A coalition of leading churches and US Christian organisations have formed a group to revive an effective Christian worldview in their nation. The newly formed Danbury Institute is concerned by America’s increasing support for the “sexualisation of children, abortion on demand, and the infringement of religious liberty.”
The Christian Post reports the group draws inspiration from the Danbury Baptists of the 18th century who expressed concern over the lack of explicit protection of religious liberty in the constitution of their state of Connecticut.
They were formed in 1790 and consisted of 23 churches in Connecticut and three in New York. As a minority denomination in the state, they felt overpowered by the Congregationalist majority. They wanted Connecticut to remove all laws that were related to promoting an established religion in the state. They wrote to President Thomas Jefferson, asking for his support in fighting for religious liberty.
In his reply President Jefferson reiterated his belief in religious liberty free of government interference, by supporting the Danbury Baptists. “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions,” he famously wrote.
The Danbury Institute advocates a renewed engagement by Christians in national leadership roles to create public policy that aligns with Judeo-Christian values. It aims to affirm and preserve the rights to life and liberty. Its operational strategies will focus on informing and empowering churches and pastors to actively participate in governance.
The Christian Post writes the Washington, D.C.-based coalition is poised to challenge and question, “Who will stand for life and liberty?” as it seeks to influence culture and public policy to preserve God-given rights.
The Danbury Institute is run under the guidance of an executive team, a board of trustees and an advisory council chaired by Richard Land, president emeritus of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and executive editor of The Christian Post. He stated: “Never has our beloved country more needed to be reminded of her founding values of soul freedom and religious liberty so bravely defended by our 18th century Danbury Baptist ancestors. I pray God’s manifold blessings on their noble efforts to protect and restore our sacred liberties.”
The Institute’s CEO, Scott Colter, emphasised the urgency of its mission, stating that the status-quo can no longer be tolerated and that Christians must actively defend the nation’s values for future generations.
“For far too long, Christians have sat idly on the sidelines, satisfied with the status-quo. The status-quo can no longer be tolerated. We are watching in real-time as the sacrifices our great grandparents made to defend our nation are squandered right before our eyes. As a father, I am not ready or willing to say to my children that we gave up and let go of our great nation before it could be preserved for them. We have to stand up and say that we respect life, we love liberty, and we will expend effort, time, and treasure to protect them,” Mr. Colter declared.
