Press Release  Religious Liberty

Russell Moore Spearheads Letter to Boehner, McConnell Urging Passage of First Amendment Defense Act

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 28, 2015 Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, led other religious leaders and educators in signing an open letter on the defense of religious liberty.

The letter, addressed to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urged the passage of the First Amendment Defense Act.

Regrettably, respect for religious belief and practice regarding the nature of marriage is not as secure today. Some are already calling for governmental discrimination against those who hold to their religiously informed belief that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman. This must not be allowed to happen.

The First Amendment Defense Act will help to ensure the protection of the core American value of religious freedom. The bill bars the federal government from taking any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.

Other signatories include:

Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Bishop Richard Malone, Chairman, Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Jerry A. Johnson, President and CEO, National Religious Broadcasters

Penny Nance, CEO & President, Concerned Women for America

A full copy of the letter can be found “here”:https://erlc.com/article/letter-to-leader-mcconnell-and-speaker-boehner.

The Southern Baptist Convention is Americas largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.8 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBCs ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C.

– END –

To request an interview with Russell Moore

contact Carrie Kintz at 202-547-0209

or by email at [email protected]

Visit our website at www.erlc.com

Follow us on Twitter at @ERLC



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