The passing of Russell M. Nelson at 101 marks the loss of one of America’s most consequential religious leaders — not merely for the 17 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he led, but for all who cherish religious freedom, civil dialogue, and the possibility of unity across profound differences.
Neither of us are members of President Nelson’s Church. But over the last decade of working beside its members on some of our most contentious national issues, we have come to deeply appreciate a commitment to the common good that President Nelson’s life exemplified.
President Nelson’s fierce commitment to protecting religious liberty safeguarded the rights of millions who would never share his faith — including those who disagreed with his church’s teachings. In an era of increasing polarization and religious intolerance, Nelson emerged as a champion of pluralism, demonstrating that defending others’ freedom to believe differently is the highest expression of faith in democracy itself.
His voice carried special weight during in our highly polarized age. Where many leaders retreated into tribal camps, Nelson built bridges. His landmark collaboration with the NAACP modeled something America desperately needs: the ability to find common cause in spite of differences. “We don’t have to be alike or look alike to have love for each other,” he told the NAACP’s 2019 convention. “We don’t even have to agree with each other to love each other.” This wasn’t mere rhetoric. Under Nelson’s leadership, the Church collaborated with the NAACP on educational initiatives and humanitarian projects.
Nelson’s commitment to religious liberty extended far beyond protecting his own members. He understood that in America’s constitutional framework, the freedom of one faith community is inextricably linked to the freedom of all. When he advocated for religious expression in the public square, he was defending the rights of Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, atheists, and yes, progressive Christians who disagreed with many LDS positions. His vision recognized that a society that marginalizes any faith tradition eventually threatens them all. In our experience, no religious body in America has expended more energy to protect the free exercise of religion for all — and taken less public credit — than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In his last published essay, written for Time magazine just weeks before his death, Nelson offered what might serve as his epitaph: “A century of experience has taught me this with certainty: anger never persuades, hostility never heals, and contention never leads to lasting solutions.” These weren’t the words of someone who avoided conflict by refusing to take stands. Nelson held firmly to traditional positions on marriage, family, and morality that put him at odds with prevailing cultural trends. Yet he insisted these differences be navigated with “mutual respect and dignified dialogue.” His leadership, and his confidence, gave U.S. senators working on both sides of the aisle the inspiration in 2022 to pass The Respect for Marriage Act, the greatest expansion of religious freedom in the last thirty years, while simultaneously articulating a federalist approach to the freedom to marry.
As America faces an uncertain future, with religious liberty under pressure from both left-wing secularist overreach and right-wing “post-liberalism,” Nelson’s legacy offers a third way - the American way - robust pluralism rooted in mutual respect. He showed us that defending religious freedom doesn’t require demonizing opponents, that maintaining traditional beliefs doesn’t necessitate cruelty toward those who live differently, and that genuine faith expresses itself not in forced conformity but in voluntary devotion.
America owes Russell M. Nelson a debt for modeling what American pluralism at its best can achieve: not a weak consensus that papers over differences, but a strong framework that allows profound disagreements to coexist within bonds of citizenship and shared humanity. In our fractured moment, we need more leaders who, like Nelson, hold fast to their convictions while extending genuine love across the divide.
Tyler Deaton is Senior Advisor to American Unity Fund. Tim Schultz is President of 1st Amendment Partnership. They co-chair a coalition advancing fairness for all policies.
