Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) is a faith-based education and advocacy organization devoted to the protection of faith freedom for all people. From its headquarters on Capitol Hill, BJC has worked for more than eight decades in support of the Constitution and other laws that protect religious freedom for all.
We take seriously the teaching of Jesus to let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no” (Matthew 5:37). At this time of crisis for our country — when the value of truth itself is in serious jeopardy — we are compelled to speak the truth as a sign of our love for God and our love for our neighbors. …
By BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler
Happy New Year! I’ve waited months to say those words to you!
Thank you for giving generously at the end of the year. Your continuing support not only propels our work into this new year, but it also provides a tangible expression of your commitment to and investment in promoting our shared values of protecting everyone’s faith freedom. And if you missed giving at year-end or want to make a gift to launch us into this year, please give online now.
As we embark hopefully into 2021 and consider our work in the context of a new Congress, Administration and Supreme Court, I want to share our plans with you. The year 2020 taught us that we can’t guess what this year might hold, though we know we are still faced with many of the same challenges — a global pandemic, systemic racism, deep polarization and divisions in American society. We have our work cut out for us, and we at BJC are ready to do our part! …
By BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler
I was appalled when I learned about the violence that took place this weekend in Washington, just blocks from my family’s apartment. Groups of protesters, many of them associated with the “Proud Boys” movement, violently ripped “Black Lives Matter” signs off historic churches in downtown Washington, D.C.
The banner of Asbury United Methodist Church was burned while onlookers laughed, hollered and took videos. The Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills, senior pastor of the church, said, “For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings.” In 2020. Blocks from the White House.
The Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan AME, wrote for the Washington Post, “The mythology that motivated the perpetrators on Saturday night was the underbelly of the American narrative — that White men can employ violence to take what they want and do what they want and call that criminality justice, freedom and liberty.” …
By BJC Associate General Counsel Jennifer Hawks
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 512 (H.Res. 512), which calls for the repeal of blasphemy and apostasy laws globally. BJC worked with the American Humanist Association and more than six dozen religious and nontheistic organizations from across the political spectrum to educate the representatives on the harms of blasphemy and apostasy laws and urge passage of the common sense resolution. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, provided extraordinary leadership in the House to keep this resolution moving from introduction to final passage.
More than one-third of the world’s countries have laws on the books that punish speech or actions denigrating religion (blasphemy) or one’s decision to change religions (apostasy). These blasphemy and apostasy laws strike at the most fundamental human right: the ability for each individual to decide whether to be religious and, if so, what that religion will be. …
Chaplain (Colonel) Geoff Bailey enlisted in the Army in 1991 and became a chaplain in 2001. He is endorsed to serve by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and he is currently a student at the U.S. Army War College. In honor of Veterans Day, we asked him to share about his experiences serving our country.
How do you care for those who practice a faith different from your own?
This is one of the great joys and responsibilities of serving as an Army Chaplain. We are charged with coordinating or providing religious support for all Service Members, Department of Defense Civilians, and their Family Members while faithfully representing our own respective religious organization. …
On Indigenous Peoples Day, let’s uproot white supremacist myths and tell the truth about our history
By BJC Director of Education Charles Watson Jr.
Monday, October 12, marks Indigenous Peoples Day, a celebration of indigenous life, culture and identity. The federal government recognizes the holiday on the second Monday of October as Columbus Day, but 14 states and more than 130 cities celebrate it as Indigenous Peoples Day, either in addition to or in place of Columbus Day.
This holiday was originally proposed in 1977 as an International Day of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, after a global gathering of indigenous nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Media commentators often talk about Indigenous Peoples Day as a mere replacement for Columbus Day. In reality, the shift away from celebrating Columbus and towards celebrating indigenous people represents something much more significant. …
By Melissa Rogers and Amanda Tyler
Few religious liberty measures have passed Congress by unanimous consent, been vigorously enforced and enthusiastically lauded by administrations of both political parties, and resulted in unanimous Supreme Court rulings. The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) is one of those measures, and it turns 20 years old on September 22. …
By BJC Advocacy and Outreach Manager Jaziah Masters
Today marks Constitution Day, the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787. We at BJC celebrate this day as an important reminder of our nation’s constitutional promises, as well as the work we must do to ensure that all people can enjoy the “blessings of liberty” promised in our nation’s founding charter.
To protect our constitutional rights, we must first understand and appreciate these rights, including our Constitution’s promise of religious freedom for all. That’s why, in my position as advocacy and outreach manager, I work to educate, engage and empower BJC’s supporters to defend our rights. …
By BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler
I believe we will look back on the summer of 2020 as a pivotal turning point for our country and for our protection of faith freedom for all. Labor Day weekend — the unofficial end of summer — provides an opportunity to review and reflect on this season like no other.
Here’s what I will remember:
Global uprisings against racism and white supremacy urge change in the culture at large, including in religious life. The civil rights movement of our time started on Memorial Day weekend, and it continues in the streets of our country and around the world. Never in my lifetime have we seen this kind of sustained, national attention on the racist systems that persist as a lasting impact of our country’s original sin of slavery. Grief and trauma have been laid bare in the streets after the police killings of so many Black people, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the shooting of Jacob Blake. Institutions and individuals are grappling with their own complicity with racial injustice and white supremacy. I reflected on my personal work to do, as well as the current work of BJC to learn our past, to listen to the experiences of others, and to take actions of reparation. As part of our ongoing work, BJC hosted a national conversation on white supremacy and American Christianity on June 26 with Robert P. …
By BJC Director of Education Charles Watson Jr.
Each day, Christians in the United States decide if and how we will get involved in politics. As uprisings against racism sweep the globe, many of us are joining marches, rallies and protests. Others are speaking at city council meetings, gathering signatures on petitions, voting and lobbying our representatives for change. Some of us may even decide to run for office ourselves.
In our country, Christians have the right (and the responsibility) to engage productively in the public square. …
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