The First Freedoms Project — recently launched by Associated Baptist Press, the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs and Baptists Today news journal, in partnership with supportive churches — addresses the great need for contemporary Baptists to recover a long-held commitment to the founding freedoms that have distinguished this nation.

Among those vital freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in the First Amendment are religious liberty and freedom of the press. Those are precisely the missions of freedom carried out by these three national ministries on a daily basis.

One does not have to be an alarmist to consider these vital freedoms at high risk.

Early Baptists knew firsthand the grave dangers of entangling a particular brand of faith with the power of government. Likewise, Baptists have long heralded the free flow of news — giving laypersons access to reliable information and providing forums for respectful differences of opinion on issues of faith and practice.

We may have taken those commitments to freedom for granted. As Baptists have grown in size and influence, the understanding of and appreciation for these founding freedoms have at times been pushed aside.

During the Georgia Baptist Convention annual meeting a few years ago, I was astonished to hear the convention president proclaim that he did not believe in the separation of church and state. I was even more amazed that “Amens” rather than protests were the overwhelming response.

Sitting at the press table down front, I could only imagine how the late Baptist statesman Louie D. Newton might have reacted to such nonsense. I recalled an article from the 1950s in which Newton told a secular reporter that Georgia Baptists were delighted that Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists and others were contributing funds for the new Georgia Baptist Hospital in downtown Atlanta.

But, of course, the former SBC president added, we will accept no government funds for the project — because we’re Baptists!

The shift away from freedom of the press has been equally noted in recent years. Many editors of denominational publications are under pressure to restrict news coverage and limit published opinions. Some no longer fill their editor’s chair because of an unwillingness to carry out a political agenda at the expense of personal and journalistic ethics.

The First Freedoms Project is a creative way for churches to celebrate and support these important freedoms that are essential to the American way of life without following into the trap of civil religion that confuses one’s commitment to God and government.

Modern Baptists need to know the high price paid by our forbears for the freedoms we enjoy. We can settle for nothing less than being “free to worship, free to know.”

Church leaders are most knowledgeable of how to do this best in their local settings. So as First Freedom Project partners, we will provide numerous, quality resources for allowing churches to customize their own approach to celebrating freedom.

We are also encouraging churches to be equally creative in finding ways to support the ongoing missions of freedom provided by these autonomous, national Baptist ministries. It is a chance for congregations to match their resources with their values.

Through this bold new initiative, Baptists have a timely opportunity to recover the treasured legacy of freedom, to celebrate the cherished principles that have served us well since the founding of this nation, and to empower those carrying out missions of freedom for the benefit of us all.