A statewide coalition of diverse organizations and Texans across the state successfully empowered Texas families to defend the religious freedom of millions of Texas public school students from Senate Bill 11, the state-organized prayer in school law.

"In Minneapolis and across the country, the threats to the religious freedom of all people are not the people standing up for and participating in civic life but the people who wield state power in a manner that undermines it."

“We believe in the value of religious instruction,” reads the letter. “We also understand that the responsibility for religious instruction lies with students, their families, and their local faith communities—not with public schools, and not organized or directed by the state”

"BJC strongly supports the members of congress who reaffirmed their commitment to the Johnson Amendment, the federal law that protects houses of worship and other 501(c)(3) organizations from the corrosive effects of partisan campaigning."

During its 2025 meeting in Washington, D.C., the BJC Board of Directors elected the Rev. Dr. Philip Thompson to serve as chair, the Rev. Dr. Christopher The to serve as vice chair, the Rev. Dr. Elijah Zehyoue to serve as secretary, and Sofi Hersher Andorsky to serve as treasurer.

"President Trump’s speech was not about religious liberty; it was about perpetuating Christian nationalism," said BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler. "When political leaders suggest that religion is the government’s to promote, they threaten the very freedom they claim to defend."

“This is a heartbreaking reminder that our sacred spaces must be safe spaces.”

A dynamic group of young professionals are preparing themselves for a lifetime of advocacy at the BJC Fellows Seminar. BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) is proud to announce the 2025 class of BJC Fellows — 14 emerging community leaders committed to protecting faith freedom for all and challenging harmful myths about religious freedom in their own communities.