Presidential Religious Liberty Commission Convenes First Meeting Amid Growing Concerns
Washington, D.C. – The newly formed Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty held its inaugural meeting this week, marking a pivotal moment in the fight to safeguard the First Amendment rights of Americans—particularly Christians—against an increasingly hostile cultural and governmental environment.
Convened under the directive of the current administration, the commission brings together faith leaders, legal scholars, and policy experts to address the mounting challenges faced by individuals and institutions trying to live out their religious convictions.
The commission, which includes representatives from First Liberty Institute, Alliance Defending Freedom, and other religious liberty organizations, aims to provide actionable recommendations to the executive branch. These proposals will focus on protecting religious expression in public life, ensuring faith-based organizations are not excluded from public programs, and defending conscience rights in healthcare, education, and business.
“We are facing a critical moment in American history,” said Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty Institute, who delivered remarks during the meeting. “The very freedom that allowed our nation to flourish is under attack—from aggressive secularism, government overreach, and ideological coercion.” Shackelford emphasized that religious liberty is not a partisan issue but a foundational American principle that transcends politics and protects all faith traditions.
The meeting opened with a prayer and Scripture reading, underscoring the commission’s conviction that faith is not merely a private sentiment but a public virtue essential to a free society. Members reviewed recent legal cases that reveal a disturbing trend: public school employees fired for silent prayer, Christian business owners sued for upholding biblical views on marriage, and adoption agencies punished for adhering to traditional family values.
Faith leaders expressed particular concern over the Biden administration’s actions in recent years, including its push to expand the definition of “discrimination” to include refusal to affirm LGBT ideologies. Critics argue that such policies threaten to criminalize orthodox Christian beliefs and create a chilling effect on religious expression. One member of the panel cited the case of Coach Joe Kennedy, who was fired for praying on the football field, as emblematic of the stakes involved.
“This commission is a response to a deep cry from millions of Americans who feel that their faith is being marginalized,” said Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, who attended the meeting via livestream. “We must not stand by while the federal government weaponizes civil rights laws to silence Christian voices.”
First Liberty Institute released a statement after the meeting, praising the commission’s clarity of purpose and firm stance on religious liberty. “This is not about privilege for people of faith,” the statement read. “It is about protection from government intrusion. The Constitution promises that Americans can live out their faith freely—not only in their churches but also in their workplaces, schools, and communities.”
Public reaction from conservative circles has been largely positive. Christian advocacy groups applauded the commission’s willingness to confront what many see as systemic hostility toward biblical morality in media, academia, and government policy. Some compared the current climate to the Cold War-era suppression of religion in Soviet states—ideological conformity being enforced at the expense of conscience.
“This meeting is a step in the right direction,” said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. “We need more than symbolic gestures. We need robust policies that protect Christians who simply want to live out their faith without fear of retaliation or ridicule.”
The commission also plans to explore how federal funding can be distributed more fairly to faith-based organizations, which have historically been excluded due to the flawed interpretation of the so-called “separation of church and state.” Legal scholars in attendance emphasized that the First Amendment does not require the government to scrub religious influence from the public square—it only prohibits the establishment of a state religion.
Notably absent from the event were representatives from the Biden administration’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, raising questions about whether the White House will embrace the commission’s findings. While the administration has paid lip service to religious freedom, many conservatives argue that its actions—particularly regarding mandates and redefinitions of civil rights law—tell a different story.
“This is not just about what happens in Washington,” said Jeremy Dys, Special Counsel at First Liberty. “It’s about protecting a high school student’s right to start a Bible club, or a nurse’s right to opt out of procedures that violate her faith. We’re seeing more and more Americans pressured to choose between their career and their convictions.”
Looking forward, the commission will hold monthly meetings and gather public testimony to shape its policy recommendations. Members have vowed to prioritize real-world protections over abstract theory, pointing out that religious freedom is only meaningful if it can be practiced without penalty.
While critics on the Left accuse the commission of promoting a theocratic agenda, supporters maintain that the goal is simply to restore constitutional protections that have eroded under the weight of political correctness and progressive ideology.
As America stands at a cultural crossroads, the work of this commission may determine whether future generations will inherit a nation that respects its religious heritage—or one that buries it beneath bureaucratic mandates and ideological intolerance. For many Christians, the message is clear: religious liberty is worth defending, and the time to act is now.
Keywords:
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