Faith Under Fire

We have learned in the last six months (after the left appeased Russia for the last eight years) that the left thinks it is forbidden to meet with Russians. Now we are being told that it is also forbidden for key government leaders to meet with Christians.

As I reported last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was blasted by the left-wing media for speaking to an alleged "hate group." You can read the "hateful" remarks [SARCASM ALERT] Sessions delivered to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal defense group, here.

Sadly, we have come to the point in America today -- because of the left's hate -- when it is necessary for Christians to have legal defense organizations to protect our First Amendment rights, which, as Sessions noted, are the founding principles of this country.

It has also been stunning to see how much controversy was generated by the meeting I recently attended during which Christians prayed over the president in the Oval Office. Rev. William Barber II, who also serves as the president of the North Carolina NAACP, had this to say about our prayer for the president:
 

"This very, very, very, extreme agenda by Ryan and McConnell is a form of theological malpractice that borders on heresy. When you can p-r-a-y for a president and others while they are p-r-e-y, preying on the most vulnerable, you're violating the most sacred principles of religion."

Presumably, Rev. Barber is aware of the biblical injunction to pray for our leaders. There are several, but most Christians are familiar with these verses:
 

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior. . ." -- 1 Timothy 2:1-3

Given this clear biblical requirement, I and millions of believers will continue to pray for President Trump, Vice President Pence and all those in positions of authority, no matter how many leftists try to intimidate us.

I suspect what is at the root of this attack is a visceral hatred of Donald Trump. But the excuse being offered is left-wing social justice -- that conservatives are taking resources from the poor.

This is a theological fallacy that must be resisted. Progressives are turning Jesus into Lyndon Johnson.

They say that to be a Christian you must support big government. To be a Christian, they claim, means using the power of big government to take resources from one person and giving them to someone else who you deem is more deserving.

While Rev. Barber can quote chapter and verse about the need to care for the poor, there is not one verse in which Jesus says to lobby the Pharisees or the Roman government to give more money to the poor.

All the verses about helping widows and orphans, the lame and the sick were injunctions to individual Christians or to churches collectively. They were not a call for big government.

And given the kangaroo court Christ was subjected to before he was murdered, I think it is safe to say that Jesus was not a fan of big government!

I am always happy when anyone tries to follow Christ's teachings. But I suspect that few of those criticizing the president today objected when Barack Obama tried to force Christians and the Little Sisters of the Poor to pay for abortions. The Bible says, "Now choose life so that you and your children may live."

I don't recall many progressive religious leaders raising their voices when left-wing judges stripped away thousands of years of Judeo-Christian history and distorted God's definition of marriage.

Have they spoken up when Christian business owners faced persecution from the left and from big government for following their faith?

Where were these so-called "progressive" religious leaders when the Obama Administration was ignoring the genocide of Christians in the Middle East?

Where do they stand when it comes to bringing in more Muslim migrants who we know have statistically high rates of anti-Semitism and, in many cases, harbor hatred of Christians?

And when was the last time one of these progressive religious leaders spoke out against the growing anti-Semitism on the left and defended Israel, the only nation in the Middle East where the number of Christians is growing?

Sadly, a growing number of progressive Christian denominations are, in the name of Christ (a Jew), irrationally and immorally condemning the Jewish state.

Speaking Of Israel. . .

As you may know, Christians United For Israel (CUFI), founded by Pastor John Hagee, just wrapped up its 12th annual Washington Summit. CUFI is the largest grassroots pro-Israel organization in America, with more than three million members!

I am proud to have been one of the founding leaders of CUFI, and I am honored to serve as the director of its Washington, D.C., lobbying organization, CUFI Action Fund.

During this year's Summit, I had the privilege of moderating a Middle East Briefing featuring an all-star lineup of speakers -- Pastor John Hagee, Ambassador John Bolton, Erick Stakelbeck, Malcolm Hoenlein and Lt. Col. Allen West. Watch it here.

Prayers For McCain

News broke last night that Senator John McCain has a very aggressive form of brain cancer. It is reportedly the same type of cancer that afflicted Sen. Ted Kennedy and former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Beau.

Suffice it to say that many conservatives have had a difficult relationship with Sen. McCain in recent years. But Carol and I are praying for the senator and his family as he battles this illness. We pray he will defeat this cancer as soundly as he defeated his captors in a North Vietnamese POW camp.