The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty is an umbrella organization of 15 Baptist bodies that work to promote religious liberty. They advise member denominations on religious liberties issues. It is based in Washington, D.C. Its executive director is Amanda Tyler, with J. Brent Walker serving as a consultant to the organization.

The Thomas More Law Center is a law firm dedicated to the defense and promotion of the religious freedom of Christians. Contact president and chief counsel Richard Thompson in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Southeastern Legal Foundation is a legal advocacy group based in Marietta, Ga., and Washington, D.C. Its lawyers have argued in support of prayer in public places and for the public display of the Ten Commandments. Contact Todd Young.

The Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit litigation and educational organization based in Orlando. It is dedicated to advancing religious liberty, “the sanctity of human life and the traditional family.” Mathew Staver is its founder and chairman.

The Christian Law Association defines itself as a “ministry of legal helps” to “Bible-believing churches” and Christians who are experiencing legal difficulty in practicing their religious faith because of governmental regulation, intrusion or prohibition. It is based in Seminole, Fla., and headed by David Gibbs Jr.

The Ethics and Public Policy Center is a conservative, Washington, D.C.-based think tank and advocacy group. Founded in 1976, the group describes itself as “dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of public policy” and advocacy of founding principles such as the rule of law. The EPPC’s president is Ryan T. Anderson.

Faith and Action is a nonprofit that advocates for Christian values in Washington, D.C., by meeting with policy-makers and politicians. One of its major projects is presenting politicians with Ten Commandments plaques and displays. Its founders are Paul and Rob Schenck. Schenck is also its president. Contact Peggy.

The J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, is devoted to research in the broad area of religion, politics and society and committed to the separation of church and state and the advancement of religious liberty around the world.

Cheryl Townsend Gilkes is a professor of sociology and African-American studies at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She is an expert on black churches. She has written widely, including If It Wasn’t for the Women: Black Women’s Experience and Womanist Culture in Church and Community (Orbis Books, 2000).