President Donald J. Trump used the occasion of the National Day of Prayer to sign an executive order establishing a new faith-based office charged with insuring that religious and community organizations have the full support of the government – and he used a powerful conversion story to highlight what a difference faith can make!
According to CBS News.com, the president signed the new order during a Rose Garden ceremony yesterday. The order establishes the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative which will be responsible for making sure that faith-based organizations have “equal access to government funding and equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs.”
The new office will also be charged with informing the administration of “any failures of the executive branch to comply with religious liberty protections under law.”
As the order states: “Faith-based and community organizations have tremendous ability to serve individuals, families, and communities through means that are different from those of government and with capacity that often exceeds that of government. These organizations lift people up, keep families strong, and solve problems at the local level. The executive branch wants faith-based and community organizations, to the fullest opportunity permitted by law, to compete on a level playing field for grants, contracts, programs, and other Federal funding opportunities. The efforts of faith-based and community organizations are essential to revitalizing communities, and the Federal Government welcomes opportunities to partner with such organizations through innovative, measurable, and outcome-driven initiatives.”
The president said he took this step “because we know that in solving the many many problems and our great challenges, faith is more powerful than government and nothing is more powerful than God.”
This is the second time the president used the occasion of the National Day of Prayer to sign an executive order aimed at protecting the religious freedom of Americans. In 2017, he issued an order that would allow the IRS to opt not to enforce the onerous Johnson Amendment which prohibits nonprofits such as churches and charities from “directly or indirectly” engaging in a political campaign.
The same order also provided regulatory relief from Obamacare requirements that religious organizations such as the Little Sisters of the Poor provide contraception care in their employee health plans.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who attended the Rose Garden ceremony yesterday, applauded the president’s latest move, saying that unlike the previous administration which was openly hostile to religion, the Trump administration is embracing it.
“In sharp contrast to the previous administration, President Trump is committed to protecting and promoting religious freedom 365 days year. . . and the actions of this administration back it up,” Perkins says.
“The new office, which will report directly to the White House, won’t be a symbolic gesture or a pretext for pet projects, but a commitment to ensure the ability of individuals of faith to be at home in every U.S. agency. Unlike past offices, Trump’s emphasis is giving faith groups a stronger voice on areas like poverty, religious liberty, education, family, prisoner reform, mental health, and human trafficking. This White House wants religious groups and organizations to have “strong advocates” across the federal government — which is a radical departure from the presidents of the past.”
A highlight of the ceremony was the moment when the president called on a man named John Ponder, a fatherless kid who grew up on the streets and in gangs. At the age of 38, he was jailed for robbing a bank and put in solitary confinement. It was here that “God found him,” the president said.
After listening to Christian radio, John woke up one night and heard the words of Billy Graham in his head and immediately accepted Jesus Christ as his savior.
On the first day John got out of jail, there was a knock on his door. It was FBI Special Agent Richard Beasley – the same man who put him in jail. “I want you to know that I’ve been praying for you very strongly,” Beasley told him. “God called me to the FBI in part because of you, John.”
John is now working full-time in prison ministry.
“You notice a big difference between now and two or three years ago?” the president asked. “[America] was going in the other direction rapidly, right? Now, it’s straight up.”
Perkins agrees. “What an incredible difference this administration has made in the simple expression and acknowledgement of faith! Two years ago, he’s absolutely right. These men wouldn’t have been held up as an example — Richard probably would have lost his job . . . Under Obama, they wouldn’t have been an illustration of devoted service, but unacceptable behavior!”
Thankfully, “No longer are Americans punished or excluded from the public square because of their faith,” Perkins adds. “Rather they are welcomed and protected by our government.”
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