Church Project
Securing Religious FreedomThe "Church" is represented in America not only by pastors, lay leadership, and denominations, but by an ever-growing variety of home groups, parachurch ministries, and church-related organizations that share a profound commitment to the Truth of Scripture and the importance of sharing the Gospel. That commitment has been a cornerstone of American society and the impetus for many of the most crucial cultural changes in our history, including the Revolution, the Great Awakening, and the Civil Rights movement.
That historical influence is regarded more and more as a threat by those who would re-construct our society on an aggressively secular foundation, and yet their innate recognition of the nation’s still predominantly Christian sensibilities deflects an outright denunciation of the faith. Instead, those seeking to silence Christian voices and undermine the influence of the Church are pursuing a more circumspect strategy... gradually eroding the basic legal protections that have ensured religious freedom since the days of the Founding Fathers.
No one gets thrown to the lions or burned at the stake these days. Instead, a home group is simply told that their Bible study violates zoning laws. A church is compelled to hire staff members who practice homosexual behavior. Public parks and buildings opened to other groups are closed to Christian gatherings. Charitable efforts are outlawed if they’re sponsored by a local congregation. Biblical teaching is censored if it contradicts politically-correct positions, and churches that flex their Constitutional freedoms are threatened with the loss of their tax exemptions.
It is to defend the Church from these legal assaults on its autonomy that the Alliance Defense Fund has created the Church Project, devoting not only our legal energies but the best efforts and resources of every facet of the ministry to the defense of religious liberty and the protection of those being persecuted for living and speaking a faith clearly protected by the U.S. Constitution.
