FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2023
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Noelle Garnier
202-891-7843
ngarnier@nrb.org
Dr. Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation President, Honored with NRB’s 2023 First Freedoms Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NRB) – National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) President & CEO Troy A. Miller and NRB Chairman Jim Sanders presented NRB’s 2023 First Freedoms Award to Dr. Kevin Roberts, President of The Heritage Foundation, on Thursday, September 28, during the NRB Capitol Hill Media Summit in Washington, D.C.
“During his tenure, [Roberts] has led one of the nation’s most distinguished public policy organizations past its 50-year mark with an entrepreneurial vision for lasting impact,” said Michael P. Farris, NRB General Counsel, introducing Roberts. Farris praised Roberts’ commitments to championing pro-life, pro-family, and pro-marriage policies as bedrock commitments for the conservative movement, noting that Roberts has led The Heritage Foundation with “backbone as a standard operating procedure.”
In an inspiring address to the summit, Roberts encouraged the religious broadcasting community in its Christian witness. “In my experience, spending time with religious broadcasters is like being transported back to the Acts of the Apostles,” Roberts said. “You’re surrounded by true disciples, joined in fellowship with men and women who take our Savior’s Great Commission so seriously that they’ve made it their life’s work.”
“In the battle for religious freedom today, you are the heroes,” Roberts continued. “You are the ones leaning into the fight: suffering voluntarily, climbing the hill, enduring the punishment. You are the ones witnessing to the world that the true cost of Christian discipleship is not merely being willing to die for Christ, but being willing to live for Him.”
NRB presents its First Freedoms Award to a stalwart defender of religious liberty at its annual gathering of the NRB President’s Council. The Capitol Hill Media Summit is NRB’s flagship public policy event, welcoming Christian executives who act as strategic partners and supporters of NRB’s public policy activities in Washington, D.C.
Past award recipients include former Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.), Alliance Defending Freedom Founder Alan Sears, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), former Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
About NRB
NRB is a nonpartisan, international association of Christian communicators whose member organizations represent millions of listeners, viewers, and readers. NRB’s mission is twofold: To protect the free speech rights of our members to speak Biblical truth, by advocating those rights in governmental, corporate, and media sectors; and to foster excellence, integrity, and accountability in our membership by providing networking, educational, ministry, and relational opportunities. Learn more at www.nrb.org.
About NRB President’s Council
The NRB President’s Council is a group of strategic partners whose generous support enables NRB to advance the interests of Christian broadcasters, address threats to free speech, defend the rights of religious nonprofits, and advocate for First Amendment freedoms through the work of NRB’s Office of Public Policy. These visionary NRB members serve as ambassadors for NRB within their circles of influence and express their commitment to the work of the association through additional commitments of time, support, and financial resources. Learn more at https://nrb.org/membership/presidents-council/
