A conflict is brewing at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) over how the countrys largest protestant denomination will approach religious freedom. The SBCs International Mission Board (IMB) and Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) are both facing criticism for signing onto an amicus brief that supported the rights of a Muslim group in New Jersey to build a place of worship. But more lurks underneath the surface.

IMB president David Platt dealt with the controversy over the brief by apologizing for the distraction last week. And yet the brief was entirely consistent with the SBCs position on religious liberty. On this issue, ERLC president Russell Moore does not have any flexibility: Unlike the IMB, the ERLCs main focus is the political principle of religious freedom. To Moore, that principle is absolutely non-negotiable, as he made clear at their 2016 convention:

Nevertheless, some Southern Baptists question whether their efforts should support religious freedom as a universal, sacred right. Pastor Dean Haun resigned his position with the IMB over the amicus brief, and he told the Baptist and Reflector, I want no part in supporting a false religion, even if it is in the name of religious freedom.

This is a mistake. The IMBs amicus brief was politically sound, and received support from a diverse group including the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the National Association of Evangelicals. Moreover, the court ruled in the Muslim groups favor, which is good news for liberty per se, and for those of other faiths. If religious freedom for me but not for thee becomes the SBCs standard, then the ERLC would morph into the lowest kind of political operation: one that lobbies for special treatment.

This tendency toward tribalism is nothing new. Indeed, it has dogged Moore and his outfit since Moore made a stand against Donald Trump. It seems clear that the ERLC would not be facing this kind of pressure over its standard practices if Moore had quietly acquiesced to Trumps rise. Instead, he wrote at National Review and elsewhere about Trumps shortcomings on matters of social conservatism.

Using the mosque case as a pretext that Moore is not committed to advancing the gospel, some local pastors are looking to pull funding as retribution against Moore. Prestonwood Baptist Church, a huge congregation in Plano, Texas, just announced that it will join Hauns church in doing that. (The SBC supports the autonomy of local churches on such matters of funding.)

Again, this is a mistake. Freedom to assemble has been, in most places and times, the exclusive right of preferred religious groups. Americas enshrinement of religious freedom is as exceptional as it is valuable. Unfortunately, many on the left snidely put religious liberty into scare quotes, arguing that its time to put florists out of business in order to assert the states absolute right to legislate progressive morality. These strident opponents of robust religious freedom would receive a political victory if Southern Baptists descended into infighting about whether the First Amendment applies to Muslims or if Russell Moore were sacked for not supporting Donald Trump.

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Religious Freedom for Me but Not for Thee? - National Review