1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

I write to you as a concerned citizen and a committed member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. After careful consideration and prayer, I respectfully object to the nomination of Mr. Jonathan Berry to serve as Solicitor of Labor. Mr. Berry's role in Project 2025, and his support for potential expansion and more restrictive labor policies under the Fair Labor Standards Act—particularly regarding rest days—suggest an imminent threat to our cherished American tradition of religious liberty. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has historically opposed all forms of legislation that would promote a rest day (aka Sabbath), especially if there are penalties for noncompliance. Sunday "blue laws" are not just a legacy of the colonial era; I recognize these laws have been present off and on in various states in the not too recent past. The spiritual and constitutional danger of civil enforcement of religious observance remains deeply relevant in 2025. Our concerns are not only historical but theological. As a Seventh-day Adventist, I am under conviction that the seventh day (Saturday) is the biblical Sabbath, instituted by God at creation and reaffirmed in the fourth commandment. I choose to refrain from many commercial and other secular activities during the seventh-day Sabbath. The observance of the Sabbath is an act of worship that belongs to God alone; it does not bear Caesar's superscription and thus cannot rightly fall under civil legislation. I recognize that my religious beliefs and practices are not in harmony with mainstream culture, and I oppose any government action to mandate seventh-day Sabbath observance because it would be a threat to the religious liberty of others. Similarly, establishing Sunday (the first day of the week) as an official day of rest, and imposing federal restrictions on commerce and other secular activities, would violate the religious liberty of millions of Americans, including many devout believers as well as nonbelievers. I pray that God will guide you in your decision regarding Mr. Berry, and that your actions will preserve and strengthen the foundational pillar of religious liberty.