What Are Your Thoughts About Government Officials Testifying of Christ?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns the role that Christianity should play in our government and in our society – public life. It is no secret that the Founding Fathers of America – those men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution – believed in the Christian idea of God.

There have been times in recent years where it was not acceptable to wish “Merry Christmas” to anyone – friend or enemy. When Donald Trump became President of the United States for his first term, he specifically said that we were bringing Merry Christmas back. This was good news to millions of Americans.

Now we have an administration that openly and unapologetically share their personal witness of Jesus Christ. While I personally enjoy and appreciate hearing people testify of Jesus Christ, I wonder how other people feel about government officials doing so. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer shared some of the same feelings in her article. 

In recent months, the unapologetic, personal Christian witness of public officials – and their open collaboration with pastors, priests, and other faith leaders – has drawn new attention. For me, these moments have been deeply moving and inspiring.

For many in the mainstream media, however, this has been profoundly unsettling, prompting warnings that the nation is sliding toward a form of “Christian nationalism.”

Are they right?

The question may be something of a red herring, but it’s worth addressing. Faith has always shaped American life. The founders never intended to build a secular vacuum; they expected religion to cultivate the virtues that a free people need. At the same time, they knew that belief cannot be imposed. True liberty demands space for religion to flourish – and restraint against coercion.

Living authentically as believers in public life is not the same as enforcing religion on others. The former honors conscience and its freedom while allowing faith to enrich society; the latter distorts faith and undermines pluralism….

It’s here that we must remain careful: If religious witness is perceived as a partisan tool, its power is weakened. The church’s mission is not political victory but the salvation of souls, offered freely to hearts and minds.

…The members of the presidential Religious Liberty Commission include influential evangelical and Catholic leaders as well as a prominent Jewish rabbi. They have spoken openly about their beliefs and their conviction that faith will heal many of our nation’s divisions.

At the Commission’s third hearing held last week, testimony highlighted ongoing pressures faced by people of faith working to educate our nation’s youth. Catholic Fr. Robert Sirico described relentless targeting by state officials of Sacred Heart Academy, a private, Catholic parochial school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sirico deftly clarified the line between faith and power during Q&A: “I’m not advocating the creation of a theocracy. I’m very happy to have a cultural competition of ideas.”

Sirico’s words remind us that resisting coercion is not the same as desiring the control of the public square; it is the defense of the right to live one’s faith fully and contribute accordingly.

Contrast this with the temptation of adherents of Christian nationalism to weaponize the faith for worldly power and control. Such ideologies blur the necessary distinction between the spiritual and temporal, collapsing them into one.

When that happens, both church and state are diminished. Christ himself made this clear when He told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36)….

Rejecting such ideologies, of course, does not mean ignoring hostility toward Christianity. Believers today are often dismissed as intolerant or branded as bigots.

Yet, the founders were clear: Free institutions depend on moral citizens, and morality is nurtured by religion.

George Washington called religion and morality “indispensable supports” of political prosperity. John Adams warned that the Constitution was made for a “moral and religious people” and is inadequate for any other. At the same time, they recognized that belief must never be forced.

This is why religious pluralism and freedom matter so deeply. The Catholic Church affirmed this in “Dignitatis Humanae,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on religious liberty. It teaches that safeguarding religious freedom benefits both individuals and the Church, while respecting the God-given free will of every person.

America’s constitutional commitment to religious liberty reflects this wisdom, ensuring that Christianity and other faiths can flourish.

The divisions before us are real – but not irreparable. As the nation looks to its semi quincentennial, Christians should reflect on how faith has shaped civic life and be confident that it can help us confront today’s challenges. At the same time, we must resist the temptation to wield political power to impose Christianity….

 

Is Transgender Ideology Evil?

 Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a young man who hated him because he spoke against transgender ideology. Charlie was killed because he was a true disciple of Jesus Christ. With his assassination, Charlie joined a growing number of individuals who were killed for their Christian beliefs by other people connected in some way to transgender ideology.

According to Tyler O’Neil at The Daily Signal, “An increasing number of alleged murderers, mass shooters, and violent offenders have apparently tried to silence Christians or critics of transgender ideology.” They assume that their critics “represent a violent threat.” The assassination of Charlie Kirk “underscores this unnerving trend” and supports the FBI’s formal characterization of the threat of “transgender ideology violent extremism.” 

The Oversight Project and The Heritage Foundation formally called on the FBI [on September 18, 2025] to use its authority under 18 U.S. Code § 2331 to designate this threat, and I whole heartedly agree. The FBI declined to comment on the subject when approached [the next day].

That statute defines domestic terrorism as activities on U.S. soil that “involve acts dangerous to human life” that violate federal or state criminal laws that “appear to be intended” to intimidate or coerce civilians, influence government policy, or affect government conduct via mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.

Current domestic violent extremism categories include: racially/ethnically motivated violent extremism; anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism; animal rights/environmental violent extremism.

The Oversight Project and Heritage recommend categorizing transgender ideology violent extremism as typically targeting “Christian and religious groups;” featuring “mental illness, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, and lack of respect for genetic human realities, amplified by online radicalization;” and boosted by “echo chambers that promote violence against critics.”

Most people who identify as transgender likely do not pose a threat to their fellow Americans, but a growing list of attackers either identified as transgender or appear to be motivated by transgender ideology.

O’Neil shared the following list of people killed or threatened by transgender-motivated violence.

·         Charlie Kirk, allegedly shot on September 10, 2025, by a young man who was living with a boyfriend who identifies as transgender.

·         Two children killed and 17 others injured at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis in August 2025 by a young man who identified as a young woman.

·         Three children and three adults were shot and killed on March 27, 2023, at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, by a young woman who identified as male.

·         Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was threatened by assassination in June 2022 by a man who identifies as a woman.

·         One person was killed and eight were injured on May 7, 2019, when a young woman who identifies as male and her friend started shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

·         Four people were shot and killed at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland, by a perpetrator who identified as transgender.

·         People across state lines were threatened by a man who identifies as a woman and who threatened to rape girls in girls’ restrooms, carry out a mass shooting, and bomb churches.

O’Neil wrote, “Many of these offenders targeted Christians or threatened them because of their faith. The transgender movement encourages a victimization narrative that may play a role in radicalizing these people.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the premier transgender activist group, has described the deaths of people identifying as transgender as an “epidemic.” However, Brad Palumbo at Quillette crunched the numbers and concluded that the “Human Rights Campaign’s own data suggest trans Americans suffer a homicide risk that’s actually less than the U.S. average.” …

The FBI should designate Transgender Ideology Violent Extremism and try to prevent further attacks. The transgender movement also needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror and start cooling down the doomsday rhetoric.

Most Christians who disagree with transgender identity do so not because they hate anyone, but because they follow the Bible and basic biology, which show that human beings are male and female and cannot change their sex merely by saying so.

Did Christianity Influence the Founding of America?

            Parents can strengthen their families, communities, and nation by teaching correct history to their children. Once the children know the true history of America, they will not be so apt to fall for the false history being peddled in the nation today. The United States of America was founded in the late seventeenth century after fighting an eight-year war with Great Britain. The American colonists fought for independence from their mother country.

            Yet, there are people living in America today that do not believe that the colonists fought for independence. Scott Hogenson wrote about these people who teach through their 1619 Project, critical race theory, and other ways that the war was fought to protect slavery. This group of people are not only attacking America. They are also attacking Christianity by denying its influence on the founding of America. 

            Hogenson reminded his readers that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States assert that people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” and entitled to the liberties of “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Even the birth of Jesus Christ is subtly acknowledged in Article VII of the Constitution. In addition, forty-six states mention God in their state constitutions. All these official documents show that Christianity was central in the founding of America and continues to be central in the lives of Americans.

            So why are liberal Americans attacking Christianity? Evil people have attacked Christianity since the meridian of time when Jesus Christ walked the earth. Now those assaults on Christianity are part of the political discussion in the United States. Hogenson urged Americans of all faiths to fight back against “the whitewashing of our history and the continued erosion of the liberties articulated in biblical Christianity.”

            Christian parents can help this effort by teaching correct and true history to their children. When Americans know the correct history of America, families, communities, and the nation are stronger.

Saint Patrick

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all of you! Saint Patrick (about 389-461) is the patron saint of Ireland. He was known as the Apostle to the Irish. He is credited with converting the Irish people to Christianity. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated by Irish Catholics throughout the world on March 17. Patrick was born in Britain. His father was Christian and a wealthy alderman. Patrick was captured by pirates when he was 16 and sold as a slave in Ireland where he served as a shepherd. He studied religion while in captivity and escaped after six years there. He returned to his home in Britain but was driven by the thought of converting the Irish to Christianity. He studied in a monastery on an island off the coast of France in an effort to prepare for his self-imposed mission. He also studied religion under a French bishop. His superiors were not supportive of sending him to Ireland as a missionary until the first Irish missionary died. Then the Pope sent Patrick to Ireland. Patrick chose to start his work in northern and western Ireland where Christianity had not been previous taught. He won the trust of several tribal leaders and developed friendships with them and was converting their people to Christianity. Patrick is credited with baptizing more than 120,000 people and starting more than 300 churches. Clergymen were brought from England and Frances to work in his new churches. Patrick's mission to Ireland lasted the rest of his life. Facts and information for this blog post are from an article by William J. Courtenay, World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 15, p 197.