Post-COVID Perspective: Religious liberty affirmed by courts during pandemic

 By Tom Strode - Posted at Baptist Press:

Published April 12, 2023

NASHVILLE (BP) – The COVID-19 pandemic provided challenges to the religious liberty of Americans and their churches, but court rulings during the crisis actually affirmed the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion.

Beginning in March 2020, most Southern Baptist churches and other religious bodies throughout the United States canceled in-person worship gatherings in cooperation with public officials to help prevent the spread of the virus. Some state and local governments adopted reopening restrictions, however, that treated churches and other religious groups less favorably than secular organizations such as businesses.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and other religious freedom advocates objected to the disparate treatment, and, ultimately, the US Supreme Court and lower courts issued opinions rejecting the unequal policies.

In hindsight, events during the pandemic underscored the right of churches and other religious groups to gather and to minister without discrimination by the government, defenders of religious liberty said.

“As we reflect on the COVID pandemic and what a difficult season that was for many of our churches and pastors who sought to love their neighbors, both physically and spiritually, we are reminded of the embodied nature of our faith and the vital role that churches play in our communities,” said Jason Thacker, director of the ERLC’s Research Institute.

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For more stories regarding the Post-COVID era, please see:

• Christian Heritage News/Post COVID (christian-heritage-news.com)