The Rev. Thomas Bowen has been named as a senior adviser in the White House Office of Public Engagement.
An ordained Baptist minister, Bowen is the Earl L. Harrison Minister of Social Justice at the District’s Shiloh Baptist Church, where he has served since 2002.
He previously served as the director of African American Strategic Engagement under Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, where he held dual roles as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Religious Affairs and the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs.
“He will help to close the communications gap between the Black faith community and the White House.”
Often seen offering a prayer, words of wisdom and encouragement at events, residents and city officials alike coined Bowen ‘D.C.’s Pastor.’
“I am deeply honored to serve in the Biden-Harris administration and grateful for the trust vested in me,” said Bowen, who will be leading the faith engagement effort in the White House.
“In our shared commitment to safeguard democracy and uphold our nation’s moral foundation, I am dedicated to amplifying the voices of faith leaders and believers.”
Charles Smith, a member of the Deacon Leadership Team at Shiloh Baptist Church, said Bowen “will add value to that office’s mission. I know that because he has served in a myriad of capacities at Shiloh Baptist Church.”
Smith noted Bowen isn’t the only person associated with the historic Northwest, D.C. church, who has worked at The White House.
“He follows other Shiloh members who have served in the White House, including Lorraine Miller, Jocelyn Frye, and Willa Hall Smith. We expect great things from him,” said Smith.
Bowen is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he was a Ford Foundation Scholar and president of the NAACP. He studied for the ministry at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
A native of Lorain County, Ohio, Bowen embraced Washington, D.C., as his home more than two decades ago. He currently lives in Northeast, D.C.’s historic Trinidad neighborhood.
Bowen’s extensive experience in ministry, justice advocacy and leadership includes working in a number of roles, such as senior religious advocate for the Children’s Defense Fund and senior field organizer for the organization’s Black Community Crusade for Children.
“Thomas Bowen is one of the most gifted community leaders, who has a wealth of experience with a diverse group of people that include Christians, Muslims, agnostics, and atheists,” said the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III.
“No other person can engage such a diversity. We need people who are morally rooted who can speak the language of the activist, the civic bureaucrat, the educator, and the union leader.”
Dr. Barabara Williams-Skinner, CEO and co-founder of the Skinner Leadership Institute, said Bowen’s background makes him the perfect addition to the White House Office of Public Engagement, and emphasized his skills will be put to effective use.
“The Rev. Thomas Bowen has a long history of faith in action in the teachings and practice of Jesus,” said Williams-Skinner.
“We are blessed to have him on the White House faith outreach team to help the administration frame public policy into the moral context. He will help to close the communications gap between the Black faith community and the White House.”
Rev. Barber blasts Trump Bible racket
As Donald Trump sells Bibles through a God Bless the USA website, the Rev. William J. Barber II has a warning for him.
“The prophet Ezekiel named it in his day: Greedy politicians make an unholy alliance with false religion that says God is on their side when God has said no such thing!” Barber told The Nation.
“We need to read the Bible Trump is using as a prop.”
Barber, the longtime pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, N.C., a professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy, and founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, said the Bible calls out pharisees and hypocrites who pervert religion for personal and political gain.
“The Bible exposes grifters who try to exploit it,” he said.
The article “Rev. Thomas Bowen named a White House senior adviser” orginally appeared here.
