Barry W. Lynn received his bachelor's degree at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania (1970) and his theology degree from Boston University School of Theology (1973). In addition to being an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, he is a member of the Washington, D.C. bar, earning his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center (1978). A long-time activist in the civil liberties field, Lynn has an impressive background in church-state issues and is currently the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a position he has held since October 1992.

Before accepting the post at Americans United, Lynn held a variety of positions related to religious liberty concerns. From 1984 to 1991 he was legislative counsel for the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union, where he frequently worked on church-state issues. From 1974 to 1980 Lynn served in a variety of positions with the national offices of the United Church of Christ, including a two-year stint as legislative counsel for the Church's Office of Church in Society in Washington, D.C.

An accomplished speaker and lecturer, Lynn has appeared frequently on radio broadcasts and television to debate and discuss First Amendment issues, including The MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour, NBC's Today Show, Nightline, Fox Morning News (Washington, D.C.), CNN's Crossfire, The Phil Donahue Show, Meet the Press, CBS Morning News, ABC's Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and Larry King Live. He is also a weekly commentator on church-state issues for UPI Radio, and served for two years as regular co-host of "Pat Buchanan and Company" on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

Lynn is the co-author of The Right to Religious Liberty: The Basic ACLU Guide to Religious Rights. He writes frequently on First Amendment issues, appearing in such publications as USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Nation ,