Policy / Religious Liberty

Religious Liberty Policy

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Protect a free church in a free state 

“God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate.”

In this way, the Baptist Faith & Message summarizes the biblical teaching on religious liberty and freedom of conscience, a Baptist distinctive. The ERLC will continue this legacy in our moral education and in our advocacy—a legacy of religious freedom for all people. Recent years have seen simultaneous gains for religious freedom in the courts and threats from administrative and legislative action. Here are issues of particular concern.

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Policy Center / Current Policies - Past Policies

What the ERLC is engaging in 2025

Policies of

 
Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
Support Conscience Protection Act
Repeal the Biden Administration’s Anti-Religious Liberty Regulatory Actions
Support the Safeguarding Charity Act
Support a Universal Charitable Deduction to Encourage Giving to Charities
Combat Global and Domestic Antisemitism
Combatting Persecution of Religious Minorities by the Chinese Communist Party
Advocate for a Strong Office of International Religious Freedom
Support the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern
Oppose the Equality Act
Repeal the Biden Administration’s Anti-Religious Liberty Regulatory Actions
Combatting Persecution of Religious Minorities by the Chinese Communist Party
Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Support the Safeguarding Charity Act
Advocate for a Strong Office of International Religious Freedom
Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
Support a Universal Charitable Deduction to Encourage Giving to Charities
Support the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern
Support Conscience Protection Act
Combat Global and Domestic Antisemitism

How to use this policy center

Use the menu to select an issue from the annual policy agenda that outlines the core public policy priorities for this Commission over the next year. Within each issue, learn more through explainers, ERLC and SBC actions, white papers, and related resources. View past annual policy agendas.

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Essay

Southern Baptists and religious liberty

Religious freedom is a foundational principle that promotes authentic human flourishing and helps enable the free advance of the gospel. 

REad the essay

Southern Baptists and religious liberty

Other policy topics we engage

Our work is rooted in the truths of Scripture and can be categorized in four main areas: life, religious liberty, marriage and family, and human dignity.

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Life

The ERLC promotes a culture of life that sees immeasurable value in every person, from conception to natural death, because all individuals are created in God's image.

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Marriage & Family

We desire to see policies enacted that allow men, women, and children to flourish according to God’s good design for sexuality and family.

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Human Dignity

True human dignity, rooted in the imago Dei, motivates the ERLC to stand for the displaced, the trafficked, the preyed upon, and the persecuted—wherever they might be.

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Recent Advocacy Wins

Looking back on the ERLC’s advocacy work for Southern Baptists in 2024, we stood at the forefront of critical social, moral, and policy issues facing our world, advocating for Southern Baptists’ biblical values in the public square.

Here are a few highlights in how we have protected a free church in a free state. 

USCIRF

Letter in support of the reauthorization of USCIRF

Letter sent to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on July 15, 2024

The ERLC as part of the IRF Roundtable’s Congressional Working Group has circulated and sent...

federal rules

Explainer: Biden administration finalizes extensive list of harmful federal rules

Part one

This article is part one of a three part series:Part 2Part 3 Over the...

advocacy for Southern Baptists in 2024

Explainer: The ERLC’s advocacy work for Southern Baptists in 2024

As we look back at the ERLC’s advocacy work for Southern Baptists in 2024,...

continuation of USCIRF

Letters in support of the continuation of USCIRF

Letters to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sent on March 20, 2024

The ERLC as part of the IRF Roundtable’s Congressional Working Group has sent letters asking the U.S....

Explainer: 5 harmful federal regulations the ERLC is pushing back against

Part two

This article is part two of a three part series:Part 1Part 3 Over the...

federal regulations

Explainer: 5 additional federal regulations the ERLC is pushing back against

Part three

This article is part three of a three part series:Part 1Part 2 Over the...