[2][3] In his position with the NAE, Cizik's primary responsibilities were setting the organisation's policy on issues and lobbying the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
"[17][18] (The 2001 document, For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility, includes a section on "protect[ing] God's creation" but does not mention climate change.
[19]) In January 2007, Cizik and Eric Chivian co-hosted the launch of a collaboration between scientists and Evangelicals, presenting it as a joint project of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment and the NAE.
"[23] In March 2007, James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family, and 24 other evangelical leaders signed a letter asking "the NAE board to ensure that Mr. Cizik faithfully represents the policies and commitments of the organization, including its defense of traditional values," and suggesting that Cizik resign "if he cannot be trusted to articulate the views of American evangelicals on environmental issues.
[citation needed] Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention noted, "I didn't feel that it was the most productive, most redemptive way to address the problem," and Leith Anderson, NAE president, stated that his mail was "overwhelmingly supportive of Rich."
"[15] In January 2010, Cizik launched the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good together with David P. Gushee, professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, and Steve Martin, a pastor and documentary filmmaker.
[26] In 2010, Cizik helped create and serves as co-chair of "The Casablanca Institute" to foster interfaith dialogue, build relationships between Evangelical Christians and Muslim leaders, and to seek common ground on the major issues facing both religious constituencies and the planet.
Cizik served as Co-chair along with R. Scott Appleby, Ph.D., professor of Political Science and Muslim fundamentalism scholar at Notre Dame, of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Project entitled "Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative of U.S. Foreign Policy.
The two-year project brought together 20 top government officials, diplomats, defense-policy experts, and religious leaders to examine recent foreign-policy history of the U.S. in the Muslim world and make recommendations for future engagement.
[28] In 2012, Rich Cizik became the Chief Spokesperson for the Good Steward Campaign, an ecumenically Christian environmental organization working on college campuses to inform and engage students in conversations about climate change, stewardship, creation care, and fossil fuel divestment.
[30] Cizik supported the passage of Proposition 8 and recently signed his name to a full-page ad in The New York Times' accusing the gay population of "anti-religious bigotry", especially against Mormons, and "trying to start a religious war.
"[4] In response, a gay rights group placed another full-page advertisement in The Salt Lake Tribune titled "Lies in the name of the Lord" and featuring Pinocchio carrying a whitewashed "Cizik Version" of the Bible.
[4] Cizik made a statement on the National Public Radio program "Fresh Air" in December 2008 in which he said that he supports same-sex civil unions and is “shifting” on gay marriage.
[14] David Brody, Christian Broadcasting Network correspondent, commented on the divided reaction by saying that "At the end of the day, evangelicals are not going to budge on the life and marriage issues.
[33] In 2010, he was named to a list of "Fifty Evangelical Leaders Who Shaped a Generation: The Renegade," by Roof Top Blog, WordPress and appeared in the acclaimed documentary on nuclear arms, directed by Lucy Walker and distributed by Participant Media, entitled "Countdown To Zero."
The University's Provost stated that "Richard Cizik, an alumnus from the class of 1973, is a pastor, writer, environmentalist, thinker, and activist...For his commitment to truth and to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, to the health of our planet and the well-being of humanity, and in recognition of his strength of purpose and his courage in speaking out on crucial issues as a thoughtful and fully committed man of God, I am proud to represent Whitworth University as we confer upon Richard Cizik this degree of doctor of humane letters, honoris causa."