Essay Topic
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.”
Explain Leland’s statement and, drawing from historical and contemporary examples, assess his claim.
Eligibility
Open to all high school students in the graduating classes of 2009 and 2010.
Coordinator information
Students must have a submission coordinator review their essay. Coordinators must be a teacher or counselor at the applicant’s school or on staff at the applicant’s church or house of worship and cannot be the student’s parent. The coordinator reviews the essay to ensure that it meets all the necessary requirements, is free of typographical and grammatical errors and appropriately addresses the topic. A submission coordinator may work with more than one student. Coordinator forms are available here.
Prizes Awarded
First Place – $1,000 and travel and lodging for two to Washington, D.C.*
Second Place – $500
Third Place – $100
Winners will be announced in summer 2009 and will be featured in the Baptist Joint Committee’s Report from the Capital newsletter. The first place winner will be recognized at the BJC board meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2009.
* Trip includes reasonable travel and lodging expenses for the contest winner and accompanying parent or guardian to attend the BJC board meeting.
Length
700 (minimum) to 1,000 (maximum) words
Essays not meeting the length requirements will not be judged.
Due Date
March 2, 2009 (on or before)
Requirements
1. Submitted essays should be in 12-point type, double-spaced and with 1-inch page margins. Essays must have a title.
2. Sources must be credited in a bibliography.
3. Students should complete all fields on the registration form. To ensure fairness, no personal or identifying information should appear on the essay, only on the registration form. Registration forms are available here.
4. All forms and the essay should be mailed with a postmark no later than March 2, 2009.
Attn: Baptist Joint Committee Essay Contest
200 Maryland Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
Judging Criteria
Entries 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 and support their assertions. Essays should be free of grammatical errors and should be clear, concise and well-organized. Judges reserve the right to present no awards or to reduce the number of awards if an insufficient number of deserving entries is received.
For more information, contact Jeff Huett at 202-544-4226 or by e-mail at jhuett@BJConline.org.
Click here to download contest information packet.
Click here to download only a contest flier.
Click here to download only a registration form.
Click here to download only a coordinator form.
