Policy / Religious Liberty

Religious Liberty Policy

religious liberty
religious liberty

 “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. Moreover, our Baptist ancestors in the U.S. were instrumental in the crafting and adoption of the First Amendment to our Constitution, which guarantees free exercise of religion for all and forbids the establishment of a state-driven religion. The ERLC will continue this legacy in our moral education and in our advocacy—a legacy of religious freedom for all people, not just for those who share our beliefs. 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 in 2024.

religious liberty
religious liberty

Policy Center /

What the ERLC is engaging in 2024

Oppose the Equality Act
Oppose the Biden Administration’s Anti-Religious Liberty Regulatory Actions
Support the Uyghur Policy Act
Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Support the Safeguarding Charity Act
Support protections for international religious freedom
Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
Support a Two-year Universal Charitable Deduction to Encourage Giving to Charities
Support Nigeria CPC Designation
Support Conscience Protection Act
Combat Global 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.

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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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