Blog from the Capital

Our pal Don Byrd is expanding his blogging empire. His long-running Article 19 (it's nearing its 22-month anniversary--in blog years, that's a long time) is apparently becoming his vacation home as he turns pro and adds Blog from the Capital to his illustrious resume. Blog from the Capital is the official blog of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, an organization devoted to promoting religious freedom and the separation of church and state. It's supported by several Baptist denominations, though if you guessed Southern Baptists decided some time ago that they wanted nothing to do with such heresy, you'd be right. Other Baptists, however, recognize that if they have the right to believe and worship as they choose, so does everybody else. In more self-serving terms, they also recall their history, in which their Baptist forebears were at times persecuted by the state, and they want to protect themselves and others from such treatment. Believe it or not, the separation of church and state is a foundational Baptist belief, and the Baptist Joint Committee stays true to their traditions even if other Baptists do not.

Although Don's been putting up test posts for a little more than a month, the official launch was yesterday. He'll be keeping up with religious issues in the public sphere, so drop in from time to time.