Trump. abortion

Why ALL Christians Need to Be Aware of the Godly Policies Instituted by Donald Trump

The divide that has erupted between family members who support/don’t support President Donald Trump,  and friends who support/don’t support President Donald Trump is aiding in tearing the heart out of our great country. In fact, those who don’t support the president would often best be described as hating him.

Just look at the daily protests and nightly riots in cities throughout America. Those are horror-filled mobs.

Interestingly, while I’ve experienced many former friends avoiding me, or holding their nose when around me, or mocking me behind my back, I have never done the same to them (and most of my conservative friends would agree with me). If allowed, I could actually get along quite well with those liberal friends.  If allowed, I could easily have a conversation with them about life in general without getting political at all. And, if allowed, I could easily talk politics without losing my cool in the least. Why? Because I’m confident of my positions–because the truth always prevails.

But, very few of my liberal friends would ever allow any such conversation to happen because they are steaming mad.

Instead, some take to social media with snarky posts filled with false or incomplete information to support their opposition to Trump.

What particularly hurts is when my Christian brothers and sisters get caught up in this war. I dedicate this post to Christians who not only do not support President Trump, but they inwardly (or outwardly) despise him.

Right off the top, I’ll just tell you I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016. I live in California where, as a conservative, my vote doesn’t mean a thing. That said, I made a personal statement by voting for Ben Carson. Prior to his running for President, I had been a big fan of Trump for years because of his larger-than-life personality and business savvy, however I wasn’t sure he would really align with my values politically if elected.

And then he won.

And then his first act was to reinstate and expand the Mexico City Policy which blocks funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortion. The new program is known as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA), and covers $8.8 billion in family planning and global health funds that go to organizations abroad(none of whom may perform or promote abortion).

I was blown away.

As many of you are aware, my wife and I have dedicated much of our lives to the pro-life cause. The Mexico City policy was blocked by President Obama early in his first term.

As a follower of Jesus, there is so much more to rejoice over regarding the Trump Administration including all the devout Christians in his inner circle: Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Director of Health and Human Services Alex Adar, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos, and Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to name a few.

And then there are the policies put forward by this Administration. This is not a comprehensive list, but these are a some that jump out at me:

2017

  • On January 23, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, which blocks funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortion. This new program is known as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA), which now covers $8.8 billion in family planning and global health funds that go to organizations abroad(none of whom may perform or promote abortion).
  • On February 22, the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ) rescinded President Obama’s guidance that required public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and showers of their choice.
  • on October 6, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed two regulations to deal with the Obamacare “HHS contraceptive mandate”that had for years violated conscience and religious liberty. These new regulations exempt organizations that have moral or religious objections to purchasing insurance that includes coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices.2018
  • On January 19, HHS issued a new proposed regulation on conscience protections related to abortion. Specifically, the regulation proposed to implement 25 laws that protect pro-life healthcare entities against discrimination by federal agencies — or state or local governments receiving federal funds — due to their objections to participating in abortion, sterilization, and other morally objectionable procedures.
  • On April 26, Mike Pompeo was confirmed as Secretary of State. In choosing Pompeo for this position, President Trump chose a born again Christian who cares deeply about religious liberty and will make it a priority to see the issue advanced through this administration. Pompeo joins other devout Christian’s in Trump’s inner circle including: Alex Azar, the Director of Health and Human Services,
  • On May 22, HHS issued a new proposed regulation reversing the Title X family planning regulations implemented by President Clinton. The proposed regulation would restore the separation of abortion services from the federal Title X family planning program, which President Reagan first implemented. The proposed regulation would also ensure parents are more involved in the decisions of minors to obtain services from Title X clinics. It reverses the discriminatory abortion referral requirement the Clinton regulations implemented and is poised to put a dent into Planned Parenthood’s roughly $60 million annual revenues from theTitle X program.
  • On August 1, the Trump administration relied on Executive Order 13818 (which builds on Global Magnitsky Act authority) to sanction two Turkish officials over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson due to his Christian faith. This Executive Order ultimatelyresulted in Pastor Brunson’s release.
  • On November 7, HHS finalized its two regulations to protect conscience and religious liberty from long-running problems with the Obamacare “HHS contraceptive mandate.” These two final regulations exempt organizations with either a moral or religious objection to purchasing insurance with coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices. The regulations took effect on January 14, 2019.

2019

  • On January 18, HHS notified California that its law requiring pregnancy resource centers to post notices about how to obtain an abortion violated the pro-life Weldon and Coates-Snowe Amendments. This marks the first time that the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS found a state in violation of these laws. This demonstrates the administration’s commitment to enforcing conscience protections and its pro-life priorities.
  • On January 19, at the request of 169 members of Congress and 49 senators, President Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he promised to veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life Federal policies and laws. This letter was a message to the new Democrat majority in the House that longstanding pro-life protections like the Hyde Amendment and safeguards protecting the conscience rights of health care providers are not negotiable.
  • On June 5, after an extensive audit into fetal tissue research, the Trump administration announced a major change in the enforcement of research contracts. HHS would no longer conduct intramural (internal) research using tissue from aborted babies and would greatly increase the ethics rules and safeguards that govern extramural (external) fetal tissue research contracts. All new external contracts will be subject to a congressionally authorized ethics advisory board, making it much more difficult for fetal tissue research contracts to be awarded by the National Institute of Health.
  • On October 11, 2019, Attorney General Barr delivered a striking defense of religious liberty at Notre Dame Law School. He noted, “[t]he imperative of protecting religious freedom was not just a nod in the direction of piety. It reflects the Framers’ belief that religion was indispensable to sustaining our free system of government.” The Attorney General proceeded to remind the audience that religion gives us the “right rules to live by.” Barr highlighted the recent attacks on religious liberty, and that the DOJ under his leadership has been fighting back and protecting religious liberty.
  • On December 20, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final regulation to address the abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This final rule aligns federal regulations with section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that consumers know their health care plan covers abortion and that funding for abortion is kept separate from all other covered services.
  • On Dec. 20, 2019, the president signed into law Public Law 116-94, extending the EB-4 non-minister special immigrant religious worker program through September 30, 2020. The law allows these workers to immigrate or adjust to permanent resident by that date. Non-minister special immigrant religious workers include those within a religious vocation or occupation engaged in either a professional or non-professional capacity.  This date on which the program will end also applies to accompanying spouses and children of these non-minister special immigrant religious workers.2020
  • On January 16, HHS Secretary Alex Azar hosted 34 countries for a meeting on how to promote women’s health and protect the lives of the unborn. This meeting followed an invitation sent by Secretary Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to 70 different countries inviting them to join a coalition to oppose international efforts to enshrine abortion as a human right.
  • On February 4, during his State of the Union address, President Trump called on Congress to pass legislation that would ban late-term abortions. To highlight the need for this legislation, he invited special guest, Ellie Schneider, who was born at just 21 weeks gestation.
  • On March 24, DOJ filed a statement of interest in a case protecting women against men intruding on their sporting competitions. The statement made clear that athletic qualifications on the basis of “gender identity” were harmful to women’s sports.
  • On May 3, DOJ filed a statement of interest supporting the religious freedom of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. After the church held a 16-person worship service on Palm Sunday (following strict social distancing protocols), a criminal citation and summons were issued against the pastor pursuant to Governor Ralph Northam’s executive order which banned in-person religious services but allowed large gatherings for businesses like liquor stores and dry cleaners.
Jesus’ desire is that all of his followers be as one. In John 17:20-21 Jesus says in a prayer before his disciple (just prior to his sacrificial death): “…I pray also for those who will believe in me… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”
We need to stop these viscous arguments and discuss Donald Trump’s policy record based on the facts. Hatred and division are relished by our enemy, the devil. We need to be as one.
My hope is that those Christians–and just good people of sound mind–who dislike this president, will take a step back, put aside their disgust of Trump’s personal life (the hair, the Tweets, the past affairs which he was always open about, etc), and look at the accomplishments his administration has done. These accomplishments have come about despite the absolute hateful opposition he has received from the media, the democrats, and the radicals in the street.

The “Hate Trump Swamp Show” Ramps Up, and I Know Why

The Mueller investigation found that neither Trump nor anyone in his campaign colluded with the Russians in 2016. Yet House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jerry Nadler, wants public hearings with present and past White House aides under oath to put on a national TV show trial to sway public opinion that Trump did collude.
 
Next, investigations of Trump by Nancy Pelosi include subpoenas issued to the IRS demanding Trump’s tax returns. In conjunction, the state of New York passed a law to gain access to Trump’s state tax returns–so they can give them Nancy.
 
Meantime, House committees want the files of Trump’s accountants. Subpoenas have been issued to lending institutions where Trump borrowed, such as Deutsche Bank, going back decades.
What is this really all about?
In my opinion,  it’s about Trump’s stance against abortion, standing for Israel,  reversing decades of environmental policies which are rooted in socialist theory, and allowing our military to take off their politically correct gloves and defeat ISIS.
And most of all? They fear Donald Trump will be RE-ELECTED in 2020.
 
As for the President? He may be the only man in the country with skin thick enough to withstand this daily slinging of swamp excrement.

How Trump is governing like God’s man in the White House

Prior to becoming President, I didn’t really think Donald Trump was a Christian.

Now, I’m an not one to judge whether a person in going to Heaven or Hell (I capitalize both because they are real destinations), but I do believe the Bible gives me the authority to assess whether or not someone is a Jesus-follower:

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

That said, based upon what I knew of Mr. Trump, it seemed as if he was not one to abide in God’s word.  Let’s be honest, certain aspects of his past moral code seemed a bit slimy (not that I was a saint either back in the day). However, many of us were willing to take a chance that he would indeed be the best choice for President, given his campaign promises.

Now, two years later, I can say that President Trump is governing like an authentic follower of Jesus.  I’m still not sure where he is personally regarding an abiding faith in God (via Messiah Jesus).  I do know that his cabinet contains more authentic followers of Jesus than we have seen in many generations, so one can only hope that they have rubbed off on him in a very positive fashion.  In any case, Mr. President is knocking it out of the part when it comes to federal policy-making.

So, what’s the proof that Donald Trump is acting as God’s man in the White House?  Here’s a list of some of the most prominent examples, based on three important categories (I’ll be discussing this is the upcoming Hidden Headlines Podcast):

Sanctity of Human Life – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (Jeremiah 1:5).

  • Spoke live via satellite at the March for Life in D.C. (a first for any sitting U.S. President).
  • Cut off taxpayer funding for the U.N. Population Fund (basically an abortion fund).
  • Signed H.J. Res. 43 into law, overturning an Obama regulation that prohibited states from defunding Planned Parenthood.
  • Issued guidance to stop taxpayer funding of abortion in ObamaCare exchange plans.
  • Signed an executive order to restore the Mexico City Policy and defund International Planned Parenthood Federation, blocking $9 billion in aid from funding abortion.

Religious Liberty – Enshrined in the Constitution’s First Amendment and illustrated in the words of the the New Testament writer, [Saint] Paul:  “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). 

  • Formed a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services to protect religious freedom and restrict taxpayer funds from discriminating against religion.
  • Implemented a new policy directive within the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs which focuses on protecting religious freedom.
  • Hosted the first Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State.
  • Nominated Gov. Samuel Dale Brownback of Kansas to be Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Department of State.
  • Protected the free exercise of religion by reversing Obama-era policies with new legal guidance issued to the Department of Justice by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
  • Signed an executive order on religious liberty on the National Day of Prayer.
  • Ordered the Internal Revenue Service to not enforce restrictions on political activity by churches.
  • Helped faith-based groups give healthcare coverage to nearly 14-million Americans.
  • Issued guidance protecting religious liberty within the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, ensuring that Christians who opposed same-sex “marriage” would not experience discrimination.
  • Took numerous actions related to homosexual, transgender, and other sex-related matters.
  • Removed federal government web pages (instituted by the Obama Administration) on LGBT issues.
  • Disqualified “transgender” individuals from serving in the military, thus freeing personnel from participating in LGBT training based upon their religious beliefs and conscientious objections.

Israel – Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure (Psalm 122:6). 

  • Declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel and moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
  • Visited Jerusalem’s Western Wall and prayed (a first for any sitting U.S. President).
  • Signed the Taylor Force Act, prohibiting aid to the Palestinian Authority if it funds terrorism.
  • Cut $225 million from the Palestinian Authority.
  • Delivered the first F-35 stealth jets to Israel.
  • Withdrew from The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) citing “anti-Israel bias.”
  • Cut $300 million in aid to Pakistan.
  • Cut all U.S. funding for UNRWA, the U.N. agency serving Palestinian refugees—it’s a politicized and pro-Palestinian organization, which perpetuates the refugee issue.
  • Withdrew from the anti-Israel U.N. Human Rights Council
  • Appointed pro-Israel Nikki Haley to serve as U.S. Ambassador at the United Nations, who has assumed a more assertive role and negotiated $285 million cut in U.N. budget.
  • Withdrew America from the Iran deal, imposed tough sanctions and pledged to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
  • Closed the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, D.C.
  • Approved a 10-year military aid package for Israel, providing $3.8 billion annually to secure Israel’s defense.