Marta Cook

People of Faith Should Join Campaign to Fight Asthma in Their Communities Article

People of faith are particularly inspired to advocate for regulations decreasing air and water pollution because of the greater impact of pollution on those most vulnerable in their communities, including infants, children, and people of color. Protecting the vulnerable is considered one of the most sacred of moral values for all major faith traditions. (iStockphoto)

People of Faith Should Join Campaign to Fight Asthma in Their Communities

Marta Cook explains that a Center for American Progress Action Fund campaign provides an opportunity for faith communities to expand their environmental advocacy at the federal level.

Jun 8, 2011

Marta Cook

Good Stewards of Creation, Good Stewards of Their Budgets Article

Lakewood Church, an evangelical Christian megachurch in Houston, Texas, saved $360,000 on its annual utility costs through better energy management. (AP/Pat Sullivan)

Good Stewards of Creation, Good Stewards of Their Budgets

Houses of worship are saving big with new tools to reduce their energy use, writes Marta Cook.

May 31, 2011

Marta Cook

What’s Good for the Goose Article

What’s Good for the Goose

Marta Cook and Katie Wright propose three ways that sonogram-happy antiabortion conservatives can make sure our nation’s needy children prosper outside of the womb.

May 12, 2011

Marta Cook, Katie Wright

A Message from on High Article

Pope Benedict XVI has been an ardent supporter for many years of recognizing the truth of climate change and the collective responsibility to reduce carbon emissions and preserve clean air and clean water. (AP/Pier Paolo Cito)

A Message from on High

Marta Cook applauds the Catholic Church for the forthright decision by its Academy of Sciences to address the moral dimensions of global warming.

May 11, 2011

Marta Cook

Leaving Faith Organizations out in the Cold Article

Alfred Reese wipes down tables at the meals program for Cleveland Catholic Charities at the Bishop Cosgrove Center. Faith-based organizations and houses of worship are a crucial part of our social service network, offering health care, food pantries, day care, counseling services, housing assistance, job assistance, and other programs. (AP/Tony Dejak)

Leaving Faith Organizations out in the Cold

Cutting federal funding for poverty programs would cripple the faith-based groups that play a key role in our social safety net, write Annelisa Steeber and Marta Cook.

Apr 21, 2011

Annelisa Steeber, Marta Cook

Caring for God’s Creation Article

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has helped people realize that faith communities and the EPA have more common ground than one might think, since both are called to protect the most vulnerable. (AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Caring for God’s Creation

Faith communities show their support for the EPA’s role in regulation and public health, write Marta Cook and Annelisa Steeber.

Mar 8, 2011

Marta Cook, Annelisa Steeber

Keeping the Faith Report

Tennessee illustrates how movements for equality can advance in the face of organized religious and political opposition—and how that opposition can spur alliances among faith groups and LGBT advocates. (Flickr/Drama Queen)

Keeping the Faith

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite and Marta Cook highlight the efforts of faith communities and LGBT advocates in Tennessee.

Feb 2, 2011

Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Marta Cook

Contraception Is Preventive Care Article

Reams of studies have consistently demonstrated that contraception is a safe and cost-effective way to reduce unintended pregnancies and a host of preventable health problems affecting both women and children. (Flickr/Phoney Nickle)

Contraception Is Preventive Care

The opinions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops should not determine whether millions of women have access to contraception under the new health care law, write Marta Cook and Ellen-Marie Whelan.

Oct 13, 2010

Marta Cook, Ellen-Marie Whelan

The Role of Faith in the Progressive Movement Report

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks about the FY 2014 budget resolution during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)

The Role of Faith in the Progressive Movement

Marta Cook and John Halpin examine the religious roots of progressivism.

Oct 8, 2010

Marta Cook, John Halpin

Faith Groups Fill the Gap in Caring for the Poor Article

Luther Nunn loads boxes of food onto his truck at Arkansas Foodbank Network's Little Rock, AR, warehouse to deliver to his church. America’s faith communities do a great deal of good through their kindness and charity, acting as a stopgap in times of emergency. (AP/Danny Johnston)

Faith Groups Fill the Gap in Caring for the Poor

Faith groups are reaching out with kindness and charity to help families struggling in their communities, write Marta Cook and Brian Thorn.

Sep 23, 2010

Marta Cook, Brian Thorn

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Article

A man checks his laptop before the afternoon session of the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly on July 8, 2010. At the assembly, representatives voted to voted to allow ordination of LGBT church leaders, extend benefits to same-sex partners of church staff, and increase education and awareness regarding HIV-AIDS. (Flickr/<a href=

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

The Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly meeting last week showcased the church’s steady movement toward LGBT rights, says Marta Cook.

Jul 13, 2010

Marta Cook

Faith and Family Equality Report

Martin Gill ties the shoelace of his six-year-old son in a park in North Miami on September 22, 2010. A Florida appeals court ruled last month that a state ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians was unconstitutional. (AP/Alan Diaz)

Faith and Family Equality

Sally Steenland, Nan Futrell, and Marta Cook examine the passage of an antigay adoption ballot initiative in Arkansas in 2008 and its implications for faith communities and advocates.

May 12, 2010

Sally Steenland, Nan Futrell, Marta Cook