Gonzales Launches Religious Liberty Initiative

By Jill Martin - Feb 27, 2007 - comment

Gonzolas, Page, Land

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales visits with Frank Page and Richard Land during his visit to the SBC in Nashville, TN.

“Why should it be permissible for an employee standing around the water cooler to declare that ‘Tiger Woods is God,’ but a firing offense for him to say ‘Jesus is Lord’?” asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales during his Feb. 20 appearance before Southern Baptist leaders.

Gonzales unveiled the First Freedom Project, a Department of Justice initiative with the goal of educating Americans about their religious liberties. The attorney general reviewed the justice department’s efforts to protect Americans’ freedom of religious expression during an afternoon session of the SBC Executive Committee’s meetings.

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, applauded Gonzales’ announcement, saying it shows “both the importance of the issue and the commitment of the justice department at the highest levels to defend every individual American’s religious freedom rights, particularly their free exercise rights, which are too often infringed.”

With the public announcement of the new measure, the Department of Justice is creating a department-wide Religious Freedom Task Force. The task force will examine DOJ policies impacting religious liberty, coordinate religious liberty cases, and improve community outreach.

Regional training seminars, one of the aspects of the initiative, will begin in Kansas City, Mo., March 29. Other events are planned for Tampa, Fla., and Seattle, Wash. The seminars are intended to educate community leaders and other interested citizens about the federal statutes that secure religious freedom and how citizens can file complaints if they feel their rights have been violated.

In addition, the department has launched a new Web site (firstfreedom.gov). Justice officials have also promised increased communication with religious organizations, civil rights groups and community leaders.

“This initiative is needed and should make a real difference,” Land said. “When individuals find themselves in a confrontation concerning their free exercise rights, it helps to have the attorney general and the Department of Justice on your side.”

For more information about the First Freedom Project, contact the Special Counsel for Religious Discrimination , Eric W. Treene, at 202-353-8622 or send an e-mail to .

Further Learning

Learn more about: Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, Church and State, National, Religious Liberty

Post a Comment




Notify me of follow-up comments?

Before You Submit Your Comment (below), Read This:

Thank you for your interest in the ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (SBC).

Comments are moderated to preserve the family-oriented nature of this website and in an attempt to avoid comment spam. We welcome opposing viewpoints, and we will not turn comments away as long as your views are presented with respect to everyone.

Your comments will not appear immediately and are subject to editing or deletion. We will make every attempt to check new comments in a timely manner, though there will likely be delays on the weekends and around holidays.

Please follow the these guidelines to insure your comments will be posted:

  1. Use a real name, at least a real first name. We find folks are less-rude online when not hiding behind a screen-name.
  2. Name-calling and vulgar-language will not be tolerated. Zero-tolerance is our policy. We will not spend time editing profanity. If it contains foul language, your post will be deleted. Oh, and we decide what is and what is not vulgar.
  3. Comments must be on topic. General comments (compliments, complaints, and otherwise) are best delivered here or expressed on your own personal Web site.
  4. And please, do not type in ALL CAPS. It looks like you're screaming at people.

Additionally, within Baptist polity, please recognize that many issues and decisions are addressed at a local church level. SBC denominational (national) offices have no control and desire no control over the activities of a local church. This entity is not responsible for overseeing and insuring the ethical behavior of Southern Baptist pastors or church members. If your concern involves a legal civil or criminal matter, we suggest you contact the proper local officials.

Issues involving pastoral staff or other church members, local Baptist associations or state Baptist conventions are local issues. Therefore the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission cannot and should not address such issues. While we regret we are unable to assist you, we encourage you to seek a biblical resolution of the issue at the local church level. If your question or submission pertains to a matter covered in this text, it is likely we will not acknowledge your submission.

Other than that, we welcome you and hope to see thoughtful discussions at ERLC.com