If there’s one thing I’ve always said, it’s that Christians should never check their faith at the door when they enter the public square. So, let me start by practicing what I preach. Like you, I’ve heard all of the allegations about Donald Trump’s past, his years of baggage and personal failings. I don’t pretend to know what’s true and what isn’t — certainly not now, in an environment as toxic as ours. But there is a truth I do know: faith in Jesus Christ that calls us to live with moral clarity in everything we do. And that means calling sin, sin.

Earlier this week, in a lengthy interview published by Politico’s Edward-Isaac Dovere, I was asked about an accusation of infidelity that’s resurfaced against Donald Trump from 2006. I explained to Dovere what I’ve said before: if this were happening today, his evangelical support would not exist. Adultery was wrong then, and it’s wrong now. If the rumors turn out to be true, then that behavior is unconscionable. No question. Where wrongdoing is brought to light, it is exactly that: wrongdoing.

Donald Trump has denied this latest allegation through his attorney, and we can find some comfort in his openness about his past mistakes. “I’ve never said I’m a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I’m not,” he told Americans before the election when a vulgar tape surfaced. “I’ve said and done things I regret. And the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me know these words don’t reflect who I am. I said it, it was wrong, and I apologize.”

As I said when that footage was released in October of 2016, his actions were inappropriate and disturbing. I did not then, and I will not now, try to rationalize or excuse this type of behavior. But let’s also be realistic: Americans can only hold President Donald Trump accountable for what he does in office. We can’t do anything about the past. Americans may not like it, find it distasteful, and wish it hadn’t happened — but it did. Like any of us, he needs to own his failings and take responsibility for his actions. And in some of these cases, I believe he did.

That’s why, in explaining how evangelicals could come to the point of supporting Mr. Trump, I told the reporter that we — of all people — understand new beginnings. So, our attitude toward Trump politically was, “You get a mulligan. You get a do-over here.” Some people interpreted that statement — incorrectly — as excusing, or worse, condoning, Donald Trump’s past behaviors. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

As I said again on CNN Tuesday night, I was not an early supporter of Mr. Trump because of his past personal conduct. But, after the candidate I was supporting dropped out of the race, it became a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. So, I began communicating what I thought it would take for Mr. Trump to gain evangelical support. You may recall that we said he would: 1) need to commit to appointing pro-life judges, 2) choose a conservative pro-life, pro-family running mate with a solid record, and 3) agree not to undermine or dilute the conservative GOP platform. To my amazement (and several others’), he not only met but exceeded the high bar we had set. No other Republican nominee had ever pledged to nominate “pro-life” judges. Mr. Trump put it in writing and released it to the nation.

This is all the more remarkable because I’ve worked on the GOP platform since 2004. And every election, we’ve had to battle the Republican presidential campaign on many conservative planks. The Trump campaign not only didn’t fight us, it worked with us. As the GOP nominee, Donald Trump embraced the platform, which helped turn the election from a contrast of personalities into an election about policies. And what has he done since he earned our support? A lot of what he pledged to do. In fact, he’s done more than any recent president to advance the values and policies that are critical to making America a good and prosperous nation.

On CNN, I restated that our support of the president is conditional. If Donald Trump were to stop keeping his promises or revert to the behavior of his past, evangelicals would quickly exit his base of support — and I would lead the way. But the reality is, he has kept his promises, so why would we stop supporting him based on allegations of repugnant behavior from more than a decade ago? What’s changed since the election?

Does that mean we don’t wrestle with the president’s tone or cringe at some of his inartful tweets? Not at all. Character matters. Personal conduct matters. It’s up to us to use our influence to ensure that the president does his very best to live in a way that doesn’t dishonor his office or the American people. But let’s also be clear: Evangelicals have never looked at Donald Trump as a role model. They’re looking at his record as president.

As Rev. Franklin Graham pointed out, “We certainly don’t hold him up as the pastor of this country, and he’s not. But I appreciate the fact that the president does have a concern for Christian values, he does have a concern to protect Christians — whether it’s here at home or around the world — and I appreciate the fact that he protects religious liberty and freedom.”

When Dovere asked me if I vouched for Trump as a moral leader, I made it clear that I vouched for his leadership in delivering his promises. To this point, he’s making positive change in our country that evangelicals can support and all Americans benefit from. I’m not saying his performance as president can buy him grace — only Christ can do that. And while evangelicals can give him a mulligan regarding their political support, only through repentance and God’s forgiveness can he have a totally new start.

I respect that there are some very frustrated conservatives out there who the Left is seeking to distract and divide. But if we care about the future of our nation, we have to deal in the present. This isn’t blind allegiance on the part of evangelicals. This is reasoned support for a political leader who has made and kept his campaign promises.

Originally published here.

Senate Dems to the Persecuted: We Don’t Care

Vice President Mike Pence just returned from a trip to the Middle East, but his most important work for the region may have been done yesterday. After a six-month wait, Donald Trump’s second-in-command broke the Senate tie that filled one of the most important jobs in the administration: Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom. It was an excruciating delay — not just for Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS), who will assume the post, but for the millions of persecuted men and women around the world. Now, at long last, the help they’ve been waiting for has arrived.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), one of Congress’s outspoken leaders on the issue, congratulated Sam’s nomination. “The United States,” he warned, “must not become numb to these violations of a fundamental human right. Instead, we must act. Confirmation of Sam Brownback as the Ambassador-at-Large sends a message to the world that religious freedom is a priority of the United States government. It is an important first step, but we cannot stop there…” Then, explaining the significance to our own nation, he urged, “As a world leader for freedom and the protection of basic human rights, the United States should take every opportunity to advocate for people — including Americans here at home — to think, believe, and act according to their religious belief whether they belong to a minority or majority religion in their nation.”

Americans, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) reminded everyone, are “First Amendment people.” “We believe that we’re all creedal minorities, protecting each other’s rights to debate, to evangelize, and to worship. We ought to defend and cultivate that freedom. Governor Sam Brownback will bring years of expertise and stature to this important new calling and I wish him Godspeed as Religious Freedom Ambassador.”

If anything dampened the celebration, it was Senate Democrats — not one of whom crossed party lines on what should be a consensus confirmation. The protection of religious liberty around the world wasn’t a polarizing issue — until yesterday, when 49 members of the party that created the position refused to put politics aside. In a single vote, they positioned themselves to the left of even Barack Obama, who, in 2016, took the job out of the low levels of bureaucracy and made it a direct report to the secretary of state. If the administration with the worst record on religious liberty could recognize the importance of this post, what does that say about today’s Democrats? Do they even care about basic human rights?

Their objections shouldn’t have anything to do with Sam Brownback. He’s spent his entire career defending the rights of suffering people around the globe. I’ve known Sam since he was first in Washington, and I can assure you, he’s been championing this issue since his earliest days. If anyone should understand Brownback’s long history of supporting religious and ethnic minorities, it’s his former Senate colleagues. Amazingly, liberals complain that Sam focuses too many of his efforts on the plight of Christians. But guess what? They happen to the most persecuted faith group in the world! (See for yourself in Open Doors USA’s annual 2018 report.)

Regardless, one look at Brownback’s record ought to put their phony bias claims to rest. Even two decades ago, Sam was an outspoken defender of Jewish minorities in Russia, the Baha'i in Iran, and the persecuted Roma community in Europe. If anyone is discriminating, it’s Senate Democrats, who, in these harrowing days of faith-based genocide, can’t put politics aside and join Republicans in delivering the relief the world so desperately needs.

As Gov. Brownback reiterated in his confirmation hearing, “This position of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom is integral to our priority foreign policy goals, and if confirmed I pledge to use my energies and the range of diplomatic tools to strengthen international religious freedom issues and concerns in U.S. foreign policy.” For millions of people, this isn’t a diplomatic mission — it’s a rescue mission. “Time is short,” Sam warned. “Every passing day finds more people persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for simply practicing their innermost convictions.”

The whole world is suffering from the lack of American leadership on this issue. President Trump has done his part. It’s a disgrace that Democrats won’t do theirs.

Originally published here.

Building Blocs in the Faith Vote

If you’re wondering why the Left and media spend so much time shaming Christians for the president’s past moral failings, look no further than George Barna’s latest survey which finds that “the born again segment has remained generally supportive of President Trump.” Among those with a biblical worldview, President Trump has a 68 percent approval rating. And among the all-important SAGE CON category of adults (Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservative Christians), 51 percent say the president has “done better than they expected.”

You may recall exit polls from the last election showing evangelicals turned out in large numbers and voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump (81 percent). Nearly 60 percent of all Trump voters told pollsters that Trump’s embrace of the GOP platform’s positions on unborn human life and religious liberty made them “more likely” to cast a ballot for him. The party platform turned the election focus from personalities to policy. The media took note of the Christian conservative impact on the last election and now they are taking note of the growing relationship between Trump and this voting bloc as he fulfills promise after promise.

The Left and the media are furious as Trump continues to roll back Obama era social policies and they are striking back by working overtime to drive a wedge between the president and his base. Their aim is to stigmatize conservatives so that they disengage or lose focus. But this poll shows born-again Christians aren’t taking the bait. Remember, influence is a two-way street. Never underestimate yours in bringing this president along on the values that matter most.

Originally published here.

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This is a publication of the Family Research Council.