"I believe the Lord has given us a very brief window in this country to repent from our wicked ways, confess our sins—personal and corporate—and thank Him for His fresh mercy and grace that forgives, heals and restores when we humbly turn to Him," Franklin Graham said.
I recently had the privilege of attending an extraordinary meeting of evangelical Christians invited to the White House by President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania.
In just two years, his administration has accomplished more than any other president in decades to defend religious freedom, turn the tide of the Supreme Court and protect ordinary Americans who have been under siege for practicing our Christian beliefs. Not only did we have the opportunity to hear personally from the president, but he took time to hear our concerns and join us in prayer.
“America is a nation of believers,” President Trump told us. “We know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life. And we know that freedom is a gift from our Creator.”
I recently had the privilege of attending an extraordinary meeting of evangelical Christians invited to the White House by President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania.
In just two years, his administration has accomplished more than any other president in decades to defend religious freedom, turn the tide of the Supreme Court and protect ordinary Americans who have been under siege for practicing our Christian beliefs. Not only did we have the opportunity to hear personally from the president, but he took time to hear our concerns and join us in prayer.
“America is a nation of believers,” President Trump told us. “We know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life. And we know that freedom is a gift from our Creator.”
Franklin Graham shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the dinner in celebration of evangelical leadership Aug. 27 in the State Dining Room of the White House. Photograph: Official White House photo.
You can imagine how encouraging it was to hear those words! I’ve had the opportunity to meet every president since Lyndon Johnson, but I’ve never seen a moment like this, where the leader of the free world celebrated our religious liberty and godly values as the bedrock principles that our nation is built upon.
When you think about what has happened over the past two years, it’s incredible how the entire federal landscape has changed from a previous administration that was openly hostile to people of faith, to the one today that not only welcomes evangelicals but aggressively fights to protect our religious liberty.
“In recent years, the government tried to undermine religious freedom,” the president told us. “But the attacks on communities of faith are over. We’ve ended it.”
One reason the president has been so successful is that he has been supported in Congress. That could change in November, when midterm elections are held across the nation.
Although religious liberty should be encouraged by both major parties, experience is showing that, currently, only the Republicans have been friendly toward people of faith on matters of religious liberty. They hold a slim, two-seat majority in the Senate and a 44-seat majority in the House. Just a slight shift in the makeup of either House or Senate could endanger some of the major victories the Trump administration has made to defend and protect our religious liberties.
Just a few months into his term, President Trump signed an executive order to safeguard religious freedom. “It shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce federal law’s robust protections for religious freedom,” the order stated. “Federal law protects the freedom of Americans and their organizations to exercise religion and participate fully in civic life without undue interference by the federal government.”
Amen!
You can imagine how encouraging it was to hear those words! I’ve had the opportunity to meet every president since Lyndon Johnson, but I’ve never seen a moment like this, where the leader of the free world celebrated our religious liberty and godly values as the bedrock principles that our nation is built upon.
When you think about what has happened over the past two years, it’s incredible how the entire federal landscape has changed from a previous administration that was openly hostile to people of faith, to the one today that not only welcomes evangelicals but aggressively fights to protect our religious liberty.
“In recent years, the government tried to undermine religious freedom,” the president told us. “But the attacks on communities of faith are over. We’ve ended it.”
One reason the president has been so successful is that he has been supported in Congress. That could change in November, when midterm elections are held across the nation.
Although religious liberty should be encouraged by both major parties, experience is showing that, currently, only the Republicans have been friendly toward people of faith on matters of religious liberty. They hold a slim, two-seat majority in the Senate and a 44-seat majority in the House. Just a slight shift in the makeup of either House or Senate could endanger some of the major victories the Trump administration has made to defend and protect our religious liberties.
Just a few months into his term, President Trump signed an executive order to safeguard religious freedom. “It shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce federal law’s robust protections for religious freedom,” the order stated. “Federal law protects the freedom of Americans and their organizations to exercise religion and participate fully in civic life without undue interference by the federal government.”
Amen!