Written by Don Byrd
Today is Giving Tuesday (#GivingTuesday), a day reserved for giving back to those organizations and causes you truly care about. I am using the blog space today to tell my story – why I support the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and I encourage everyone to share your own story with friends and family through Facebook, Twitter, or wherever else you socialize.
For those of you who don’t know, I became aware of the great work of the Baptist Joint Committee many years ago when my brother began a summer internship there. Like only he can, Kenny made a passionate believer out of me — in the importance of religious liberty for the church, in the astounding heritage of Baptists in arguing for a separation between church and state, and in the valuable work the BJC does every day spreading this message from the halls of Congress and the Supreme Court and out across the country. I’ve watched, learned from, and supported the Baptist Joint Committee ever since.
As a person of faith, supporting the cause of religious liberty and the separation of church and state can be a difficult spot. If you watch major news coverage of church-state issues, you might think people like us – Christians who believe in the separation of church and state – don’t even exist! Most media seems to prefer a culture war narrative that pits Christians against atheists rather than tell a richer, more accurate story about the interaction between religious liberty and religion.
But we do exist! People of faith care deeply about the separation of church and state, and should. So it’s up to people like us, working together with organizations like the BJC to be that voice and make that case. The separation of church and state is good for religion. It’s an expression of Christian faith, not a denial of it. But that story won’t tell itself.
So I’m asking you to give – don’t give in – whenever you see such great need for a voice of reason, sanity, and faith on the issue of religious liberty and church-state separation. And you might as well start today – #GivingTuesday. Giving might be financial support, for sure, and it does take money to compete with those working so hard to tear down the wall of separation. But you can give in other ways too – specifically by making the case, spreading the word. After all, religious liberty can’t defend itself. The BJC is here for all of us to make sure we have the tools and the information and a voice in Washington. Let’s make sure today they know we are here for them too.
Take a moment today to tell someone why religious liberty for all and the work of the BJC matter to you. And, if you are on social media, tell the world using the hashtag #GivingTuesday. Today is a day to share with others causes that are important to you, and I can think of none better than the BJC’s work to defend and extend religious liberty for all people.
