There’ve been a lot of wise men in the White House. But this Christmas, there are three more in the East Room, where the Trumps are highlighting a larger-than-life nativity scene. That’s just one of the ways the First Family is separating itself from the Obamas, who came dangerously close to ditching the 50-year-old display in 2009. There wasn’t room for Jesus at the inn — and for eight years, there wasn’t much room for him at 1600 Pennsylvania either.

The Obamas famously wanted a “non-religious Christmas” (which makes about as much sense as a vegetarian barbeque). But they were outed by their social secretary, Desiree Rogers, according to an eye-opening profile piece in The New York Times. “The lunch conversation inevitably turned to whether the White House would display its crèche, customarily placed in a prominent spot in the East Room. Ms. Rogers, this participant said, replied that the Obamas did not intend to put the manger scene on display — a remark that drew an audible gasp from the tight-knit social secretary sisterhood. (A White House official confirmed that there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive and whether to display the crèche.)”

Ultimately, the Obamas caved to pressure and included the nativity in its décor. For two terms, that was the extent of Christmas in the White House. There were no mentions of Christmas on official cards — and only a smattering of references in eight years of greetings and special events. After eight years of making political correctness a state religion, it’s really no wonder Americans flocked to a man who isn’t afraid to call the season what it is.

“You go to stores, you don’t see the word Christmas,” Donald Trump argued on the campaign trail. “It says ‘happy holidays’ all over. I say, ‘Where’s Christmas?’ I tell my wife, ‘Don’t go to those stores’… I want to see Christmas.” Thanks to the president and first lady, Americans are seeing Christmas. The White House is alive with tradition, from the “Merry Christmas” on the White House card to its official hashtag #WHChristmas. To the Trumps, it’s just another way of keeping their promise.

“Something I said so much during the last two years, but I’ll say it again, as we approach the end of the year, you know we’re getting near that beautiful Christmas season that people don’t talk about anymore,” the president said at last month’s Values Voter Summit. “They don’t use the word Christmas because it’s not politically correct. You go to department stores, and they’ll say ‘Happy New Year,’ and they’ll say other things. It’ll be red. They’ll have it painted. Well, guess what? We’re saying Merry Christmas again.”

The crowd erupted in cheers — completely baffling the media. Like most liberals, they couldn’t understand why the issue resonated so much with conservatives. Other reporters almost mocked the line, latching on to it as another silly soundbite on an issue they consider so trivial. But to every Christian in that room, the president was talking about a lot more than the war on Christmas. He was speaking directly into the fight for religious liberty in America.

Maybe the mainstream media didn’t notice how stifled Christians were under Barack Obama’s government — how everything they said or wore or posted was scrutinized (or worse, punished). After two terms of the most hostile administration to faith the country has ever seen, I guarantee no one takes the simplest expression — “Merry Christmas” — for granted. To the people who elected Donald Trump, this isn’t just about putting Christ in a day. It’s about putting faith back in American life.

Originally published here.

The Canterbury Tailspin on Truth

Britain’s archbishop of Canterbury is considered a “top religious authority” — but after his latest interview, few understand why. The leader of the Church of England has absolutely no grasp on the biblical foundations of his faith, yet feels quite free criticizing Americans who do.

In an interview over the weekend, he lashed out at U.S. evangelicals for their enthusiastic support of President Trump — seemingly clueless of all the administration has done to advance religious liberty and expression in America. The Most Rev. Justin Welby was asked about Christians’ strong backing of Donald Trump on IVT’s “Preston on Sunday” and replied, “There’s two things going through my mind: Do I say what I think, or do I say what I should say? And I’m going to say what I think. No, I don’t understand it. I really genuinely do not understand where that is coming from.”

Well, the feeling is mutual. Evangelicals, who believe the Bible, were just as baffled by Webly’s approval of same-sex marriage as the head of the Church of England. Calling them “right and proper,” Welby also said that he couldn’t “give a straight answer” on whether homosexual behavior is a sin. “I am having to struggle to be … faithful to Scripture,” he told GQ. No kidding. As England’s “spiritual leader,” Welby ought to know better than anyone that the government can legalize a sinful act, but they can’t make it morally right.

Say what you will about Donald Trump, but there shouldn’t be any mystery about his base’s support — unless, as his statements suggest, Welby doesn’t understand Christian orthodoxy. Listen to Trump’s campaign promises, and then look at his administration’s actions. He’s pursuing policies on life and religious freedom that are more consistent with biblical principles than any president in decades. In all honesty, it’s a sad commentary on the state of the church when politicians take positions that are more in line with biblical truth than its so-called leaders.

Originally published here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.