As the echoes of Fourth of July fireworks fade and we turn our attention to the week ahead, Southern Baptists also will take a moment to celebrate a key freedom that Americans have long enjoyed and that Baptists have continually sought to defend.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) 2025 calendar commemorates July 6 as Religious Liberty Sunday, a day on which we can celebrate religious liberty victories and pray for those not yet won.

The SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has consistently advocated to protect our first freedom, religious liberty, not just for Southern Baptists, but for all people, at home and abroad. Baptists have long held that an individual cannot be coerced into accepting the truth of the gospel and have emphasized the importance of religious liberty, both for the protection of Christians and for the continuing advancement of the gospel.

The ERLC’s president, Brent Leatherwood, shared his dedication to the advancement of religious liberty and his admiration for those who paved the way for the freedoms we hold today. 

“At the heart of American exceptionalism is the principle of religious liberty,” Leatherwood said. “This first freedom has a unique Baptist history behind it, one that should be celebrated with gratitude. Setting aside a Sunday each year and recognizing, once more, the right of individuals to live out their deeply-held convictions free from government coercion is but one way Southern Baptists contribute to this important legacy. At the same time, we shouldn’t miss how, throughout the year, the act of boldly and freely sharing the Gospel with those around us represents a powerful, daily affirmation of this fundamental right of every American.” 

Southern Baptists’ defense of religious liberty has continued as the Supreme Court released major decisions in June that will affect the future of religious liberty. As the SBC’s policy arm, the ERLC has advocated for Southern Baptists’ interests before the courts in key cases:

• In the unanimous Supreme Court decision, Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the Court upheld religious liberty by determining that Wisconsin’s government could not violate the First Amendment by dictating what qualifies as “religious.”
• In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Supreme Court reaffirmed parents’ right to teach their children according to their own convictions and religious beliefs in matters of gender and sexuality.

The upholding of religious liberty is enshrined in cases such as these, stretching back through the history of our country. Over the years, the ERLC has championed religious liberty at the Supreme Court level, filing amicus briefs on behalf of Southern Baptists and amplifying their voice in the public sphere.

Nathan Finn, a research fellow for the ERLC, reflected on the importance of religious liberty and the role of Southern Baptists in upholding such a key freedom.

“Southern Baptists rightly champion a free church in a free state as the ideal arrangement, short of the kingdom in its fullness,” said Finn. “During this time of year, when Independence Day is on our mind, we should joyfully celebrate, steadfastly defend, and warmly commend our American ‘first freedom’ of religious liberty because we know it contributes to a flourishing society and enables believers to freely proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to our fellow citizens.”

The ERLC also provides a number of resources to help Southern Baptists understand the importance of religious liberty as well as the continuing work to maintain our freedoms in an increasingly polarized and pluralistic society. The ERLC’s Religious Liberty Sunday bulletin insert is one such asset and explains the role of Baptists in the fight for religious liberty throughout America’s history.

Originating with notable men such as John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, Baptist doctrine has always featured the choice each individual must make to put his or her faith in Christ. This belief helped lay the foundation for religious liberty in America. As those in the newly formed America fought for their various freedoms, key figures such as Isaac Backus and John Leland played key roles in the establishment of the First Amendment and the religious freedom we celebrate today.

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reflects Southern Baptists’ continuing dedication to religious liberty. The 2024 SBC resolution “On Defending Religious Liberty” reinforced this commitment, and the ERLC has worked to bring light to the public sphere by advocating for religious liberty on Capitol Hill and beyond.

Because of the freedom granted to all Americans, Christians are at liberty to carry out Jesus’ command to make disciples and to spread the gospel, strengthened by our faith and protected both by our First Amendment and the Supreme Court decisions that further enforce these ideals.

Southern Baptists continue to champion religious liberty because we believe this freedom fosters the spread of the gospel and helps pave the way for peoples across the world to enjoy the same freedoms we do in the United States. Religious Liberty Sunday is a day on which we can both celebrate religious liberty as well as pray for the proliferation of this freedom to the ends of the earth.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Sarah Grace Patrick is a communications and policy intern for the ERLC. She is a senior at Union University. Sunday, July 6 is Religious Liberty Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention.)