21Wilberforce is pleased to announce that Pastor Bob Roberts, Jr. is the recipient of the 2023 Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award. We will honor this renowned bridge builder who has dedicated his life to promoting and advancing religious freedom, peacemaking and civic engagement at a dinner on Thursday, October 5th in the Great Hall at Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas. REGISTER HERE
This award has been presented annually since 2018 to honor those who embody Congressman Frank Wolf, who has worked tirelessly for decades to promote international religious freedom and who later served as Distinguished Senior Fellow at 21Wilberforce.
“How did a Baptist pastor’s kid from a small town in East Texas become a trailblazer in the areas of peacemaking and international religious freedom?” asks Heather Thompson Day in her Christianity Today “Viral Jesus” podcast. Pastor Bob Roberts, Jr. will share his story as our keynote speaker on October 5th.
Pastor Roberts is the founder of GlocalNet, a ministry dedicated to mobilizing the church to bring about transformation in the public square, co-founder of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), an organization committed to promoting religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships, and president of the Institute of Global Engagement (IGE) an organization that catalyzes freedom of faith worldwide so that everyone has the ability to live what they believe.
With decades of experience in peacemaking and international religious freedom, Pastor Roberts’ groundbreaking work has earned him respect and recognition from the United Nations, U.S. Department of State, World Economic Forum, ambassadors, international royal families, and policy leaders worldwide. His impressive contributions were honored by The White House in 2022 when he and the MFNN co-founders received the Uniter Award for their inspiring grassroots bridge-building work across faith groups throughout the U.S.
For over 30 years, Roberts led Northwood Church near Dallas, Texas where is now the Founding Global Pastor. He is also a prolific author of six books and the host of the Bold Love podcast, where he shares stories of his journey and encouraging people to boldly love their neighbors.
Bob holds a Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a BA from Baylor University.