WASHINGTON, D.C., July 25, 2018—The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention will host an event Thursday morning from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT in conjunction with the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. The U.S. Department of State hosted the Ministerial to collaborate with government officials, religious leaders and civil society from around the world on the critical issue of religious freedom. The event will focus on international religious freedom in Southeast Asia.
The ERLC is co-hosting Thursday’s event, Lessons from Southeast Asia: State and Non-State Threats to Religious Freedom with the Religious Freedom Institute and Boat People SOS. The event will feature a wide range of experts from Malaysia, Vietnam and civil society with panel conversations on the role of religious registration systems in restricting religious freedom and on the rising threat of non-state actors in Southeast Asia. The event will also premier a short film produced by ERLC titled, Malaysia: A Fight for Freedom and Identity. The film will be available to view here following the screening.
Travis Wussow, ERLC Vice President of Public Policy and General Counsel, said of the events:
“This week is a call to persons of peace to join together to advance religious freedom for all. We look forward to Thursday’s discussion with the Religious Freedom Institute and Boat People SOS of the heroic work being done to advance religious freedom in Southeast Asia. As Christians, we believe religious liberty flows from God’s design for government to honor that the Lord alone is Lord of the conscience. We are encouraged how the State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom evidenced the work of Ambassador Brownback and his team of dedicated public servants to raise the profile of religious freedom as a foreign policy priority of the United States, and we look forward to continuing that conversation at Thursday’s event.”
Thursday’s event is open to the public and will take place in the U.S. Capitol building Senate Visitors Center, SVC 212-210. Those interested in attending can register here.