Richard Cizik was the Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and one of the most prominent Evangelical lobbyists in the United States. In his position with the NAE, Cizik's primary responsibilities were setting the organization's policy on issues and lobbying the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Cizik also served as NAE's national spokesman and edited a monthly magazine, NAE Washington Insight. Since 2003, Cizik has been active in a type of environmentalism he calls "creation care"; his stance on global warming has drawn both support and criticism from fellow Evangelicals.

In 2008, he and Nobel Prize winner Eric Chivian, as a team, were named one of the 100 most influential scientists and thinkers by Time. On December 11, 2008, Cizik gave his resignation from his position with NAE after a December 2 radio broadcast of NPR's Fresh Air in which he voiced support for same-sex civil unions. His comments and his resignation has generated both strong support and strong criticism within the evangelical Christian community.

Cizik graduated with a B.A. in political science from Whitworth College, received a M.A. in public affairs from the George Washington University School of Public & International Affairs, now called the Elliot School of International Affairs], and earned a Master of Divinity from Denver Seminary. In 2005, he was awarded the Ecclesiastical Degree of Doctor of Divinity, honoris causae, by The Methodist Episcopal Church USA.