2026 Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State

Religious freedom and civil rights are often treated as separate stories. They are not.

Both ask whether every person can live according to conscience, belong fully in their community and participate equally in public life. This October, we are bringing those histories into the same conversation and we would love for you to join us.

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BJC and Wake Forest University invite you to the 2026 Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State.

This year’s theme is “Faith and Freedom at 250: Religious Liberty, Justice, and the Unfinished Work of Democracy.”

Lecture by Maya Wiley | October 21 at 5 p.m. ET
President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Porter Byrum Welcome Center
Wake Forest University

Conversation with Maya Wiley, Audra Savage, and Amanda Tyler | October 22 at 11 a.m. ET
Moderated by Corey D. B. Walker
Worrell Professional Center
Wake Forest University School of Law

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Explore with us the historical disconnect between church-state law and civil-rights law and what that separation has prevented us from seeing about the American story. Join us for a dialogue on race, religion, constitutional history, and religious liberty and consider how a fuller understanding of our past can strengthen freedom for everyone.

Bring a colleague, friend or member of your congregation and join us for one or both events. And if you can’t make it to Winston-Salem, the October 21 lecture will be livestreamed and recorded. The October 22 conversation will be recorded and shared after the event.

We look forward to seeing you there.