By Executive Director J. Brent Walker The 2016 election season began in March when Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced his candidacy for president of the United States at Liberty University’s convocation in Lynchburg, Virginia.
BJC releases statement on RFRA legislation in Indiana and Arkansas
By Bob Allen The head of a Baptist group that specializes in religious liberty said today he does not support controversial bills pitting religious conservatives against supporters of gay marriage in Arkansas and Indiana. J. Brent Walker, executive director of…
BJC defends Muslim woman’s right to wear hijab to work
By Bob Allen In a closely watched case argued Feb. 25, a Baptist religious-liberty group urged the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a Muslim woman to wear a religious head-covering to work. The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a Washington-based…
BJC, others, oppose North Carolina voucher plan
By Bob Allen North Carolina’s new school voucher law, which allows families to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools, violates the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and…
Supporters say Muslim prisoner’s beard a win for religious liberty
By Bob Allen Religious liberty advocates said a U.S. Supreme Court decision Jan. 20 affirming a devout Muslim prisoner’s right to grow a beard for religious reasons is a win for the religious liberty of all Americans. The unanimous decision…
BJC lawyer examines church’s role in civil marriage
By Bob Allen A Baptist religious-liberty lawyer says recent debate over the definition of marriage reveals a long-overlooked mingling between church and state. Hollyn Hollman, general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, noted in a recent article…
Changes in marriage laws renew questions about role of the church
By General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman Even for astute observers, it is difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing legal developments concerning same-sex marriage. Legally, marriage is primarily a state law matter, but federal constitutional decisions and statutes also…
BJC supports workplace accommodation in Supreme Court brief
By Bob Allen The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty joined 12 other religious liberty and civil rights organizations in a U.S. Supreme Court brief filed Dec. 10 supporting a Muslim woman denied a job by clothing retailer Abercrombie &…
BJC program will equip young professionals for religious liberty advocacy
By Bob Allen Next year the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will launch a new advocacy program for young professionals, the Washington-based church-state watchdog group announced Dec. 8. The BJC Fellows Program is for people from diverse educational, professional…