Oftentimes, during the last presidential election, the issue of freedom of religion took center stage. Regarding campaign themes, Mr. Trump took the opportunity to make this concept one of the cornerstones of his proposed, more urgent initiatives. It could even be argued that it was one of the main factors in coalescing people of faith behind his grand adventure toward the White House. To his credit, he not only made promises in this regard but also moved quickly to follow up with executive orders to facilitate at least the inclusion of the morality of faith back into the framework of American culture with the creation of the White House Faith Office. Jenny Korn, one of the key leaders in this effort, declares that her office "will help defend the freedom of religion in the United States." She goes further to state, "People may say in America, you still have all your religious liberties, but I can tell you thousands of stories of where people of faith have been discriminated against and where religion has been diminished by the government."

President Trump used his inaugural address to say, "America needs religion and faith in God." Again, in keeping with his pledge "to assist faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts to strengthen American families, promote work and self-sufficiency, and protect religious liberty," Mr. Trump also instituted a task force to work with the Faith Office on these issues. Attorney General Bondi, tasked with the leadership role of the Task Force, reiterated the president's pledge when she asserted, "It will not be tolerated to spew hate and hurt to people . . . and our office enforces that very strongly . . . to ensure there will be no bias, no discrimination, nothing hateful or hurtful against people." Not only is this Faith Office leading the way in rooting out anti-Christian discrimination, but it is also shepherding the fight against antisemitism on our nation's college campuses and working diligently to make sure that Jewish students are free from the violence and intimidation so rampant in recent months. Likewise, this Faith Office is fighting the persecution of Christians and Jews in the United States, while at the same time, it has taken up the mantle of doing so throughout the world. Noting that one in seven Christians around the world is persecuted, the Faith Office has additionally laid down the gauntlet to the "hot spots" "to ensure that our government works with other governments and does what is necessary" to curtail the ignominious and hurtful activity.

Those of us who hold ourselves out to be biblically based Christians laud President Trump's efforts. Even if we are sometimes befuddled by his actions, his efforts to curtail religious persecution in our nation and around the world are something "to hang our hat on." For many of us, this was and still is our nation's main issue. While the economy, illegal immigration, and the notion of global warming may grab the headlines, America must hold on to the foundation of religious morality upon which it was built. Although many of us in Christian leadership positions do not hold to the concept that America was created as a Christian nation nor to the idea that our nation should become some sort of theocracy, we continue to be concerned that our faith be welcomed with equal standing into the marketplace. That has not always been the case from the federal government's point of view. For too long, a biblical worldview in which the pet sins of the culture are identified as wrong has been delegated to the "trigger bin" of hate speech. In this regard, the mere act of disagreement becomes a grievous attack. 

Granted, the absolute truth found only in the God of the Bible needs to be spoken in love, but our nation desperately needs to hear that truth. It is imperative that this freedom of our faith given to us by God — not our government — should not be infringed upon by any earthly power. Our U.S. Constitution recognizes this most important inherent right in the very first amendment promulgated in our national Bill of Rights. Ultimately, a Christian should be the best citizen that America could desire. That is because we share hope with and for our nation. It is a hope that recognizes that our beloved country was indeed founded on the God-line principles of morality, along with the reality that any government, particularly a representative democracy, cannot long endure without that foundation.

At Southern Evangelical Seminary, we will not shy away from proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. Because of this, we are thankful that the present administration is casting a friendly hand toward preserving this precious right. Nevertheless, we recognize that we may be rowing against a swiftly moving current shortly. Whatever the case, we will remain steadfast in the only absolute truth that matters: the proclamation of the message of a God who loved us so deeply that He sent His only Son to redeem humanity from our sinful state. This Messiah Christ rose again on the third day in the total defeat of mankind's greatest enemy, and one sweet day, the eastern sky will open for His glorious return. Herein lies our hope for not only our nation but the entire world as well.