It is perfectly clear when standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters from this beautiful Baptist world family that God’s great kingdom mission is global and it is spirit led. As Texas Baptists, our international participation, whether through mission trips or in Congress of Baptist leaders, provokes an overwhelming feeling of stewardship. We are stewards of a great family of God’s people. As US Baptists we are also stewards of a wealthy, free, expressive church. These gifts are not universal nor or they to be lavished only on ourselves; our gifts are to be used in stewardship for God’s great kingdom and His family worldwide.

At Wheaton College, during the recent Evangelical Consultation on Government, Foreign Assistance and the Kingdom of God ( see my column) a group of about 100 evangelical leaders were convened by Bread for the World and spent several days listening, talking and intentionally framing some important principles about the intersection of our Christian witness, the relationship of the church’s missional efforts and US foreign assistance.  Here are some excerpts of that discussion.  Discussion that will surely be revisited and reflected upon this week at the BWA Congress

• Christians in the United States and other northern and western countries are being changed as we listen to voices from the Global South and from multiple social locations in each country affected by interaction with western mission efforts and government policies.  In a spirit of humility we must always be open to new perspectives and corrections in our advocacy and service.
• Church leaders have significant educational responsibilities in instructing their communities about the realities of structural injustice, the need for government responses of sufficient scale to address these injustices, and both the possibilities and the limits of government foreign assistance.
• Christians must always live what we advocate. We realize that Western and US Christians are now called to a journey of lifestyle change so that our buying, eating, spending, and investing, and so on all bend toward justice for the world’s poor. Our advocacy has as much credibility as our lives.
• The great growth of short-term mission projects among US Christians poses an educational and missional opportunity in this era. While legitimate criticisms can be offered of the actual benefits in proportion to costs of these mission efforts, with proper education and follow up these mission experiences can be used to expose an entire generation of Christians to the needs of the world’s poor and the complex challenges involved in addressing them well.
• Communication advances now enable the global Church to function more and more as one truly global Church. That church is already involved every day around the world in meeting the needs of the poor. Western Christians must be in ongoing and respectful dialogue and conversation with their Christian brothers and sisters in the Global South. This is important both for Christian community and for shaping and informing our missions and advocacy.
• We agree that Christian activity for and with the poor must remain an ongoing aspect of Christian discipleship no matter what governments do. We agree that even if church-related groups receive government funds to serve the poor we must never become subservient to government, and must be willing at any moment to refuse such funds if conscience requires it. However, we also agree that advocacy related to foreign assistance and other aspects of government policy is an appropriate expression of our Christian discipleship, and that partnerships with government are both possible and necessary under many circumstances.
• There are sound foreign policy reasons rooted in national interest for why our government should give generously to effective foreign assistance programs. These are widely recognized in the United States government and among foreign policy intellectuals. As Christian citizens we are grateful to God that the interests of the state and the interests of the kingdom of God in this case coalesce. We know that this is not always the case, and that as Christians we will need to continue to offer our witness and do our work regardless of what governments and states decide to do. But we can work toward shared ends with groups who do not share our worldview, whenever this is possible.

Would you like to join this discussion? Let us know at info@christianlifecommission.com. Your voice is needed because the worldwide conversation is growing.

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By Charlotte Bumbulis

“To Christians in America, buying something like a bag doesn’t feel like mission work, but to countless families, your purchase is their lifeline to a better future—a future filled with hope, healing, new possibilities, and the tangible love of Christ.”

On May 11, I returned home to Austin after spending two weeks in Phnom Penh and Battambang, Cambodia.  This was my first international trip, and one with a very specific purpose in mind.

Let me rewind and share the story of how this opportunity came to be.  Back in September 2009, when I was traveling around Texas networking with churches to market Good News Goods, I met Bryans Fitzhugh, Missions Minister of University Baptist Church in Fort Worth. There was an immediate connection between us because of Good News Goods’ partnership with our Fair Trade apparel producer, StopStart (Stop Human Trafficking.  Start a new life), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the church’s on-going relief and development work, and pastoral training in Battambang, Cambodia.   As we were meeting, we realized the overlap of our ministries and our common areas of interest, so Bryans invited me to accompany UBC on their 8th annual mission trip to Cambodia.   In the moment, I hesitantly said yes, but never thought that I would really be able to go, mostly due to financial reasons.  However, the church was very gracious and offered me a scholarship that made this dream trip a reality.   In addition to their typical trip itinerary, Bryans added a visit to the StopStart factory in Phnom Penh, so we could meet and interview some of the women workers whose stories I tell and bags I sell at churches throughout Texas.  So on April 28, I joined a group of people whom I barely knew or had never met, and began the 24 hour trip to Cambodia.  (You can read more about my trip from the Good News Goods blog, Good News Done.

When I stepped foot in Cambodia, the reality of the devastating poverty that engulfs that country was not an immediate shock to my senses, due to previous knowledge-based exposure.  However, the difference between reading about global poverty and actually encountering someone living in poverty is comparable to prescription glasses.   Without the proper prescription, one may be able to see the world around them, but not clearly, thus quickly becoming disoriented and overwhlemed.  However, as soon as you place the properly prescripted glasses in front of your eyes, the picture comes into sharp focus and you are suddenly aware of your surrounding reality.

Likewise, the vision I now have of Cambodia is no longer that of a distant statistic or a sad anecdote. Rather,it is a distinct smell from the busy marketplace, a feeling of intense compassion and love towards a gracious and needy people, a charming yet filthy little girl begging for her family, or a woman’s hands hard at work.  Specifically the hands of a woman I interviewed at StopStart—a woman who suffered abuse at the hands of her husband, who experienced healing through Hagar International’s Women’s shelter, who has been given a second chance through dignified, fair employment, and who’s hope for the future is to open her own small grocery store and earn enough money to provide for her children and have her mother come live with her .

Sadly, her story of abuse is not rare in Cambodia, or anywhere else around the world where women are not held in high regard, or viewed as children of God.   Currently, she is one of about 40 other workers at the StopStart factory, mostly women, who are vulnerable to or victims of physical abuse, exploitation of labor, homelessness, and/or human trafficking (mostly in the form of commercial sexual exploitation).   Because they are now employed by a Fair Trade business, the workers are provided a livable fair wage according to the economic context (about $20 US dollars more per month than other garment factory workers in the city), overtime pay, dignified treatment in the workplace, a safe and healthy working environment, free childcare, machine training, and language classes for the workers who cannot read and write in their native tongue.  Because StopStart is not only a fair trade business, but a Christ-minded business as well, the women and men workers may also participate in a weekly Bible Study.  It is the future goal of StopStart to maintain a sustainable, fair trade business in order to employ more workers and fill all ninety sewing machines.  In addition, StopStart plans to offer free English classes and computer classes to workers outside of their scheduled work hours, so that their skills can be expanded, and better future opportunities can be attained.

One of the interview questions I asked this particular woman was “What would you like to say to the people in the United States who buy your bags?”   She shyly responded by saying, “Thank you, and please continue to buy bags from StopStart so that I can keep working here.”    To Christians in America, buying something like a bag doesn’t feel like mission work, but to this woman and countless others, your purchase is her lifeline to a better future—a future filled with hope, healing, new possibilities, and the tangible love of Christ.

Through Hagar International’s social services and StopStart’s social business, the whole person is cared for and their hope is renewed, enabling them to care for themselves , their families, and their surrounding community.   A little hope goes a long way.  Good News Goods is proud to partner to missional, life-giving businesses like StopStart.

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The conference featured dynamic and thought provoking speakers, a look at timely issues and the opportunity to develop and deepen relationships. Thanks to the hard work of the Texas Baptist communications team, those of you unable to attend can now access video of the entire conference including follow-up interviews with the presenters. The theme of this conference was Neither Need nor Greed: Christian Stewardship of Money and Resources. From a look at the Biblical foundation for stewardship, to a prophetic word about the church in our economic times, to challenging public policies that hurt the poor and encouraging churches to provide personal financial literacy classes, the conference took a look at money and economics from many different angles.

To watch the presentations you should right click on the link and save to your computer to be watched in Quicktime. The interviews can be watched online via YouTube.

Theme Interpretations by Ellis Orozco
1 – http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Ellis_Orozco_Theme_Interp_1.mp4
2 – http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Ellis_Orozco_Theme_Interp_2.mp4
3 – http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Ellis_Orozco_Theme_Interp_3.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEPoEmEm8MQ

David Blankenhorn - “Confronting the Debt Culture: The New American Thrift”
http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-David_Blankenhorn.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZTaYJThFaA

Eloy Villafranca - “Money Smart–Never Too Late to Prosper”
http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Eloy_Villafanca.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW4lX1r3AQw

Stephen Reeves and Rob Kohler - “Better than Luck–Why the Lottery and Gambling are for Losers”
http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Stephen_Reeves.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8aS0Vcy0dE
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shSC_eR6QMk

Miguel de la Torre - “The Bible and Christian Economic Responsibility”
http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Miguel_de_la_Torre.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=451MJGDsxUE

Ann Baddour and Tim Morstad - “Predatory Lending and Credit Gone Bad”
http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Ann_Baddour.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj0bAhIY4Qw
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJgWeF-EVdg

Don Baylor – “The Bread of Life: Getting By and Getting Ahead in Texas”
http://www.bgct.org/documents/mp4/20100331-Don_Baylor.mp4
YouTube Interview – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmgdkqUSze4

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While politicians in Washington discuss legislation addressing climate change, a polarizing debate that generates hostility on both sides, the reality is that Texans support the expansion of renewable energy opportunities, regardless of their feelings on climate change. A poll conducted by Baselice & Associates, Inc. and released in April of 2009 shows:

• 85% of those polled believe Texas should increase the production and use of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power
• 79% of Texans support financial incentives, such as loans, subsidies and temporary tax reductions to recruit renewable energy businesses and associated jobs to Texas
• 61% agree that the state should require a certain percentage of the state’s electricity be generated from solar power
• 53% of those polled said they would support solar requirements even if it costs $2 -$3 more on their monthly electric bills

When considering measures to increase development of renewable energy, Christians should consider their effect on the poorest among us. Any policy changes that increase energy costs should be offset by funds to aid those struggling to pay their bills. The education and training necessary to fill new jobs created by a clean energy economy should be made readily available through scholarships and grant programs. Energy efficiency programs that can immediately reduce energy costs should begin where folks need the most help with bills and have the least resources to offset upfront investments. It is necessary for Texas to move our energy sector into the 21st century without an undue burden falling on the poor.

In 2010, Texas finds itself at a crucial decision point and at the center of an energy crossroads.  The state has been a leader and gained great power and wealth through the old, petroleum-based energy economy. Texas has similar potential to lead the nation in renewable energy production. Our state is located in the middle of the Eastern and Western Interconnections on the US power grid, but Texas has its own grid. This unique position means that Texas is not subject to the same federal regulations as the rest of the country. This gives the state more freedom to experiment with the interconnectivity of renewable energies than any other state. In 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Texas received $593 million for energy and weatherization programs and an addition $90 million for the Skills Development Fund which can be used toward green job skills training. Combine these factors with the possible passage of national climate change legislation and it is clear – now is the time to act.

Texas leads the nation in wind energy production. It does so not only because we have an ideal climate, but also because important policy decisions were made.  The state set a goal in 2005 produce 5,850 MW of renewable energy by 2015. With the support of state leadership we have already eclipsed that goal based on wind energy production alone. The state now has over 7, 116 MW of wind capacity and much more under construction.

While the success of wind energy is something all Texans can be proud of, we must not let that be our only success story. In order to further energy independence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create sustainable energy options and drive a new clean energy economy, we must continue to diversify our energy sources.  With the right investment and state support, Texas can have just as much success with solar energy as we have with wind.

It should come as no surprise to Texans that our state has the most solar radiation of any state in the country. What you may not know is that the state is also home to companies that manufacture the components necessary for solar energy production across the entire supply chain. From Wichita Falls, to Brownwood to Pasadena, Texans are already producing the tools necessary to harness our abundant sunshine and turn it into usable energy. Should the state choose to support solar energy the way wind has been supported, Texans stand to gain thousands of jobs while improving our environment.

Texas Christians are uniquely positioned to help encourage positive policy changes while keeping in mind the least of those among us. Through education and advocacy we can help make sure Texas remains a leader in energy in the 21st century. In the coming months, the Christian Life Commission will be educating folks not only about the Biblical call to care for God’s creation, but also about how a clean energy economy can benefit all Texans.

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By Jeremy Everett, Director, Texas Hunger Initiative

Recently, I sat down with a student who recounted a childhood riddled with hunger.  The student’s family would frequently punish her by refusing to feed her for days at a time.  One summer during high school, the student was given one bag of Ramen noodles for each day of the summer.  Unfortunately, these stories are becoming too common in our state.

Texas ranks first in childhood hunger in the United States.  We rank second in food security as a state, i.e., 1.4 million Texans are food insecure, which means they are unsure where they will get their next meal.  Last summer only 9 percent of eligible children participated in the state’s Summer Meals Program, which provides up to two meals a day for food-insecure children in Texas.  Half of eligible families do not receive SNAP funds, which would give families supplemental dollars to purchase fresh food.

Fortunately, organizations and individuals are coming together with the goal of Food Security in Texas by 2015.  That means that everyone in Texas will have access to three meals a day seven days a week.  The CLC and the Texas Hunger Initiative, along with a number of partners such as the USDA, Texas Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Impact, and the Texas Food Bank Network, held a Texas at the Table Hunger Summit at Baylor University in November with many Texas Baptists Hunger Advocates to launch the mission.  This is the first time as a state we have all come together to work alongside the hungry in our communities to make food security a reality.

12Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.”  13But He (Jesus) said to them, “You give them something to eat!” (Luke 9-12-13, NASB)

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For Christians and everyone else, money matters. Especially now, during a time of economic stress when unemployment remains high in the aftermath of a global financial crisis, we are understandably concerned with economic survival, debt, and how to best manage our resources. Yet money and finances are not just survival issues, but ethical issues as well. What we do with our money, especially when most of the world’s inhabitants have even less money than we do, is a focal point of Scripture. The Bible makes it clear that what we do with our money matters to God.

Under the theme, “Neither Need Nor Greed: Christian Stewardship of Money and Resources,” the 2010 statewide Christian Life Conference will offer practical and spiritual help for Christians regarding our use of the monetary and material resources which God has entrusted to us. As the following program listing details, very able leadership will offer wisdom, insight, and hands-on help regarding financial stewardship in the service of God’s kingdom and our own valid needs.

Conference registration is $45 ($10 for students).  All sessions will be held at Calvary Baptist Church, 1600 Harvey, McAllen.  Overnight accommodations are available at the Wingate by Wyndham, 1500 Wichita Avenue, adjacent to the airport.  Make reservations by calling (956) 632-2000.  Mention Christian Life Conference for special rates ($84, single or double).  Please make reservations by February 28 to secure the conference rate.  Other housing options are available on request by contacting:

Christian Life Commission
Baptist General Convention of Texas
333 N. Washington
Dallas, TX  75246-1798
(214) 828-5190

Conference Schedule

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Such safeguards are not only necessary to prevent a financial loss, but are also crucial for compelling moral reasons. No church wants be sued by a disgruntled former employee, uncover child abuse, or be the site of an accident. Church members deserve the reassurance that their leaders are good stewards of their tithe and trust.

The CLC has a resource that will help churches understand just what policies need to be in place and what practices should be followed.

Keeping Your Church Out of Court is a legal guidance manual for churches that focuses on prevention. The resource offers recommendations and suggestions on a wide variety of common legal issues affecting churches such as IRS compliance and employment law. It also includes 85 pages of practical guides, including church policy checklists, sample forms, and document templates. Newer churches will find KYCOOC particularly helpful in insuring that basic church structure and policies provide the best possible legal standing and protection. For well established churches, KYCOOC can serve as a reference for common legal questions that arise. After using this resource, churches will be educated and equipped to proactively confront many common, challenging legal issues.

The Christian Life Commission, in partnership with the law firm of Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C. of Ft. Worth, first published Keeping Your Church Out of Court in 1995 and released an updated third version in 2008. The third edition is available in computer disc form or in a printed binder by calling the CLC.  In addition to providing this resource, the CLC and Bourland, Wall and Wenzel, P.C., are available to conduct seminars or workshops to provide an overview of the material and answer any questions congregations may have. Any scheduled seminar or workshop dates will be noted in this E-newsletter.

Our society is becoming more and more litigious and it seems people are more likely to run to the courthouse or wield the threat of a lawsuit as a weapon. While we would like to think that churches are immune from such conflict, we know that’s just not the case. By practicing sound operating procedures and taking common-sense precautions, churches can avoid potentially crippling lawsuits. Get a copy of Keeping Your Church Out of Court and take the opportunity to institute positive changes in your church operation.

To order a copy of Keeping Your Church Out of Court, 3rd Edition please call the Christian Life Commission at 214-828-5190 or email alicia.enriquez@bgct.org.

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However, In Luke 4:18-20, Jesus begins his ministry by stating that he has been anointed to “proclaim good news to the poor… liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”   The prophet Micah also speaks to us of what the Lord requires, which is to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before the Lord your God.” If we claim to be followers of Christ then we cannot ignore these calls any longer.

There are hundreds of millions of people around the world who suffer horrible tragedies at the hands of greed and injustice, and I believe that we would respond if we saw their faces, encountered their stories, and understood the connection between our wealth and their deprivation. If we knew that approximately 27 million people are presently enslaved across the globe, we would respond.   If we knew that over 80% of the clothes and toys we buy, and over 95% of the shoes we buy are made by poor, exploited people in Latin America and Asia who work long hours and are paid very little to nothing for their work, we would respond.    If we knew that a large majority of chocolate corporations use forced labor on their cocoa farms, we would respond.    If we knew that the carpets we walk on are made by children who are taken from their homes in India, isolated, abused, and malnourished, we would respond.   If we knew that tens of thousands of women and young girls are forced or coerced into domestic and manual work, or the sex trade, we would respond.   Now you know.  How will you respond?

It is clear now that our everyday spending is just as much of a discipleship issue as our giving, and just as important in bringing about the Kingdom of God.   The poor of the world don’t want a hand-out, they want jobs.  They want a means to support themselves and their families, and they want a way to pull themselves up out of their situation.   It is less about charity and more about providing systems of justice that alleviate the cycles of poverty and its associated evils.   Choose to know who makes your clothes, shoes, toys, and carpets.   Choose to know where your food is coming from and how it was produced.  Choose to find out whether the people who made these products were exploited, abused, or forced in the process.   Choose to make a difference in their lives by supporting ethical businesses and buying fair trade when possible.  Choose to make Good News Goods a ministry in your church.

A Good News Goods purchase not only connects our daily spending choices to the abuses that the poorest of the poor suffer on our behalf, but it also provides a tangible means for us, the body of Christ, to engage in their suffering and offer them hope and holistic healing through fair wages, dignity of work, freedom from oppression, sustainable development, counseling, and medical care.   In this transaction, redemption is given to both the consumer and the producer.

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Truth is also an important concept in recovery. Unless a person can truly be honest about the reality of their life and choices then true recovery is not possible. Actually telling the truth can be very painful as one admits to short comings, poor choices and sinful deeds. Yet in the pain honesty, forgiveness and restoration can be found.

Step 5 in AA says, “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” As a therapist, I’ve worked with hundreds of people on this step and have gotten to be a part of the awesome transition from guilt to grace. For as a person is able to fully see the truth about their life and choices, repent, and experience forgiveness then one is free to walk with Christ in His grace.

Part of the struggle of Step 5 is to admit that wrong is wrong. The step is a time to agree with God about the exact nature of the wrong and the fact that the sinful part of ourself is focused on covering up the problem. Part of the freedom that comes in step 5 is admitting what we know deep down inside to be the truth.

One of the most difficult parts of step 5 is overcoming denial. It’s tough because by definition a person has trouble understanding that they are in fact lying to themselves. It’s a person of courage who can honestly ask God to reveal to them the truth. Yet by God’s nature, He already knows the truth and loves us unconditionally. So a part of the step is to trust that even in the ugly, shameful and sometimes heart breaking truth God is big enough, loving enough and faithful enough to always forgive when we are truly repentant.

The Bible says in John 8:32, “For you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” In the process of the telling of the truth, there is an internal peace that was lost years ago that is now found. The truth does lead each of us one step closer to recovery and to a life of freedom in His Grace.

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It is hard to argue that a dedication to religious liberty and freedom of conscience are not at the very heart of the Baptist expression of Christianity. These core beliefs are a consistent thread through our heritage as acknowledged by Baptist historians such as Buddy Shurden, William Estep and Leon McBeth. How that belief intersected and influenced the story of America is acknowledged by secular historians such as Edwin Gaustad and others. President Barack Obama has publicly stated his appreciation (pdf) for the role of Baptists in US history even citing John Leland by name. We should be concerned that our non-Baptist president knows our history, yet many Texas Baptists do not.

We didn’t spring up out of a vacuum and we can’t disregard the experience of past generations. Dr. Bill Pinson, former Executive Director of the BGCT, has recently written a wonderful, accessible book published by BaptistWay Press called Baptists and Religious Liberty: The Freedom Road, that compiles much of the history we should all know.

John Smyth and Thomas Helwys who in the early 1600’s were the first to speak out against the established church in England at great personal cost including imprisonment.  In our churches we should tell the story of Roger Williams who was exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, founded Rhode Island after purchasing the land from an Indian tribe, where he established the first Baptist church in America in 1638. It is Williams who first advocated for a “hedge or wall of separation between the Garden of the Church and the Wilderness of the world.” The names of John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes and John Crandall should be known to all Texas Baptist as men who in 1651 were jailed in Massachusetts for the crime of conducting an unlawful worship service – Holmes was then brutally whipped on the street in Boston.

When we celebrate our independence and the founding of our nation think back to Isaac Backus who in 1774 took his plea for religious liberty to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia and then to the delegates from Massachusetts arguing that tax dollars should not go to support the established Congregationalist church. Virginia Baptist Pastor John Leland was a vocal supporter of Thomas Jefferson and his effort to disestablish the Episcopal Church by passage of the “Virginia Statute Establishing Religious Freedom” in 1886. It was Leland who later met with James Madison and urged him to support an amendment to the newly ratified constitution that would guarantee religious liberty.

As Texans recall with pride that in 1920, George W. Truett pastor of First Baptist Dallas, stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, proclaimed religious liberty for all and recited this history praising our forbearers.

They dared to be odd, to stand alone, to refuse to conform, though it cost them suffering and even life itself. They dared to defy traditions and customs, and deliberately chose the day of non conformity, even though in many a case it meant a cross. They pleaded and suffered, they offered their protests and remonstrances and memorials, and, thank God, mighty statesmen were won to their contention. Washington and Jefferson and Madison and Patrick Henry, and many others, until at last it was written into our country’s Constitution that church and state must in this land be forever separate and free, that neither must ever trespass upon the distinctive functions of the other. It was pre-eminently a Baptist achievement.

We would also be wise to head the word of our fellow Baptist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who warned that “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool.”

Finally, we must give thanks and our support to modern day Baptists like J.M. Dawson, James Wood, James Dunn, Brent Walker, Melissa Rogers, and Holly Hollman who, through the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, have resolutely and vigilantly upheld the Baptist ideal of religious liberty and church state separation for over 70 years.

Our commitment to the separation of church and state is not only based on theology, but also on our experience as a persecuted religious minority. Such conviction should not be compromised now that we are part of the majority religious culture. Indeed to allow our government to favor any faith sets a potentially disastrous precedent should the day come when we are no longer in the majority.

While Baptists may disagree on individual cases or controversies we should agree that stepping back into the role of a religious minority would give us better insight to the type of protections we should seek for all faiths. The ability to walk a mile in another’s shoes is critical to upholding the basic rights granted under the Bill of Rights and the first amendment. As former justice Sandra Day O’Connor said so eloquently in McCreary County v. ACLU “we do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment.”

We must be careful not to be tempted by the “Christian Nation” rhetoric that is now so often espoused. Our history tells us better, we helped make sure that this nation was for all people, not founded for and operated only by Christians. We must be ready to strongly push back against those, armed with only a speck of truth, promote a distorted view of history.

Above all, remember that our commitment to religious liberty is grounded in the core of our faith. Our faith, in response to our interpretation of scripture, proclaims that God made us all free, responsible and competent to respond to the gospel as we feel led, voluntarily and individually any action by another that attempts to compel belief is worthless. As George Truett said in 1920 “God wants free worshipers and no other kind.”

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