Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
By Andy Hale
Religious freedom is popularly regarded as our nation’s First Freedom. The first sixteen words of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution remain vitally important: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
As Christians, we must continue our focus on championing a free conscience in a free state — promoting and defending religious freedom for all.
I recently sat down with Melissa Rogers, former executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to discuss what defending our First Freedom and advocacy on behalf of others looks like on a day-to-day basis.
Rogers also served as special assistant to President Barack Obama from 2013-2017. Previously, she served as director of Wake Forest University Divinity School’s Center for Religion and Public Affairs. Rogers has also served as executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. She holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and B.A. from Baylor University. Follow Melissa Rogers on Twitter at @melissarogers.
Stephen Reeves, who guides the advocacy work of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, joined the conversation. Take a moment and listen below!
Subscribe or Livestream
CBF’s podcast shares stories from across the Fellowship and innovative practices of those working to renew God’s world. The vision is to share ideas, stories, and innovations from ministers, authors, and practitioners.
Join this bi-weekly audio podcast by subscribing in iTunes or in SoundCloud.
Sponsorship:
This podcast episode is brought to you by Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond and CBF Reference and Referral.
Andy Hale leads Church Starts Initiative of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Hale is a CBF church starter who serves as pastor of Mosaic of Clayton in Clayton, N.C.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In