Though evangelicals aren’t that excited about Donald Trump’s irreligious past, they are very happy for what he is doing to help them with their agendas and issues. At last week’s prayer breakfast, Trump reaffirmed his campaign promise to give them more power in government by removing the Johnson Amendment (which prevents churches and pastors from political activity).
Trump has become a robust advocate for conservative Christian priorities, since they are key to his political success. During his first few days as U.S. President he spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. “I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment,” he said, “and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution.”
Here are some of his key actions so far.
• The Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch, a strong social conservative. Judge Gorsuch has never ruled in an abortion case, but he has sided with religious conservatives in key cases and wrote a book opposing physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.
• The appearance by Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, and a top adviser, Kellyanne Conway, at last week’s annual antiabortion march. Vice President Pence was the highest-level government official ever to appear in person at the March for Life.
• The reinstatement, by executive order, of a US government ban on funding for international groups that provide abortion counseling.
• Agreement that “persecuted Christians” would be given priority as refugees.
• Trump is reportedly considering an executive order titled, “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom.”
“Evangelicals are particularly important to Trump,” says John Green, an expert on religion and politics at the University of Akron in Ohio. “On two issues – abortion and the Supreme Court – he made some pretty strong promises during the campaign, and at least so far he has kept them.”
Trump won 80 percent of the white evangelical vote during the election. What sealed the deal for many evangelicals and got them out to vote was Trump’s campaign promise to appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court.
Note the circumstances that brought the evangelicals out to vote for Trump. Dislike of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and her strong support for abortion and gay rights, a vacancy on the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, resistance to former President Obama’s nomination, Merrick Garland, for that seat, and Trump’s all out promise to nominate conservative justices to the high court, all contributed to the motivation of conservative Christians to vote.
Trump is staying close to his religious support base. In an interview with conservative Christian Broadcasting Network Trump said he relies on God more than ever as President. “I would say that the office is so powerful that you need God even more,” he told the Brody File. “There’s almost not a decision that you make when you’re sitting in this position that isn’t a really life-altering position. So God comes in even more so.”
Another factor that reassured many conservative Christians about Trump was his running mate Mike Pence who describes himself as “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican – in that order.” Pence is a poster child for the religious right.
Trump is certainly playing to his support base. He is willing to do what they demand of him for the most part. Think what that could mean in light of the following statement.
“The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected.” The Great Controversy, page 592.