Editorial: How we oppose matters more than what we oppose

The Texas Senate has passed three bills that present a test of the First Amendment establishment clause: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Baptists are to thank for that clause, and Baptists—with our commitment to religious liberty—should be at the forefront of defending it. How we defend it matters immensely.

About the bills in question

The three bills are SB 1515, SB 1396 and SB 8. A fourth—SB 763—is still under consideration at the time of writing.

SB 1515 would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed conspicuously in each public school classroom. The exact text and size of the display are stipulated in the legislation.

SB 1396 would allow boards of public school districts and charter schools to adopt a policy providing “students and employees … an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day.”

Section 1.019 of SB 8—a sweeping education bill—establishes an education savings account program that would use “general revenue transferred to the fund; money appropriated to the fund” and other monies to offset the cost of private education for those who meet stipulated requirements.

SB 763—still under deliberation—would allow chaplains to volunteer or be employed by public schools and charter schools “to perform the duties required of a school counselor.”

Before forming your opinion of these bills—none of which has passed the House, none of which currently are law—you should read the text of the bills. That’s why they are linked. There is more to each one than brief summaries contain.

Prepare for your legislative visit

After you become familiar with the bills, you should get ready to visit your representative and senator.

The first step in preparing your visit is to determine who is your representative and senator, which requires you to know your House and Senate districts. This was easier in urban areas before districts were redrawn in 2021.

The Texas Tribune provides an easy solution. Type in your address on the page linked in the previous sentence, and you will be shown your current districts beginning with your U.S. House district and then state offices.

Once you know your district number, you can visit the members pages. The House is here; the Senate is here. Since the House’s page is sorted by last name, it’s easiest to browse by your district number. The Senate’s page is sorted by district.

Clicking or tapping on the photo of your representative and senator will take you to their respective member pages. From there, click or tap on “email,” and then fill in the fields.

Clearly state your purpose in the subject field—such as “Requesting an appointment” or “My position on SB 763.”

The message field is where things get important. That’s the first place how you communicate your position matters more than what your position is.

Communicating your position

Your representative or senator will not be the person receiving your email; it will be a staffer. Staffers are frequently young adults, often just out of college. They get chewed on all day every day by any number of people for any number of reasons.

When you type your message, address the legislator, remembering who will read it first. Express gratitude for their service. State clearly, concisely and—most of all—compassionately what your purpose is for writing.

Then plan to visit your legislator’s office in person—with or without an appointment. An appointment doesn’t guarantee you’ll see your legislator. Their schedules are fluid, depending on what is happening in their committees or on the floor of the House or Senate.

At the beginning of your visit, say your name and who you are with if you’re with a group. Say whether you have an appointment. If you don’t have an appointment, ask if you can speak with someone about the issue most important to you. Issues are divided up among the staff.

You likely will be asked if you have a specific bill to discuss. Be ready with the bill number or say you don’t have a specific bill.

Then, state your position as clearly, concisely and compassionately—or more—as you did by email.

My position

Now, about my position on the Senate bills listed earlier. I have concerns about each one and all of them taken together. Taken together, they present an apparent establishment of religion that could open the door to clear infringements of religious freedom.

At a minimum, these bills require much more debate, if not outright opposition. How that debate or opposition is communicated matters immensely.

My experience

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the morning visiting legislative offices. I spoke with several staffers. Each one of them reacted with some surprise when I followed my opposition to a piece of legislation with affirmation of them as human beings.

In one office, after identifying as Baptist, the staffer’s eyes immediately grew wide, and her face flushed. Her evident anxiety made me wonder what she’d heard from other Baptists who oppose her legislator’s positions.

She stepped away for a moment, and when she returned, I told her what I’d told others, that we care about her and her legislator. She immediately relaxed and smiled.

Believe it or not, legislators sometimes respond the same way. They’re used to people using them more than caring about them.

Religious liberty isn’t a command; it’s a principle—however important. Love is a command, the most important one, the one on which everything else hangs.

If we communicate our positions on legislation with anger, vitriol, vicious sarcasm or personal attacks, we won’t be any different than so many others who visit legislators at the Texas Capitol. If we communicate with love—Christ’s love—we will be different.

The 88th Texas Legislature isn’t over. It’s not too late to go to Austin, to visit the Capitol and to communicate Christ’s love. Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission will be glad to help you. This editorial owes a great deal to them helping me.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com. The views expressed are those solely of the author.