- Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Will President-elect Donald Trump save American Christianity in 2025? Plainly stated: No. Authentic biblical faith doesn’t need a human savior and has flourished for centuries amid some of the most horrific acts of persecution.

But while Mr. Trump most certainly isn’t a theological savior or redeemer, there’s something we absolutely must acknowledge: his political reascension will certainly bring about conditions that enable Christians — and Americans of all religious stripes — to practice their faith more fully and authentically.

In an era of rampant secularism and cultural tides attempting to wipe away public professions of faith, a second Trump administration offers a new political era of promise for the faithful. And while politics and faith aren’t synonymous, policy unquestionably impacts religious expression.

Over the summer, I detailed in a column why many Christians were terrified over a potential Kamala Harris presidency, citing her perceived hostility toward certain religious ideals, her obsessive focus on abortion, her strange devotion to perplexing social positions and her active efforts to advance legislation seen as hampering religious freedom and liberty. 

Progressives such as Ms. Harris have for too long uttered rhetoric seemingly friendly to faith while attempting to diminish and crack down on religious freedoms. While lambasting Mr. Trump as a pervasive “threat to democracy,” these same folks spent years attempting to erode protections enshrined under the First Amendment.

One of the biggest problems with the terrifying narratives crafted around Mr. Trump has been a glaring reality: his policies and efforts — based on his first term and recent proclamations — would presumably be antidotes to most of Ms. Harris’ aforementioned issues.

Just consider that the president-elect has repeatedly made his horror clear regarding the plights of people such as Joe Kennedy, a former high school football coach who lost his job after praying on the 50-yard line following games. Mr. Kennedy, who went on to win a Supreme Court case granting him the right to invoke the Lord after games, is among those for whom Mr. Trump has advocated.

“So, you’re not allowed to pray before a football game?” Mr. Trump said in 2016 after learning about Mr. Kennedy’s plight. “I thought it was horrible.” He went on to also call it “very sad and outrageous.”

Mr. Trump also supported religious liberty across the globe, with his administration taking the stunning step of declaring Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations — mainly the slaughter of Christians. The Biden administration inexplicably removed Nigeria’s designation on that list the next year despite deadly violence persisting.

There are plenty of other examples surrounding Mr. Trump’s pro-faith posture. In 2020, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs released guidance offering religious exemptions to federal contractors, further exhibiting the administration’s efforts to respect faith. 

“Religious organizations should not have to fear that acceptance of a federal contract or subcontract will require them to abandon their religious character or identity,” Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said at the time.

And, earlier that same year, Mr. Trump’s administration took additional action to “further safeguard students’ constitutionally protected right to pray in school,” heralding the importance of faith and free exercise.

“Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions,” Mr. Trump said.

On the gender front, the president-elect has made it clear that he will take a stand against the madness that has driven many of our institutions. 

With hundreds of school districts reportedly enacting policies to conceal students’ gender identities from parents, Mr. Trump’s pledges to rein in the bedlam could pave the way for sanity — and the protection of biological women in sports, locker rooms and other quarters. 

Meanwhile, abortion continues to be a contentious issue in America, though the principle of respecting all life — including the unborn — is certainly one Christians care about. Despite Mr. Trump’s efforts to sideline the issue as one of federal import, it’s impossible to ignore that his chosen Supreme Court justices ensured Roe v. Wade was defeated, with abortion regulations being sent back to the states.

The irony surrounding Mr. Trump isn’t lost on most. He’s boisterous, often offensive and sometimes overly simplistic in how he tackles the complexities of faith. But his track record on religious liberty and policies that help further faith practices are patently undeniable.

Ultimately, Mr. Trump isn’t in a position to “save” Christianity, nor would it be appropriate to assume that holy truths equate to policy proclivities. 

But it’s undeniable that the president-elect has put issues important to many faithful Americans center-stage and that his next term — pending the past acts and rhetoric are any indicator — will create a situation ripe for the exercise of First Amendment freedoms. And this is precisely what America needs right now to right the ship: faith, hope, prayer and truth.

• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.

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