Southern Baptists support the right of student organizations to maintain core religious beliefs as necessary for group membership and leadership. In 2013, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution that states, “We call on college administrators to respect the rights of students to freedom of association and stop requiring religious student groups to accept as members or select as …

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Download the coalition letter The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut taxes to the benefit of the American economy. However, a little-noticed provision in the legislation created a new policy to tax nonprofits—including houses of worship—for the first time in the history of the United States. A change this significant to the tax code affecting a part …

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Download the Child Welfare Coaltion Letter Southern Baptists affirm adoption as a central theological theme that provides practical application in our families and communities. We adopt because when we were most destitute, we ourselves were adopted into the family of God. A recent resolution of our Convention states, “In the gospel we have received the ‘Spirit of adoption’ …

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The opioid epidemic affects families, churches, and communities from all walks of life. Opioids alone account for two-thirds of all drug related deaths. On average, 115 people die every day from opioid overdoses. Given the median church size in America is 75 people, we’re losing roughly the equivalent of one-and-a-half churches every day to death from opioid use. Like …

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Religious institutions play an essential role in contributing to the diversity of higher education options. A wide array of options adds crucial value for students considering educational opportunities. Faith-based institutions contribute to the diversity of academic options. Christian institutions of higher education ought to have the same access to generally available benefits as secular institutions. As stated in the …

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Executive Order 13798, “Promoting Free Speech And Religious Liberty,” directs the U.S. Department of Justice to “issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in Federal law” in order to “guide all agencies in complying with relevant Federal law.” The following letter lays out the ERLC’s religious liberty priorities in two ways. First, we highlight several specific agency policy issues where …

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Southern Baptists affirm that every human is created in the image of God. As stated in a 2015 resolution of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Bible “clearly and consistently affirms that human life is formed by God in His image and is therefore worthy of honor and dignity.” Further, the Convention’s Baptist Faith & Message affirms that “children, …

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Southern Baptists are committed to the religious freedom of all people. In 2011, the Southern Baptist Convention re-stated that, “religious liberty is an inalienable human right, rooted in the image of God, and possessed by all human beings.” When individuals are persecuted for their belief in Christ, Southern Baptists exemplify the life of Jesus by praying and advocating for …

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