In a move that would have infuriated the mainstream media, if they weren’t so preoccupied with pretending there is a Russian behind every bush in the Rose Garden, Vice President Mike Pence put in a surprise visit at the Watchmen on the Wall Conference in Washington, D.C. last week. Pence highlighted the many accomplishments of the Trump administration that are specifically pro-Christian and encouraged the pastors in attendance to continue their important duty of preaching the gospel.
We have to say, it’s a breath of fresh air to finally see a Protestant back in the Executive branch of the government. Prior to Mike Pence, Attorney General John Ashcroft was the last prominent Protestant to serve in the Executive branch. Remember him? That was back in 2005.
The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a Roman Catholic, lamented the fact that the Supreme Court had been dominated by Jewish and Roman Catholic jurists for decades. Without a member of the founding faith of America on the court, Scalia wondered how the court could hope to remain ideologically true to our nation’s founding documents?
In that same vein, one of the first accomplishments of the Trump administration was to successfully appoint Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court. Gorsuch was raised Catholic but attends Protestant services and appears to have converted to the faith.
More recently, President Trump signed changes to Title X funding into law. This effectively restricts Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics from receiving taxpayer money unless they stop performing abortions. Some abortion clinics that were established in rural areas by the Bush administration are already shutting down as taxpayer money dries up, prompting Planned Parenthood to dust off its old rhetoric about “abortion deserts” in America.
With Neil Gorsuch providing a nominally “conservative” tilt to the Supreme Court, a case challenging Arkansas’ ban on abortion pills was rejected (meaning the Arkansas law will remain in place). In a nutshell, the Trump administration has been the most pro-life administration in power since the passage of Roe v. Wade when you measure its accomplishments.
Vice President Pence also told the pastors’ conference that the Trump administration is dedicated to stamping out all aspects of the 1954 Johnson Amendment. President Trump campaigned on abolishing this speech-killing amendment and has publicly vowed that it will not be enforced by his administration.
Barack Obama must be kicking himself for all the times he abused the concept of prosecutorial discretion, because it has given the Trump administration all sorts of ideas like this.
The Johnson Amendment lumped churches – which are nonprofits by their very nature, according to IRS code – in with 501(c)3 organizations. This effectively muzzled pastors from discussing politics or godless politicians if their church incorporates as a 501(c)3. By nuking the Johnson Amendment, the Trump administration has restored religious and speech freedoms that had been denied to churches since 1954. Imagine the slide into totalitarianism that America has undergone since the 1950s and you will begin to see how important this policy shift is.
Vice President Pence’s message to the pastors was two-fold: We are carrying out the job that Christians sent us to Washington to do, so it is up to Christians to carry out their side of the bargain – by preaching the gospel. America cannot be truly “great again” if she is divorced from her founding faith. Mr. Pence stressed the importance of preaching in season and out of season, and always being able to give a reason for the hope that is in us.
Sharing the gospel with others is the most pro-life action that Christian can take, for example. The practice of abortion was prominent in the Roman Empire and within Israel during the time of Jesus. Yet we are given no accounts of Paul or the other apostles chaining themselves to the doors of ancient abortion clinics. They preached the gospel instead, because the surest way to reduce abortion lies not in civil disobedience or in relying on politicians to do the heavy lifting. Look where that’s gotten us so far!
Paul understood that the revolutionary act of sharing the gospel and changing hearts and minds was the surest way to transform the anti-Christian culture he was in. Vice President Pence seems to understand this as well, based on his message for all of us. So, if you want to take part in the effort to make America great again – share the gospel with someone today!
~ Christian Patriot Daily
