Steve McFarland

Steve McFarland is the former vice-president and chief legal officer of World Vision, Inc., a Christian international relief, development, and advocacy ministry serving vulnerable children worldwide. He has been practicing law for over 40 years in both private practice and public service and specializes in the defense of religious freedom. He worked as the director of the Center For Law & Religious Freedom of Christian Legal Society for the first time from 1991 through 1999. While at CLS, he was one of the leaders of a coalition that drafted and passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, considered two of the greatest religious freedom laws in American history; oversaw the filing of amici curiae briefs in 18 cases on appeal; and advised in numerous religious freedom cases. He departed CLS after being appointed as the first executive director of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. He also spearheaded the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative in the U.S. Department of Justice. Steve developed programs for prisoners abroad as a vice-president of Prison Fellowship International. He now returns to Christian Legal Society at his previous position as the director of the Center for Law & Religious Freedom.

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