Amanda Tyler is executive director of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), 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 lead organizer of BJC’s Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign and co-host of BJC’s Respecting Religion podcast. Tyler is the author of How to End Christian Nationalism, which will be published by Broadleaf Books on October 22, 2024. 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 Baptist 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 testified before Congress in 2023 on the threats of Christian nationalism to religious liberty, and her 2022 testimony before Congress discussed the ways Christian nationalism proves cover for white supremacy. In 2018, she appeared before a U.S. Senate Committee to testify about threats to religious liberty around the world.
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Christians Against Christian Nationalism growing with regional groups Nearly 20 groups affiliated with Christians Against Christian Nationalism have been formed in more than a dozen states to advocate for religious freedom and to resist the religious hatred and violence sweeping the nation. And more churches or clusters of churches and community organizations are being invited to form similar groups, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of its anti-Christian nationalism movement. (Baptist News Global 7/10/25) READMORE>>>>> Feeling overwhelmed? Think local, Tyler advises It can be overwhelming to consider that there won’t be a presidential election for nearly four years, or even the possibility of winning either the House or Senate away from the control of Christian nationalists for another two years. One recent CNN headline said, “Democrats confront their powerlessness as Trump flexes authority.” The level of powerlessness at least half the population feels borders between helpless and hopeless. To be clear, the issue here is not even a complete divide between conservatives and liberals. As I wrote two weeks ago, conservatives with a more libertarian bent should share many of our concerns about the authoritarian instincts of Trump and his Christian supremacist supporters. (Baptist News Global 2/18/25) READ MORE>>>>> Opinion: What these states get wrong about the Bible and the Ten Commandments It has been an especially active few weeks for news about religion in public schools. The Texas Education Agency proposed a new curriculum that would incorporate teaching Biblical stories into reading lessons in grades as young as kindergarten. On June 19, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state. One week later, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters abruptly issued a memorandum requiring all schools in his state “to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum” in grades five through 12, underlining “immediate and strict compliance.” What exactly is going on here? Public schools are not Sunday schools, and families should feel free to send their children to school without worrying about state officials interfering in their choices about religious instruction. These politically conservative state officials are seemingly making a show of testing the limits of government-sponsored religious instruction and exercise in public schools, emboldened by the US Supreme Court’s recent decisions. (Amanda Tyler; CNN 6/3/24) READ MORE>>>> A faithful expert on Christian nationalism to speak at 2BC Christian nationalism seems extremely bad, but it’s tricky for people who aren’t reliable churchgoers well-versed in Christian ideology to talk about why. Religion is a taboo subject around here, and it’s considered poor taste to point out the myriad ways Martin Luther’s vision has gone off the rails. (You’re mad already, aren’t you?) Amanda Tyler, the executive director for the national Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, will be at Little Rock’s Second Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Wednesday to talk about this nasty Christian nationalism business. Here’s her bio from the 2BC website: “Amanda’s constitutional law analysis and advocacy for faith freedom have been featured by major news outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and more. She was named one of ‘2022’s rising stars in religion’ by the Religion News Service. Amanda has testified numerous times before Congress on matters concerning religious liberty and Christian nationalism, and is an expert in the field.” (Arkansas Times 5/16/24) READ MORE>>>> |
October 26, 2022: North Carolina Policy Watch wrote: North Carolina Republican leaders embrace Christian nationalism. Amanda Tyler is executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a national organization representing millions of Americans across 15 Baptist denominations. The Christian nationalism represented by The American Renewal Project is a danger to both government and faith, she said — and bespeaks a deep ignorance of the history of Christianity in America. When American founding father Thomas Jefferson wrote of “building a wall of separation between Church & State,” in his letter to the Danbury Baptists, he was paraphrasing Roger Williams, founder of the first Baptist church in what would become the United States.
“The Christian calling to love God and love our neighbors endures, regardless of our demographics.” --Amanda Tyler 12.2.22  Amanda Tyler
"In his first act as speaker, Johnson claimed God gave each member of the U.S. House authority. As a Christian, I reject Christian lawmakers using language that alienates and excludes lawmakers and Americans of different faiths from the political process. While it is common for people of faith to feel called to their vocations, Americans dedicated to religious freedom for all are understandably alarmed by elected officials claiming to be God's chosen. A growing number of Christians, and I am one of them, feel a religious imperative to stand against Christian nationalism...Conflating religious authority with political authority is idolatrous. In his (Rep Mike Johnsons)first act as speaker, Johnson claimed God gave each member of the U.S. House authority. As a Christian, I reject Christian lawmakers using language that alienates and excludes lawmakers and Americans of different faiths from the political process. While it is common for people of faith to feel called to their vocations, Americans dedicated to religious freedom for all are understandably alarmed by elected officials claiming to be God's chosen."
--Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism; Oct 2023 |
Texas activist David Barton wants to end separation of church and state. He has the ear of the new U.S. House speaker.
Johnson’s election to House Speaker shows how normalized such beliefs have become, said Amanda Tyler, the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for a strong wall between government and religion. She noted that some Republicans — including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, have embraced the title of Christian nationalist in recent years. Tyler said that Johnson’s views are particularly concerning because of his background as both a Southern Baptist and as a constitutional lawyer. Baptists, she noted, have a long history of advocacy for strong church-state separations because of the persecution they faced during the country’s founding — a stance that she said Johnson has betrayed throughout his legal and political career “He has worked actively for these principles that further Christian nationalism,” Tyler said. “I am also a Baptist, and to see someone who is a Baptist really reject foundational concepts of religious freedom for all — concepts which are really core to what it means to be a Baptist — is also very disheartening.” (Robert Downen/Texas Tribune 11/3/23) Read More>>>>>
Johnson’s election to House Speaker shows how normalized such beliefs have become, said Amanda Tyler, the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for a strong wall between government and religion. She noted that some Republicans — including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, have embraced the title of Christian nationalist in recent years. Tyler said that Johnson’s views are particularly concerning because of his background as both a Southern Baptist and as a constitutional lawyer. Baptists, she noted, have a long history of advocacy for strong church-state separations because of the persecution they faced during the country’s founding — a stance that she said Johnson has betrayed throughout his legal and political career “He has worked actively for these principles that further Christian nationalism,” Tyler said. “I am also a Baptist, and to see someone who is a Baptist really reject foundational concepts of religious freedom for all — concepts which are really core to what it means to be a Baptist — is also very disheartening.” (Robert Downen/Texas Tribune 11/3/23) Read More>>>>>
May 16, 2023:
National and state Christian leaders spoke out against the white supremacist ideology espoused during two recent Christian nationalist rallies in South Florida. Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Faithful America organized a livestreamed event as a counter perspective to the May 11 “Pastors for Trump” reception and the May 12 ReAwaken America Tour rally, both held at the Trump Doral resort in Miami. “We are here today as Christians who are horrified to see the faith we hold dear being used to spread lies, violence and authoritarian theocracy,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Tyler was joined at All Angels Episcopal Church in Miami Springs by Nathan Empsall of Faithful America, Russell Meyer of the Florida Council of Churches, Jennifer Butler of Faith in Public Life Action, James Golden of Pastors for Florida Children and Charles Toy of The Christian Left. More at Baptist News Global
National and state Christian leaders spoke out against the white supremacist ideology espoused during two recent Christian nationalist rallies in South Florida. Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Faithful America organized a livestreamed event as a counter perspective to the May 11 “Pastors for Trump” reception and the May 12 ReAwaken America Tour rally, both held at the Trump Doral resort in Miami. “We are here today as Christians who are horrified to see the faith we hold dear being used to spread lies, violence and authoritarian theocracy,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Tyler was joined at All Angels Episcopal Church in Miami Springs by Nathan Empsall of Faithful America, Russell Meyer of the Florida Council of Churches, Jennifer Butler of Faith in Public Life Action, James Golden of Pastors for Florida Children and Charles Toy of The Christian Left. More at Baptist News Global
May 1, 2023: Raw Story: Far right 'Pastors for Trump' trashed by evangelical leaders for flirting with Christian nationalism
“This kind of overt embrace of white Christian nationalism continues to pose a growing threat to the witness of the church and the health of our democracy. This pastor and this effort are trying to impose a Christian theocracy. It’s imperative that Christian leaders of all backgrounds including conservative ones speak out about this effort as a threat to our democracy and to the church," said Adam Russell Taylor, who runs the Christian organization Sojourners. Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty agreed, saying, “For years, Trump has tried to co-opt religious leaders to serve his campaign, even attempting to change long-standing tax law to allow dark money to flow through houses of worship.”
“This kind of overt embrace of white Christian nationalism continues to pose a growing threat to the witness of the church and the health of our democracy. This pastor and this effort are trying to impose a Christian theocracy. It’s imperative that Christian leaders of all backgrounds including conservative ones speak out about this effort as a threat to our democracy and to the church," said Adam Russell Taylor, who runs the Christian organization Sojourners. Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty agreed, saying, “For years, Trump has tried to co-opt religious leaders to serve his campaign, even attempting to change long-standing tax law to allow dark money to flow through houses of worship.”
April 21, 2023: Religion News Service: Christian nationalists have provoked a pluralist resistance
Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Vote Common Good are the most visible of the groups attempting just that. Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee, which leads the Christians Against Christian Nationalism coalition, has been speaking around the country to raise alarms about the dangers of Christian nationalism. Last December, she testified before a House subcommittee about the role Christian nationalism played in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Vote Common Good are the most visible of the groups attempting just that. Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee, which leads the Christians Against Christian Nationalism coalition, has been speaking around the country to raise alarms about the dangers of Christian nationalism. Last December, she testified before a House subcommittee about the role Christian nationalism played in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.