The Baptist Joint Committee has released details of its fourth annual religious liberty essay contest, which is open to all high school students in the 2009 and 2010 graduating classes.

The contest offers a grand prize of $1,000 and airfare and lodging for two to Washington, D.C. Second prize is $500, and third prize is $100.

For nearly 400 years, Baptists have been strong defenders of freedom of conscience, religious liberty and church-state separation. John Leland, a colonial evangelist preaching in Virginia, boldly advocated religious liberty and the separation of church and state and played an integral role in disestablishing the Anglican church in the commonwealth. His chief contribution was helping to convince our nation’s founders, including James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, of the need for specific guarantees protecting religious freedom in the Bill of Rights. He later returned to his native Massachusetts where he continued to speak out in favor of religious liberty and against state-established religion.

In 1804, Leland said that experience “has informed us that the fondness of magistrates [the government] to foster Christianity has done it more harm than all the persecutions ever did.”

The essay topic for this year asks students to explain Leland’s statement and, drawing from historical and contemporary examples, assess his claim.

All of the requirements and necessary forms are available from the BJC Web site, www.BJConline.org/contest.  All entries must be postmarked by March 2, 2009. Completed essays and required forms should be mailed to: Baptist Joint Committee Essay Contest, 200 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20002.

Winners will be announced in the summer of 2009 and will be featured in the BJC’s flagship publication, Report from the Capital.  The grand prize winner will also be recognized at the BJC board meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2009.

Essays will be judged on the depth of their content and the skill with which they are written. Students should demonstrate a sound knowledge of the subject matter, support their assertions and provide bibliographical references. Essays that do not meet the minimum qualifications will not be judged.  Judges reserve the right to present no awards or to reduce the number of awards if an insufficient number of deserving entries is received.

Visit www.BJConline.org/contest for more information. If you have questions, contact Jeff Huett at (202) 544-4226 or by e-mail at jhuett@BJConline.org.

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