NASHVILLE (BP) — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) announced the organization’s policy priorities for the upcoming year through the entity’s annual federal public policy agenda, released Thursday (Jan. 16).

The ERLC’s 2025 Public Policy Agenda is once again divided into the entity’s four main focus areas: Life, Religious Liberty, Marriage and Family, and Human Dignity. The agenda was authored by ERLC President Brent Leatherwood and ERLC Public Policy Director Hannah Daniel.

Its introduction reads: 

“New leadership has taken hold in both the White House and Capitol Hill. With such a significant transition comes exciting new opportunities as well as substantial new challenges for the important work of this Commission.

“The ERLC will press forward on the issues that matter to Southern Baptists: protecting life, safeguarding religious liberty, bolstering marriage and families, and upholding human dignity.

“It is through this consistent advocacy that we can effectively advocate for the policies that matter to our churches while bringing the hope of the gospel to Washington, D.C.”

There are 42 total items listed in the agenda among the four categories. The opening of each section begins with a quotation from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 addressing said topic before identifying policy items of focus for the year in that category. After each item is a listing of a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) resolution where Southern Baptist messengers spoke to the issue at hand.

The ERLC’s four senior fellows also addressed the agenda in a recent press release.

The following are a sample of items from each section and a quote from each senior fellow:

Life

“The cause of life and the ethical issues surrounding bioethics are more important than ever. Christians need to be prepared to boldly counter the claims of the abortion industry and all those who seek to devalue human life — no matter the stage of development or location,” said Jason Thacker, director of the ERLC’s research institute and senior fellow focused on Christian ethics.

“The ERLC will never stop working toward the eradication of these evil practices and help to usher in a culture of life that protects and cherishes the most vulnerable among us.”

• End the proliferation of chemical abortions
• Reinstate the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy and similar Title X pro-life domestic policies: These policies, previously implemented during President Trump’s first term, barred any entities that perform or counsel for abortions domestically and abroad from receiving government funds.
• Defund Planned Parenthood
• Repeal the Biden Administration’s pro-abortion regulations
• Respond to the Medina v. Planned Parenthood decision: A case centered on states’ ability to withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood. South Carolina Interim Director of Health and Human Services Eunice Medina is named as the defendant in the case. The ERLC will be filing a legal brief in this case arguing pro-life states should be able to prohibit taxpayer funding to abortion clinics.

Religious liberty

“Southern Baptists believe a free church in a free state is the ideal arrangement to cultivate authentic human flourishing,” said Nathan Finn, senior fellow focused on issues of religious liberty.

“Though this historic Baptist principle is also our ‘first freedom’ enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, it is continually rejected, redefined, and undermined by those who do not share our values. ERLC proclaims hope to the public square by advocating tirelessly for religious freedom for all people.”

• Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: The ERLC continues to support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which ensures that the strictest legal protections are applied to ensure religious liberty is protected when enforcing federal law.
• Repeal the Biden Administration’s anti-religious liberty regulatory actions
• Support the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern(CPC): The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2023 named Nigeria as the most dangerous place to be a Christian, with hundreds killed for their faith each year. Despite this intense persecution, the Department of State has ignored USCIRF’s recommendations and has not designated Nigeria as a CPC for the previous four years. The ERLC will continue to urge the Department of State to take this vital action.

Marriage and family

“I recently received a hat with this inscription: XX does not equal XY. In other words, a woman is not a man and vice versa,” said Gregg Allison, senior fellow focused on issues of marriage and family.

“This statement addresses the contemporary phenomenon of gender ideology, where, for example, a biological male claims to identify as a woman and wants to play on a women’s sports team, use a women’s locker room and take an athletic scholarship meant for a woman. 

“As senior fellow for marriage and family for the ERLC, I work hard to expose and resist such ideological confusion and to promote God’s good design (Genesis 1:26-28) for His female image bearers and male image bearers. I also believe in the ERLC’s advocacy before our federal government to this end, and the 2025 Public Policy Agenda is evidence of the way we are making Southern Baptists’ convictions heard.”

• Respond to the U.S. v. Skrmetti decision: The case enters around Tennessee Senate Bill 1, a law that prohibits healthcare providers from offering prescriptions or performing procedures on a minor intending to affirm an identity inconsistent with a minor’s biological sex. Alongside the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the ERLC filed an amicus brief in the case urging the justices to uphold Tennessee’s law as constitutional to protect children from the lifelong, harmful consequences of “gender transition” procedures.
• Support proposals to ban harmful “gender transition” surgeries and procedures
• Protect women’s sports
• Advocate for pro-family tax policies

Human dignity

“Our political processes and policies play a vital role for local churches as they help us unite to organize our lives for the common good,” said RaShan Frost, newly named director of research and senior fellow focused on issues of human dignity.

“As a pastor, I believe it is important to equip Christians with an understanding of our responsibilities as citizens who engage with our community while ultimately living for the glory of God as disciples of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives — where we live, learn, work and play. This encourages us to consider policy issues from the perspective of our heavenly citizenship, while also acknowledging our earthly citizenship. Because God deeply values human dignity, having created every person in his image, we are also called to ensure our policies reflect that dignity, showcasing our love for God and our neighbors.”

• Support efforts to restrict gambling
• Oppose marijuana expansion

The full agenda can be found here.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Timothy Cockes is a writer in Nashville.)