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
Rueful Federal Judge Rules City Park Cross in Florida Unconstitutional
A federal court in Florida ruled unconstitutional a large cross in a city park, but the judge was not happy about it.
Texas, Florida Governors Sign Legislation; Read About Your State
Governors in Florida and Texas signed bills into law related to religious liberty. See what is happening in your state.
EEOC Announces Settlement of Florida Workplace Religious Discrimination Suit
A hospitality staffing company in Florida agreed to pay a Rastafarian man $30,000 in damages and implement new policies after demanding he cut his dreadlocks to keep his job.
‘No’ to all religious tests
In his statements both during and after the hearing, Sen. Sanders seems to conflate Vought’s religious exclusivism with political exclusivism.
Reflections: Reality over rhetoric
Some continue to blur the lines between being generally “political” – which is permitted – and taking a partisan position for or against a candidate’s campaign for office – which is not.
Hollman Report: Church, state and scrap tires: What’s at stake?
To understand what is truly at stake and to avoid the trap of hysteria in the Trinity Lutheran Church case, it helps to know a little history.
