A Baptist Witness for Justice and Religious Freedom.
Since 1936, BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) has brought our uniquely Baptist perspective — that every person stands free before God, without compulsion from church or state — to our work protecting religious freedom for everyone. Through our local groups we stand with the people where they are, in their communities. Through our policy and legal work, we advance religious freedom in legislatures and courts nationwide. Through our education work, we meet people where they are, providing resources and training to equip every generation to advance religious freedom for all.
Our Mission
Rooted in a Baptist commitment to soul liberty, we are building a movement toward a just society that cultivates and expands religious freedom for all.
What is Religious Freedom?
Religious freedom is lived. And it depends on pluralism and civic participation to exist. In short, it is the ability of all people to believe or not believe in God, to express their faith as conscience and the rights of others dictates, and to stand free before God without being compelled or coerced, and without church or government standing between the individual and God. This has been the Baptist position going back to Thomas Helwys’ A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity published in 1612, and it has been the official position of the United States since the Founders themselves made the First Amendment the legal basis for religious freedom.”
Our Work
Because religious freedom is a civic condition — dependent on pluralism and sustained by collective action — we work with communities to ensure all people can participate fully in civic life without intimidation, deprivation, or state-imposed barriers. We advance policies that expand religious freedom in state legislatures and in Congress, and we defend that freedom in the courts.
From keeping our schools free from government-mandated religion, to protecting the pulpit from political capture, to organizing faith communities where religious freedom is most fragile — when religious freedom is at risk, we will be there together.
Our Work is Focused in Three Areas
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Organizing
We are empowering local communities to organize across churches, denominations and faith traditions. By coming together, we can build collaborative, justice-oriented communities that uphold the dignity of all people and champion a pluralistic society.
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Legal and Policy
Advocacy is how we take our values to the halls of power – school boards, state legislatures, congressional offices, executive agencies, and more. When the right to religious freedom has been violated, the law becomes our last recourse, and we file “friend-of-the-court” briefs at the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts.
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Education
The BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation broadens conversations on religious freedom by engaging leaders, students, and communities in deeper theological, historical, and civic reflection.
