Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs

The Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs (BJC) is a religious organization dedicated to preserving religious liberty and the separation of church and state. In the following viewpoint, the BJC argues that the separation of church and state is necessary for the political health and long life of a nation. The Founding Fathers and religious leaders realized the importance of church-state separation and included it in the First Amendment, the committee asserts. According to the BJC, an examination of the different versions of the First Amendment that did not pass in Congress clearly shows that the framers of the Constitution intended that church and state should remain separate.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the Baptist committee, what New Testament example supports...