Minnesota Independent

Obama appoints Pawlenty’s pastor to faith council

By Andy Birkey | 02.07.11 | 8:17 am

President Obama named a dozen faith leaders to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on Friday, and two of them hail from Minnesota. Leith Anderson of the National Association of Evangelicals, who is also Tim Pawlenty’s pastor, was appointed by Obama, as was fellow Minnesota Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The council, formerly known under President Bush as the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, has had a healthy number of Minnesotans under Obama.

Minnesota’s Chemberlin decries ‘xenophobia, bigotry’ of opponents of Islamic center near 9/11 site

By Paul Schmelzer | 08.11.10 | 1:14 pm

Gov. Tim Pawlenty isn’t the only Minnesotan weighing in on an Islamic center planned for construction near New York’s World Trade Center: Peg Chemberlin, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Churches and president of the National Council…

Obama taps Minnesotan for faith-based council

By Andy Birkey | 04.06.09 | 5:19 pm

bio The White House on Monday released names of individuals appointed to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and one Minnesotan will help steer the direction of the…