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Religious Liberty Policy
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.
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.
Policy Center / Current Policies - Past Policies
Issues related to religious liberty
Select a policy and understand our position and actions.
Policy Center / Current Policies - Past Policies
What the ERLC is engaging in 2026
Policies of
Support Conscience Protections
Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Respond to the Decision in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections
Respond to the Decision in First Choice Women’s Resource Center v. Platkin
Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
Finish Repealing the Biden Administration’s Anti-Religious Liberty Regulatory Actions
Support Charitable Giving
Support the Equal Campus Access Act
Combat Global and Domestic Antisemitism
Combatting Persecution of Religious Minorities by the Chinese Communist Party
Advocate for a Strong Office of International Religious Freedom
Advocating for Persecuted Christians Around the Globe
Support the Religious Workforce Protection Act
Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
Support Conscience Protections
Finish Repealing the Biden Administration’s Anti-Religious Liberty Regulatory Actions
Support the Safeguarding Charity Act
Support Charitable Giving
Combat Global and Domestic Antisemitism
Combatting Persecution of Religious Minorities by the Chinese Communist Party
Advocate for a Strong Office of International Religious Freedom
Advocating for Persecuted Christians Around the Globe
Oppose the Equality Act
Finish Repealing 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 Charitable Giving
Advocating for Persecuted Christians Around the Globe
Support Conscience Protections
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.
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.
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.
Learn MoreRecent Advocacy Wins
Looking back on the ERLC’s recent advocacy work for Southern Baptists, 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.
ERLC supports Equal Campus Access Act of 2025
The Equal Campus Access Act of 2025 is a bill led by Senator Lankford...
Explainer: The Johnson Amendment and the IRS’s action preserving free speech for churches
On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reached an agreement with plaintiffs in...
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...
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...
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...
Explainer: 5 more federal regulations the ERLC is opposing
Part three
This article is part three of a three part series:Part 1Part 2 Over the...
Withdrawn rules changes strengthen religious liberty, show importance of speaking out, ERLC says
Baptist Press
NASHVILLE (BP) — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and partners are celebrating the...