Posted: 5/4/17 at 4:00pm.

Henrico, Va. – Virginia Baptists, acting out of our long-standing heritage of believing in and defending separation of church and state, signed a letter last month alongside our Baptist brothers and sisters from across the nation urging Congress not to weaken or eliminate protections for churches and non-profits from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

“I’m saddened by today’s executive order,” John Upton, BGAV executive director, said. “Virginia Baptists have taken a historic stand and we continue to be committed to the separation of church and state. We are grateful for the voice of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty as they continue to speak on this issue.”

Click here to read the full text of the letter.

The Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) is a cooperative missions and ministry organization that consists of over 1,400 autonomous churches in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as churches from Seoul, South Korea, Toronto, Ontario, the District of Columbia, and the states of California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.