Baptists in the history of separation of church and state
Separation of church and state is one of the primary theological distinctions of the Baptist tradition.
Contemporary Baptist views in America[edit]
In the U.S. today, a group of Baptists believe the United States was formed as a Christian nation by the Founding Fathers.[8] There is neither a unifying nor a codified doctrinal position among American Baptists. Interpretations of the meaning of "separation of church and state" vary among different Baptist affiliations.[9]
However, many Baptists in the United States still believe in the wall of separation and support maintaining it. For example, fifteen Baptist organizations, representing collectively over ten million Baptists in America, collaborate with one another to protect religious liberty and the separation of church and state through their funding of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.[10] Freedom of conscience is a historic Baptist distinctive, and many Baptists continue to believe the best course for obtaining and securing freedom of conscience is through the separation of church and state.[2][11]