Keeping Church & State Separate
The Baptist Joint Committee is the only faith-based agency devoted solely to religious liberty and the institutional separation of church and state. Since 1936, the BJC has continuously provided reliable leadership on church-state issues as it leads coalitions of groups striving to protect both the free exercise of religion and to defend against its establishment by government. Read more.
Why Religious Liberty?
Baptists value religious freedom and separation of church and state because we suffered the hard lessons of history. The Baptist commitment to religious liberty is centered on our freedom to worship without efforts by the government to advance or restrain religion. God has made us all free – free to say yes, free to say no, and free to make up our own minds about our spiritual destiny. The BJC believes that a threat to anyone’s religious liberty is a threat to everyone‘s liberty. Read more
Why church-state separation?
The separation of church and state is a shorthand metaphor for expressing a deeper truth: religious liberty is best protected when church and state are institutionally separated and neither tries to perform or interfere with the mission and work of the other. It does not require a “segregation” of religion from public life, but it serves both religion clauses in the First Amendment, insisting upon no establishment of religion and ensuring the free exercise of religion. Read more
ICE Ordered to Stop Pressing Iraqi Religious Minorities Into Deportation Agreement
A judge has ordered ICE to stop coercive tactics designed to pressure Iraqi detainees facing religious persecution at home into agreeing to deportation.
Report Identifies 139 Bills Across the Country Related to Religious Liberty
A new detailed report identifies and catalogues state legislation across the country related to religious liberty as part of a 6-month investigative study.
Study: Assault, Harassment, Denial of Services Plague Many Religious Communities in NYC
In a new study, one in ten NYC residents reported being the victim of physical attacks while wearing religious garb. An astonishing one in five reported being shoved while standing on subway platforms. Most incidents go unreported.
New Executive Order undercuts key protections
For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump used the National Day of Prayer to unveil an Executive Order purporting to protect religious liberty that threatens to do the opposite.
Religious liberty and the travel ban
BJC General Counsel Holly Hollman looks at the “travel ban” case heard by SCOTUS and its possible ruling implications.
Baptists and Muslims change the conversation at national dialogue
Baptists and Muslims from across the country met int he middle to build bridges and foster new understanding.
