Trump vows to ‘defend Christian values’ from the Left at National Religious Broadcasters Convention

The Left is sure to unleash on Trump over his remarks at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention in Nashville:

“Trump tells religious broadcasters he’ll defend Christianity against perceived threats from the left,” by Will Weissert, Associated Press, February 23, 2024:

Former President Donald Trump promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and even suggested he’d shield the faith’s central iconography, warning a convention of religious broadcasters on Thursday night that the left wants “to tear down crosses.”

“Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them,” Trump told hundreds of cheering attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville. “And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both.”

“Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them…..And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both.”

The Associated Press uses the words “perceived threats” in its headline to describe the real threats from the Left. Wokeness has become a religion in itself, and mutated into such an aggressive force that traditional leftist author J.K. Rowling warned about a sector of that movement: ‘There is something dangerous’ about transgender movement ‘and it must be challenged’. It is no secret that religious rights and freedoms are under attack from the hard left, given the fundamental beliefs that are central to orthodox Christianity, such as:

i) Marriage is between one man and one woman;
ii) a man is a man and a woman is a woman (with every cell encoded with male/female chromosomes):
iii) abortion is a violation of the sanctity of life, as is euthanasia.

While most Christians respect freedom of an adult to make his or her own moral choices, the left does not respect the rights and freedoms of Christians, and frequently rage against them and engage in increasingly open harassment of Christians. Christians have been deemed everything from “hateful” and “racist” (despite the racial diversity of Christians globally) to “intolerant,” and have even been accused of promoting “extremism.” The charges come despite the fact that nowhere in Christian doctrine is anything that promotes hatred, violence or terrorism. If one person professing to be Christian acts violently, he or she is violating the tenets of Christianity. Islam, in contrast, promotes violence in the Qur’an and Hadiths. Peaceful Muslims do not negate the existence of such teachings.

Last year, the FBI cited the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center as a “credible source” to warn about “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” The report was eventually rescinded, ostensibly because of blowback. According to the Christian Post:

Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI special agent, shared a document published by the FBI’s Richmond field office warning that “the increasingly observed interest of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.”

The FBI also stated that “traditional Catholics and RMVEs might have a common cause to act following legislation or judicial decisions in areas such as abortion rights, immigration, affirmative action, and LGBTQ protections.” The “House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government” subsequently “released an interim staff report titled, ‘The FBI’s Breach of Religious Freedom: The Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Catholic Americans.'” Traditional Catholics and all traditional Christians share largely the same views on abortion and other life issues. So there is no “perceived” attack on Christianity. There is an outright threat to Christianity in America from the woke religion of the Left. That attack includes children. The Biden administration has imposed “radical gender-affirming care,” which is not really “affirming” at all, for underage children in the school system. Children who were raised as Christians are marginalized and indoctrinated. Even the New York Times reported about educators replacing parents in the school system on issues of gender.

The leftist/woke pushback against Trump is being conducted with the rigor of religious zeal. Trump stated at the NRB:

They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags….But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you.

The Associated Press further states:

 Trump’s comments reflect his embrace of Christian nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the U.S. intended the country to be a Christian nation.

Such words align with the warning of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the FBI about “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” It is understood among Christians that America’s founding was based on Judeo-Christian principles; which by no means suggests that the nation was or was intended to be a theocracy. As the Heritage Foundation explains, America’s founders “identified themselves as Christians, were influenced in important ways by Christian ideas, and generally thought it appropriate for civic authorities to encourage Christianity.”

the Founders believed that humans are created in the image of God, which led them to design institutions and laws meant to protect and promote human dignity. Because they were convinced that humans are sinful, they attempted to avoid the concentration of power by framing a national government with carefully enumerated powers. As well, the Founders were committed to liberty, but they never imagined that provisions of the Bill of Rights would be used to protect licentiousness. And they clearly thought moral considerations should inform legislation.

Trump has a history of supporting Christians. He was welcomed by a Hispanic megachurch in 2019 as the Democrats sought his removal from office; in 2020, Trump launched a new International Religious Freedom Alliance, and Hungary become the first European Union member state to join. In fact, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted a convention for persecuted Christians — focused on the Middle East and Africa — that Trump supported. Orban and Trump have poured millions of dollars into helping the persecuted Church. Hungary alone provided 50 million dollars of aid to communities in Africa and the Middle East, and praised Trump for supporting persecuted Christians.

There has been a consistency to Trump’s support for largely forgotten Christians who are under threat — even now in America as Christians face the threat from the left. Ironically, while moving against Christians, the left is afraid of Muslims. Recently, the Minneapolis Area School District said it would allow families to opt out of LGBT lessons after Muslim families threatened to sue.