The latest year-end fundraising pitch from the Family Research Council comes in an envelope emblazoned with the words: “Now that the election is over…What happens to the Christians?”
Inside, a letter from FRC’s president, Tony Perkins, tells readers that President-elect Donald Trump will give “Christians the space we need to live by our faith” and spread the Gospel. Perkins also reports that in a conversation he had with Trump during the campaign, Trump indicated that he would be willing to reverse what Perkins calls “the left-wing assault on our military” through “social engineering”—an apparent reference to the reversal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the lifting of the ban on service by transgender people, and advances in integrating women into the armed forces:
The outcome of this election has enormous implications for America, for our religious freedom, our ability to live as Christians. A Donald Trump presidency is not the solution to every problem, but it presents an opportunity. We know that the true source of transformation in a society is changing hearts and minds through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But I believe Donald Trump is committed to giving Christians the space we need to live by our faith. He has talked about religious liberty. Now, as we continue working diligently, we have an opportunity to see true religious freedom restored in America.
I am hopeful about the future because Donald Trump is not a typical Republican. My prayer is that we will not see a repeat of the past when Republicans came to power and merely stopped bad policies rather than undoing the damage and setting a new course.
I am hopeful, too, because of my interaction with Donald Trump during the campaign. When asked about the social engineering that the Obama administration is attempting in the U.S. military, forcing its outrageous gender-neutral policies on our men and women in uniform, the candidate said he would listen to his military advisors. The question I would have to ask, he added, is Does this help us fight and win wars? The answer is obvious. This could signal the end of the left-wing assault on our military.
Perkins goes on to vow to “keep fighting confirmation of President Obama’s radical Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland,” to push for “true-blue conservative nominees” to the court, and work toward the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act.
