Crises of Conscience: Working in the CIA, the Air Force, and the National Association of Evangelicals

Navigating office politics can be perilous under the best of circumstances. But for people whose moral principles put them at odds with their employer and colleagues, the burdens can be especially great. Three Open Society Fellows came together for a recent discussion about their experiences working for many years inside large organizations with which they often had profound disagreements of conscience.

Now that they have left their respective institutions—the U.S. Air Force, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the Central Intelligence Agency—the panelists can speak with candor about their lives as outsiders within. What were the emotional and professional stresses they encountered every day on the job? How free did they feel to share their concerns with colleagues? And how did they negotiate the difficult transition to life on the outside?

Watch the event above.