Religious freedom is a pillar of American life, written into the U.S. Constitution and spelled out in the first 16 words of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” As bold as those words are, however, it’s not always obvious how to apply them in our modern society.

Does a woman have the right to wear a religious headscarf at work? Is a bakery owner justified in refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple? Can there be prayer in schools? Christian monuments on government property? Partisan campaigning in houses of worship? These are the kinds of questions BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) grapples with.

We file briefs in pivotal Supreme Court cases, advocate for and against legislation, testify in Congress and unite with others across faiths to ensure that all Americans have, and will always have, the right to follow their spiritual beliefs.