On the National Day of Prayer, President Donald J. Trump began a process to get rid of a governmental gag on the church, which must have been an answer to prayer for many.
When Trump campaigned for president, he met with a large group of pastors who were supportive. But when he asked for their endorsement, they all looked at the ground. He asked what was wrong, and someone told him about the so-called Johnson Amendment. The amendment was named for then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson in 1954 and stated no church or 501(c)3 charity could endorse anyone for office. In reality, only one church has lost its tax-exempt status, but the “threat” has kept many pastors from speaking out on biblical issues such as abortion and homosexual rights because these have become “political” debates.
Trump instantly realized something should change and quickly made this a theme of his candidacy—that he would protect religious rights, including repealing the Johnson Amendment. After a little more than 100 days in office, he made good on that promise. Wednesday night he had dinner with about 45 Christian leaders. Pastor Jim Garlow was one of those who attended. He recorded this iPhone video that has already received more that 100,000 views.
I interviewed Garlow on my “Strang Report” podcast. You can hear his description of how the president spent more than two hours with the pastors, then gave them a tour of the private part of the White House. That’s a rare treat!
On Thursday in a ceremony in the Rose Garden, Trump signed his executive order. You can read all about it in the news report that ran on charismanews.com.
Listen to my podcast and watch the video to get the behind-the-scenes view of what happened. I asked Garlow where he believes the president is spiritually. If I don’t tell you the answer, maybe you’ll be more motivated to listen to the podcast.
No matter what you think of Donald Trump or his policies, I believe it’s clear he has been a friend of conservative Christians and is making good on his campaign promises as he did yesterday. Be sure to share this with friends and leave your comments. {eoa}
