Attacks on religious freedom
Beware the invocation of “religious freedom” by an administration that has already shown that it will move to marginalize people and organizations — including Christians — that are critical of its policies.
In the midst of the intentional chaos of the first weeks of the second Trump administration, there has been a concerning string of attacks on religious freedom, including on the freedom of Christians. The threats are made more acute by the fact that they come from a strongman leader and his enablers who claim to be acting on behalf of Christians.
It began immediately after President Trump took the oath of office in the Capitol rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025. “Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason,” he said during his inaugural address. “I was saved by God to make America great again.” This declaration of a religious anointing of President Trump mixes religious and secular authority in dangerous ways.
But less than 24 hours after he said those words, President Trump lashed out at the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde. At the end of her sermon during an interfaith prayer service on Jan. 21, Bishop Budde spoke directly to the president, appealing to his faith and asking him to show mercy to the people who are scared, specifically gay, lesbian and transgender children and children of immigrants afraid that their parents may be deported. Some members of Congress have since moved to officially denounce Bishop Budde’s sermon as an act of political activism and not a true interpretation of Scripture. [Click here for a way to contact your representative about this resolution.]
The religious motivations and integrity of Catholic and Lutheran organizations that deliver social services to people in this country and around the world have also been maligned by Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and former general Michael Flynn in the first days of the administration, including the latter making baseless claims of “money laundering” by Lutheran agencies partnering with the government through USAID contracts.
While attacking Christians that oppose his policies, President Trump also has signaled that he intends to promote the views of other Christians whose positions align with his priorities. On Feb. 6, President Trump signed an executive order to establish a task force “to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.” The examples of existing bias given in the order include prosecutions of anti-abortion activists who attempted to block access to legal abortions, including through threats towards and attacks on clinic employees and women seeking health care. The document states: “My Administration will ensure that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified.”
The order is troubling in several ways. First, there is no widespread anti-Christian bias in the United States, which is a majority Christian country. Doubling down on this false narrative detracts from the very real Christian persecution that is happening in other countries around the world today, as well as this country’s high levels of antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias and violence.
Furthermore, there is a real possibility that this task force will be used to try to impose a theological conformity through government action that will harm everyone’s religious freedom, including the freedom of Christians whose views diverge from the policies of the Trump administration. The hypocrisy of an administration targeting Christians with false accusations and denigrating rhetoric on the one hand and promising protection of Christians on the other shows favoritism for certain views instead of promoting religious freedom for all.
In 1804, Baptist preacher John Leland wrote, “Experience, the best teacher, has informed us, that the fondness of magistrates to foster Christianity, has done it more harm than all the persecutions ever did. Persecution, like a lion, tears the saints to death, but leaves Christianity pure; state establishment of religion, like a bear, hugs the saints, but corrupts Christianity, and reduces it to a level with state policy. Magistrates frequently love the advantages of Christianity more than the precepts of it, and flatter themselves that they are doing much for God, and themselves, when they make laws to protect what they esteem the truth of Christianity, and to reward the preachers of that truth, but every law which they make of that complexion, proves their aversion to the scheme of pure Christianity.”
Beware the invocation of “religious freedom” by an administration that has already shown that it will move to marginalize people and organizations — including Christians — that are critical of its policies. The prophetic advocacy of Christians to these injustices and attacks on liberty are crucial in these perilous times.
Amanda Tyler is executive director of BJC.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2025 edition of Report from the Capital. You can view it as a PDF or read a digital flip-through edition.
