their lives and engage in advocacy. Redeeming Babel “[addresses] three underlying theological problems driving the chaos and confusion of our current world,” which it identifies as anxiety, institutions, and politics. Redeeming Babel sells courses are taught by Chang regarding these three issues. ⁴

The anxiety course teaches Christians “that anxiety is a powerful opportunity to grow as followers of Jesus” by “[integrating] fresh Biblical insights with practical mental health.” ⁵

The “God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life” course on institutions teaches Christians lessons for institutional leadership and navigation based on the Bible. ⁶

Christians and the Vaccine was a Redeeming Babel project that encouraged Evangelical Christians to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Redeeming Babel partnered on the campaign with the National Association of Evangelicals, the COVID Collaborative, the Ad Council, Values Partnerships, and Public Square Strategies. The campaign provided “Biblically based answers” affirming the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine and rejecting assertions that the vaccine was a form of government control or the Biblical “mark of the beast.” In June 2021, Chang testified in front of the U.S. Senate in support of the COVID-19 vaccine. ⁷

After Party

Redeeming Babel’s course on politics, called After Party, is a collection of resources encouraging a new form of “Christian politics” and the “Christian political identity” intended for small groups and Christian pastors. In addition to Chang, the After Party courses are taught by two Evangelical conservative commentators who have been opponents of President Donald Trump: Christianity Today editor-in-chief Russell Moore and New York Times columnist David French. ^{8 1}

After Party’s message is based on “Biblical values that should inform how we approach politics, not what candidates to support.” ⁹

After Party was a major subject in the book The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta, which asserted that American Evangelicals have abandoned their moral values in the political sphere. According to Alberta, After Party struggled to get financial support from Evangelical donors, so it turned to major left-leaning nonprofits for support, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the One America Movement, a left-of-center religious advocacy organization. ¹

Funding

In 2023, Redeeming Babel generated $1,239,802 in revenue, including $1,110,250 in contributions and $111,821 in program services. ¹⁰ That year, Redeeming Babel received a $500,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation earmarked for the After Party project. ³

In 2024, Redeeming Babel received a $600,000 grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation program. ²

Leadership

Curtis Chang is the founder and executive director of Redeeming Babel. He is a consulting professor in innovation and organization at Duke Divinity School. Chang is also the founder, CEO, and lead consultant at Consulting Within Reach. In December 2011, Chang won second place in the Apps for Community Challenge issued by the Obama administration and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for developing an app that helped homeless people in Santa Clara County, California access public services. ^{11 4 12 13} Change has been described as an Evangelical opponent of President Donald Trump. ¹

Russell Moore is a co-founder and leader of Redeeming Babel’s After Party project. Moore is the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today and was formerly an executive of the Southern Baptist Convention. Moore attracted criticism from Evangelical circles as an outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump. According to Moore, President Trump embraces a “Christian nationalist” stance. ^{14 15}

David French is a co-founder and leader of Redeeming Babel’s After Party project. French is a writer best known for his work with the New York Times and The Atlantic. French, an Evangelical, is considered one of the most prominent conservative thinkers in the “never-Trump” movement starting with his 2016 article, “Why I Changed My Mind and Joined the #NeverTrump Movement.” ^{14 16}

1.  Basham, Megan. “Follow the Money to the After Party.” First Things. January 22, 2024. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://firstthings.com/follow-the-money-to-the-after-party/.
2. “Redeeming Babel Inc.” David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.packard.org/grantee/redeeming-babel-inc/
3. “Redeeming Babel.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://hewlett.org/grants/redeeming-babel-for-the-after-party-project/.
4. “About Redeeming Babel.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://redeemingbabel.org/about/.
5. “The Anxiety Opportunity.” Redeeming babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://redeemingbabel.org/product/the-anxiety-opportunity-course/.
6. “God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://redeemingbabel.org/product/organizational-life/.
7. “Projects.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://redeemingbabel.org/christians-and-the-vaccine/.
8. ^[1] “The After Party.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/.
9. “Got Questions? We’ve Got answers.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/frequently-asked-questions/
10. “Redeeming Babel Inc Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/871608962/202431239349302133/full.
11. “Curtis Chang.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://divinity.duke.edu/faculty/curtis-chang.
12. “Opening Up Local Data with Prize-Inspired Apps.” The White House. December 15, 2011. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/12/15/opening-local-data-prize-inspired-apps.
13. “About Consulting Within Reach.” Redeeming Babel. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.consultingwithinreach.com/about.
14. ^[1] “Russell Moore.” The Gospel Coalition. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/russell-moore/.
15. Detrow, Scott; Sanchez, Gabriel J.; Handel, Sarah. “He was a top church official who criticized Trump. He says Christianity is in crisis.” National Public Radio. August 8, 2023. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192663920/southern-baptist-convention-donald-trump-christianity.
16. Seariac, Hannah. “The New York Times hires David French as opinion columnist.” Deseret News. January 4, 2023. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.deseret.com/2023/1/4/23537708/who-is-david-french/.