Today, a group Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leadershave released a statement in defense of the religious freedom of private colleges and universities in California. Current legislation pending in the California State Senate threatens to strip some private colleges and universities of an exemption that protects them from lawsuits and allows them to function as faith-based organizations.The effort, spearheadedby the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, includes signatures from 145 religious leaders.

Here is the full text of the statement along with a list of leaders who have signed the statement. You can also add your name to the document here.

The California Assembly has proposed legislation that is harmful to the free exercise of religion in higher education.In particular, the legislation disadvantages e minority students who want an education at private religious colleges. Though it purports to eliminate discrimination, Senate Bill 1146 results in its own form of discrimination by stigmatizing and coercively punishing religious beliefs that disagree on contested matters related to human sexuality. If SB 1146 were to pass, it would deny students’ ability to participate in state grant programs—programs that exist to help e students, and which are overwhelmingly used by racial minorities—at schools that are found in violation of the bill. Moreover, it would severely restrict the ability of religious education institutions to set expectations of belief and conduct that align with the institution’s religious tenets. While we do not all agree on religious matters, we all agree that the government has no place in discriminating against poor religious minorities or in pitting a religious education institution’s faith-based identity against its American identity. This legislation puts into principle that majoritarian beliefs are more deserving of legal protection, and that minority viewpoints are deserving of government harassment. Legislation of this nature threatens the integrity not only of religious institutions, but of any viewpoint wishing to exercise basic American freedoms, not least of which is the freedom of conscience.

We, the undersigned, do not necessarily agree with one another’s religious views, but we agree on the necessity of the liberty to exercise these views.At the root of the American experiment is the idea that conscience and religious e before the demands of the state. Some of us disagree with the sexual ethics of orthodox Jews, Christians, and Muslims giving rise to this legislation, but we are unified in our resistance to the government setting up its own system of orthodoxy. As the American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin once said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” No less is this true than on matters of religious liberty. Where the state can encroach on one religion’s free exercise, it can just as easily trample on any other religion’s free exercise. We therefore join in solidarity across religious lines to speak against Senate Bill 1146.

We call on the California Assembly to abandon Senate Bill 1146.To ensure the future of the free exercise of religion in higher education in California and across America, we respectfully call on the supporters of Senate Bill 1146 to immediately withdraw their support of this bill, with mitment to disavow similar intrusions in the future. Opposition to this bill is not grounded in the protection of religious liberty only, nor for the special pleading of one religion in particular, but for the protection of American society and American democracy. Such protection requires a civil society ing of religious diversity.

The future of a free America requires the full participation of religion in public life.Religious higher education cultivates both the mind and the soul. Senate Bill 1146 endangers the integrity of religious education institutions and discourages them from acting according to their conscience for fear of government retribution. As Americans with a rich legacy of freedoms afforded to us by the laws of nature and of nature’s God, and enshrined in the Constitution, we can do better. As we renew mitment to religious pluralism in the public square, we should embrace debate, e dissent, and encourage civility as we work together for the sake of mon good and of a country we are all unreservedly blessed to call our home.

*Please note that the title and institution listed for each signatory is used for identification purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an official endorsement by the institution.

RussellMoore

President

Ethics &Religious Liberty Commission

Barry Corey

President

Biola University

Rick Warren

Pastor and Founder

Saddleback Church

Douglas Laycock

Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law

University of Virginia

Robert P. George

McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence

Princeton University

Hamza Yusuf Hanson

President

Zaytuna College

Richard Stearns

President

World Vision U.S.

Michael McConnell

Director

Stanford Constitutional Law Center

Jim Daly

President

Focus on the Family

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

Director Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought

Yeshiva University

Shirley V. Hoogstra

President

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

Frank R. Wolf

Former Member of U.S. Congress

Distinguished Senior Fellow, 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative

Jerry and Susie Wilson Chair in Religious Freedom,Baylor University

R. Albert Mohler Jr.

President

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Yuval Levin

Fellow

The Ethics and Public Policy Center

Leith Anderson

President

National Association of Evangelicals

Alan E. Sears

President, CEO, General Counsel

Alliance Defending Freedom

Helen Alvare

Professor of Law

Scalia Law School at George Mason University

John Inazu

Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion

Washington University in St. Louis

Samuel Rodriguez

President

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Steven D. Smith

Warren Distinguished Professor of Law

University of San Diego

Ron Sider

Senior Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy

Palmer Seminary at Eastern University

Jo Anne Lyon

General Superintendent Emerita

The Wesleyan Church

Faizul Khan

Imam and Founder

Islamic Society of Washington Area

Michael Wear

Founder

Public Square Strategies

Paul Ague

President

San Diego Christian College

Daniel L. Akin

President

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Anthony W. Allen

President

Hannibal-­LaGrange University

Jason K. Allen

President

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and College

Ryan T. Anderson

William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow

The Heritage Foundation

Bruce Riley Ashford

Provost,Professor of Theology and Culture

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

John Ashmen

President

Association of Gospel Rescue Missions

DavidAzerrad

Director, B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics and AWC Family Foundation Fellow

The Heritage Foundation

Mark L. Bailey

President,Senior Professor of Bible Exposition

Dallas Theological Seminary

Gregory S. Baylor

Director

Center for Religious Schools Alliance Defending Freedom

Michael J. Beals

President

Vanguard University

Jim Belcher

President

Providence Christian College

Phillip Bethancourt

Executive Vice President

Ethics &Religious Liberty Commission

David Blankenhorn

President

Better Angels

Dan Boone

President

Trevecca Nazarene University

John C. Bowling

President

Olivet Nazarene University

John F. Bradosky

Presiding Bishop

North American Lutheran Church

Rick Brewer

President

Louisiana College

Bob Brower

President

Point Loma Nazarene University

Jennifer S. Bryson

Independent Scholar

Galen Carey

Vice President of Government Relations

National Association of Evangelicals

Stanley Carlson­-Thies

Founder and Senior Director

Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance

Matt Carter

Pastor of Preaching and Vision

The Austin Stone Community Church

Derry Connolly

President

John Paul the Great Catholic University

Barry Creamer

President

Criswell College

Michael Cromartie

Vice President

Ethics and Public Policy Center

Kevin A. Culbertson

Professor of Business; Chair of Business Department; MBA Program Chair

John Paul the Great Catholic University

Jerry C. Davis

President

College of the Ozarks

Mark DeMoss

President

DeMoss Public Relations

David S. Dockery

President

Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Jason G. Duesing

Provost

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and College

Ronald L. Ellis

President

California Baptist Seminary

Erick­-Woods Erickson

Editor

The Resurgent

Kevin Ezell

President

North American Mission Board

William Edmund Fahey

President and Fellow

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Thomas F. Farr

President Religious Freedom Institute and Director, Religious Freedom Project

Georgetown University

Matthew J. Franck

Director

Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution Witherspoon Institute

David French

Staff Writer

National Re

Richard W. Garnett

Paul J. Schierl/Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law

University of Notre Dame

Timothy George

Dean

Beeson Divinity School of Samford University

Tim Goeglein

Vice President

Focus on the Family

Sandra C. Gray

President

Asbury University

Thomas P. Harmon

Professor of Theology and Culture

John Paul the Great Catholic University

George A. Harne

President

Northeast Catholic College

Jack W. Haye

President

Patrick Henry College

Jairy C. Hunter, Jr.

President

Charleston Southern University

William H. Jones

President

Columbia International University

Hyepin Im

President and CEO

Korean Churches for Community Development

Jeff Iorg

President

Gateway Seminary

John Jackson

President

William Jessup University

Jeffrey Jeremiah

Stated Clerk

Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Jerry A. Johnson

President and CEO

National Religious Broadcasters

Jeffrey K. Jue

Provost and Executive Vice President

Westminster Theological Seminary

William J. Katip

President

Grace College and Seminary

Jonathan Keller

President

California Family Council

Chuck Kelley

President

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Thomas S. Kidd

Distinguished Professor of History

Baylor University

John A. Kincaid

Professor of Theology and Scripture

John Paul the Great Catholic University

Daniel Kroeze

Professor of Biblical Studies

Kuyper College

R. Alton Lacey

President

Missouri Baptist University

Richard Land

President

Southern Evangelical Seminary

Steve Lemke

Provost & Professor of Philosophy and Ethics

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Stephen D. Livesay

President

Bryan College

Bryan Loritts

Pastor

Abundant Life Christian Fellowship

Erwin W. Lutzer

Pastor Emeritus

The Moody Church, Chicago

Jennifer Marshall

Vice President, Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity

The Heritage Foundation

Brett McCracken

Managing Editor Biola Magazine

Biola University

Gerald R. McDermott

Anglican Chair of Divinity History and Doctrine

Beeson Divinity School

Michael F. McLean

President

Thomas Aquinas College

Steve Miller

University Counsel

Colorado Christian University

Greg Mitchell

Co­Chair

International Religious Freedom Roundtable

J. P. Moreland

Distinguished Professor of Philosophy

Biola University

Richard J. Mouw

Professor of Faith and Public Life

Fuller Theological Seminary

Jeff Myers

President

Summit Ministries

David Nammo

Executive Director and CEO

Christian Legal Society

Marvin Olasky

Editor and Chief

WORLD

Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver

President

Union University

Daniel Patterson

Chief of Staff

Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Paige Patterson

President

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Daniel Philpott

Professor of Political Science

University of Notre Dame

Matthew Pinson

President

Welch College

Charles W. Pollard

President

John Brown University

Ramesh Ponnuru

Senior Editor

National Re

Karen Swallow Prior

Professor of English

Liberty University

Dennis Rainey

CEO

FamilyLife

Patrick J. Reilly

President

The Cardinal Newman Society

R. R. Reno

Editor

First Things

Eugene F. Rivers III

Founder and President

Seymour Institute

Alan Robinson

National Director

Brethren in Christ Church, U.S.

Rocky Rocholl

President

Fellowship of Evangelical Churches

Gabriel Salguero

President

National Latino Evangelical Coalition

Richard Samuelson

Associate Professor

California State University, San Bernardino

Christof Sauer

Director

International Institute for Religious Freedom

Thomas Schirrmacher

Moderator of intrafaith and interfaith relations

World Evangelical Alliance

Timothy Samuel Shah

Associate Director Religious Freedom Project

Georgetown University

Robert Sloan

President

Houston Baptist University

Kevin L. Smith

Executive Director

Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware

Timothy L. Smith

President

University of Mobile

Roger L. Spradlin

Senior Pastor

Valley Baptist Church of Bakersfield, Calif.

Randy Stinson

Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Provost

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

John Stonestreet

President

Colson Center for Christian World

Tony Suarez

Executive Vice President

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

C. Pat Taylor

President

Southwest Baptist University

Justin Taylor

Executive Vice President for Book Publishing

Crossway

Peter W. Teague

President

Lancaster Bible College

Mark Tooley

President

Institute on Religion and Democracy

Jim Towey

President

Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fla.

A. B. Vines

Bishop

New Seasons Church

Robert K. Vischer

Dean and Mengler Chair in Law

University of St. Thomas School of Law

Kristen K. Waggoner

Senior Vice President of U.S. Legal Advocacy

Alliance Defending Freedom

Andrew T. Walker

Director of Policy Studies

Ethics &Religious Liberty Commission

Jon Wallace

President

Palmer Seminary at Eastern University

Edward Whelan

President

Ethics and Public Policy Center

Evans P. Whitaker

President

Anderson University

Thomas White

President

Cedarville University

David Wesley Whitlock

President

Oklahoma Baptist University

Luder G. Whitlock, Jr.

President Emeritus

Reformed Theological Seminary

Fermin A. Whittaker

Executive Director California Southern Baptist Convention

California Baptist University

William M. Wilson

President

Oral Roberts University

George O. Wood

General Superintendent

Assemblies of God

Adam C. Wright

President

Dallas Baptist University

Ashfin Ziafat

Lead Pastor

Providence Church