How a Practiced Religious Freedom Helps Christians Respond to Rising Authoritarianism and Theocracy
Date: September 17, 2026 12:00 pm
Location: Virtual
How a Practiced Religious Freedom Helps Christians Respond to Rising Authoritarianism and Theocracy”
Thursday, September 17 at 12 noon – 1 pm (Central time)
Zoom registration link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/OfAuHzitQdCnrrCfK0e7Ow
Description: Religious freedom is more than a set of principles or constitutional protections. Religious freedom is a practice that requires discipline, particularly from a religious group that has majority status in a community. Amanda will explain what a practiced religious freedom looks like and how it can contribute to a pluralistic democracy. She will point to examples of advocacy against rising Christian nationalism in public schools and threats to free and fair elections, giving actionable ideas for faith leaders to engage in some of today’s most pressing challenges.
Amanda Tyler is executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC), leading the organization as it upholds the historic Baptist principle of religious liberty: defending the free exercise of religion and protecting against its establishment by government. She is the co-host of BJC’s Respecting Religion podcast and the author of How to End Christian Nationalism.
Tyler’s constitutional law analysis and advocacy for faith freedom for all have been featured by major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, ABC News, CNN, and MSNBC. Religion News Service named Tyler one of “2022’s rising stars in religion,” and she regularly preaches in churches, speaks at denominational gatherings, and leads sessions on college campuses and with community groups of all sizes.
A member of the Texas and U.S. Supreme Court Bar, Tyler has experience working in Congress, in a private legal practice, and serving as a law clerk for a federal judge. She has testified before Congress several times, including in 2026 on how anti-Muslim government action threatens religious freedom, in 2022 about the dangers of white Christian nationalism, and in 2018 about threats to religious liberty around the world.
Tyler graduated from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in foreign service, magna cum laude. She received her J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law. In 2019, the school named her their “Outstanding Young Alumna.”
Tyler was named executive director of BJC in 2016, and she began her tenure in January 2017. She lives in Dallas with her husband and their son.
