Even as Southern Baptists spread the gospel to the ends of the earth there is a somber mood that seems to have settled in due to the federal government encroaching upon our religious liberty. Everywhere I went, the topic was of major interest among leaders. That should come as no surprise given Baptist history in America. Baptists, going back to the American Revolution, have always championed religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all. Baptist preacher John Leland of Virginia was a powerful voice for both rights at our nation’s birth, serving as the inspiration behind James Madison’s writing of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees our religious freedom, as well as freedoms of speech and of the press.