Paul Random

Religious Liberty Commission Launches, Aims to Root Out Anti-Christian Bias

President Donald Trump made good on his campaign promise to prioritize religious freedom in his second term by officially launching the Religious Liberty Commission. 

On Monday, the group held its first meeting at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

The panel includes familiar and trustworthy names – Reverend Franklin Graham, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Dr. Ben Carson, New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron, Kristen Waggoner, Kelly Shackelford, Ryan Anderson, Prestonwood Baptist Church pastor Jack Graham, and pro-life stalwart Alveda King.

Timothy Goeglein, Focus on the Family’s vice president of external affairs, attended the morning gathering.

“We at Focus on the Family were so honored to be part of this first presidential hearing on religious liberty, and the matrix of scholars, attorneys, public officials, and first amendment experts was a powerful testament to the foundational importance of the right of conscience in the 21st century American public square,” reflected Goeglein.

According to the White House, the commission will “safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom.”

The newly formed entity comes in the wake of a litany of anti-Christian actions punishing a broad spectrum of believers over the course of the last four years.

Attorney General Pam Bondi joined the meeting and spoke on “the importance of faith to American success.”

Paulette Harlow, age 75, was sentenced to 24 months in jail for participating in a pro-life blockade at an abortion clinic. Paulette’s 74-year-old sister, and others, were also sent to jail.

Shortly after getting into office, President Trump pardoned both Paulette and Heather, along with other pro-lifers.

Meanwhile, at the same time these pro-lifers were being arrested and locked up, countless attacks on pregnancy health clinics around the country were being ignored or swept away.

Predictably, critics of any public expression of faith are decrying the establishment of the commission. In a press release lambasting the group’s first meeting, Americans United for Separation of Church State pulled out the tired and baseless bogeyman accusation that the group is comprised of so-called Christian Nationalists.”

Radicals reflexively suggest that any socially conservative Christians involved in politics today are “Christian Nationalists,” i.e. those whose faith in God is fused with love of country in idolatrous fashion. In reality, Christians should be actively involved in the political arena – and do so in ways that honor God and His Word, and love (not destroy) our fellow man.

In 2023, socially conservative Catholics were specifically targeted by the FBI and deemed to be a terrorist threat.

According to this fabricated and fictional lament, the commission exists to “advance the myth that the United States was founded for white Christians and that our laws and policies must continue to favor their beliefs.”

If such a fantastical charge were true, one would wonder why Dr. Ben Carson and Alveda King would devote their time and energy, as well as their reputation to such a mission.

Speaking earlier this year in announcing the commission, President Trump suggested true happiness wasn’t possible without faith. “Let’s bring God back into our lives,” he said.

Solidifying the constitutional right to religious liberty is a good place to start.

Reflected Tim Goeglein, “James Madison, the primary author of our Constitution, said ‘Conscience is the most sacred of all property.’ Sacred indeed.”

Image from Getty.

Don’t Forget American Flag was Designed by a Christian

The annual commemoration of Flag Day (June 14) will be marked by the usual flying of the colors, punctuated by a highly anticipated military parade in Washington, D.C., to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States Army.

Although the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution on June 14, 1777, declaring the flag to be 13 alternating red and white stripes along with a constellation of white stars in a blue field, it wasn’t until 1916 that June 14 was officially established as Flag Day.

An editorial in The New York Times on that first Flag Day stated: “With united hearts; so, no matter what temporary bitterness and forces of division may have crept in here and there, Americans stand and will stand.”

Sound familiar? The more times change, the more they remain the same.

It’s common knowledge that the American flag’s 13 stripes represent the original colonies and 50 stars for each state of the Union – but why the red, white, and blue?

To answer that question, it might be helpful to know something about the individual responsible for designing the flag itself.

Despite what you might have been taught in grade school, the evidence suggests it wasn’t Betsy Ross, though she did sew the flag. Instead, credit goes to Francis Hopkinson, a founding father, and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams referred to Hopkinson as a “curious little gentleman” who he described as “ingenious.”

“His head is not bigger than a large apple,” wrote Adams. “I have not seen anything yet in natural history more amusing and more entertaining than his usual appearance; yet he is genteel and well-bred, and is very social.”

Like many of those men who helped found America, Hopkinson was a strong Christian whose faith shaped and defined him. He was an Anglican who served as a vestryman and warden for various churches.

In addition to his service as a judge, he also wrote stories, poems, and satire, and even composed Christian music. In writing satire, he used the pen name, “Peter Grievous.”

But Francis Hopkinson’s faith undoubtedly influenced his design of the American flag, including his choice of its colors.

It’s long been understood that red on the flag was to reflect valor, courage and the blood shed by the many patriots willing to die for the cause. The blue represented justice, vigilance, and perseverance. White reflected the purity and idealism behind the effort to forge an independent nation.

All of those characteristics – valor, courage, sacrifice, vigilance, perseverance, and purity – enjoy parallel importance in the Christian life. Wrote John Adams to Thomas Jefferson:

The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their address, or by me in my answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty.

Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System.

On the eve of Flag Day 2025, the world, too, seems upside down these days, but despite the metaphorical “bombs bursting in air” throughout culture, at first light of morning, our great flag is “still there.”

Come controversy or come calm, the American flag flies high. Long may it wave.

Image from Shutterstock.

Presidents as Fathers: Which Was the Best?

What kind of father do presidents of the United States make?

On the eve of Father’s Day weekend, consider some of the advice occupants of the Oval Office have offered their children.

Donald Trump, who holds the distinction of being the 45th and 47th president, has long touted the simple and straightforward counsel he’s given all four of his children.

“I always said the same thing,” President Trump told the New York Post. “I said: no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. I also would say don’t get tattoos, but I don’t say it too strongly, because a lot of people have gotten tattoos, and that’s what they choose to do.”

Trump’s brother Fred was an alcoholic who tragically died of the disease. As a teetotaler, the president offers toasts at special dinners with glasses of Diet Coke.

Back in 2004, Trump, who was married twice prior to First Lady Melania Trump, did an interview with New York Magazine where he bluntly said, “I’m a really good father, but not a really good husband. You’ve probably figured out my children really like me — love me — a lot.”

What about previous presidents?

President Joe Biden has reportedly urged his children to focus on the personal concerns and interests of others.

“The most successful and happiest people I’ve known understand that a good life at its core is about being personal,” the former president stated.

“It’s about being engaged. It’s about being there for a friend or a colleague when they’re injured or in an accident, remembering the birthdays, congratulating them on their marriage, celebrating the birth of their child. It’s about being available to them when they’re going through personal loss. It’s about loving someone more than yourself.”

Former president Barack Obama urged his two daughters, “Don’t let your hunger for success keep you from enjoying life.”

“What we try to encourage is the sense that it’s not somebody else’s job, it’s your job,” Obama reflected. “That’s an ethic that they’ve embraced. You have to be persistent.”

President George W. Bush, who was famously influenced by his own father, the 41st president, credits his decision to give up drinking alcohol with enabling him to be an engaged and loving dad.

As president, Bush regularly urged his daughters to live “normal” lives. “Your mother and I are living our lives,” he told them. “And that’s what we raised you to do: live yours.”

When Michael Reagan was about to get married, President Reagan wrote him the following letter:

You’ve heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the ‘unhappy marrieds’ and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

… Sure, there will be moments when you will see someone or think back to an earlier time and you will be challenged to see if you can still make the grade, but let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn’t take all that much manhood.

It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music.

…There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.”

Other notable and involved Oval Office dads have included Teddy Roosevelt, John Adams (whose son grew up to also be president), John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush.

Of course, the very best fatherly advice comes not from presidents but from the Bible. Scripture urges fathers to train their children in His ways (Proverbs 22:6), discipline accordingly (Proverbs 3:11-12) and yet be mindful to not exasperate boys and girls as they raise them “in the instruction and discipline of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Which president has been the best father? It’s an impossible question to answer, but you can be sure each one, whether they demonstrate it well or not, has loved his child or children just as much as you love yours.

Image from Getty.

One, Big Beautiful Truth: Christians Need to Have More Children

Delegates of the Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday in Dallas in favor of a resolution calling for the overturning of any laws that define marriage as anything other than a union between one man and one woman.

Titled, “On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and Family,” the eloquent and biblically rooted document affirms numerous other truths and calls attention to various cultural challenges – including the pursuit of “willful childlessness.”

Here is the actual language:

WHEREAS, Our culture is increasingly rejecting and distorting these truths by redefining marriage, pursuing willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate, ignoring and suppressing the biological differences between male and female, encouraging gender confusion, undermining parental rights, and denying the value and dignity of children; and 

WHEREAS, Commercial surrogacy often treats children as products and women as a means to an end, and may entail the destruction of embryonic life, violating the dignity of human life and distorting God’s design for procreation within marriage;

WHEREAS, Christians are called to grieve with and support couples who struggle with infertility and to uphold moral and compassionate paths to parenthood that protect human dignity;

At first, the pursuit of “willful childlessness” sounds almost oxymoronic, but we all know what that means: married couples who could presumably conceive children are deliberately deciding not to and for not very good reasons.

At the top of the list of reasons couples often give for not having children is the “burden” they supposedly introduce to personal freedom. Then there are the financial obligations. Media loves to quote how much it costs to raise a child from birth to adulthood. It’s always an eye-popping number but also void of context and the fact that children truly are “cheaper by the dozen.” 

Other reasons for the collapsing birth rate include prioritization of career over family – and the obvious observation that fewer marriages inevitably lead to fewer children being born.

Scripture is crystal clear that “Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3-5).

Within the Christian community, there is a broad spectrum of conviction regarding family planning and the conception of children is the most deeply intimate and personal aspect of the marital union. At the same time, Christians should be in full agreement that children are a blessing and not a burden. Going into marriage, and barring any unusual circumstances, the desire for children should be the norm and not the exception.

The Christian birth rate (1.9-2.2 children depending on the study) in the United States is slightly higher than the overall fertility rate (1.7) – but only slightly. As such, the Church would be wise to prioritize the biblically sound and culturally critical message that believing couples should prayerfully and bravely be open to having more children.

Observed Benjamin Franklin, “He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too.”

For months now we’ve been hearing a lot about the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” – legislation that promises to enact wide sweeping positive changes in the tax code, including the defunding of Planned Parenthood and an increase in the Child Tax Credit. But the “One, Big Beautiful Truth” is that the health and prosperity of America correlates with the vitality of the family – and we need Christian families with lots of children to truly thrive as a nation.

Image from Shutterstock.

Why Does the Government Want to Tax Nonprofit Organizations’ Parking Spaces?

At more than 1,100 pages, H.R. 1: One Big Beautiful Bill, isn’t what anyone might call leisurely reading. 

Containing many of President Trump’s campaign promises, the legislation aims to defund Planned Parenthood, make the 2017 tax cuts permanent and increase the Child Tax Credit, among just three of its top, positive features.

But buried within the bill is also something called a nonprofit parking tax, a curious, onerous, and wildly imaginative policy that threatens to siphon donation dollars from charitable organizations struggling to stretch their funds as far as possible.

Originally passed in 2017 as part of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA), the provision required nonprofits to treat the cost of employee parking spaces as taxable income to the organization. In other words, if a religious nonprofit paid $100,000 to repave or seal their parking lot, and another $50,000 to plow it throughout the winter, the organization would be on the hook for paying taxes on $150,000.

The novel idea of paying taxes on expenses rather than on income caused an absolute uproar, not to mention financially burdening nonprofit groups to shell out money to the government that was given to help the organization pursue their mission. The blowback led to its eventual repeal.

So, why is it back?

Clearly, the government is in a desperate search for funds, and many bureaucrats never met a tax they didn’t like. Others have speculated some legislators pushing this are hostile to religious nonprofits and want to financially hamstring them as much as possible.

Michael Martin, President and CEO of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), calls the proposed provision “an egregious mistake.”

“Legislators did exempt eligible church organizations this time, but that does not solve the problem for many Christian nonprofit ministries serving in our communities locally and abroad,” he writes. “It also does not address the disturbing assumption underlying the provision. Fundamentally, imposing a tax on a mission-centered expense as if it were income makes no sense, nor does subjecting ministries to significant new compliance costs to deal with that burden.”

The ECFA is inviting concerned citizens to sign a letter urging Congress to vote no on this latest effort to tax nonprofit organizations.

If the government can tax parking spaces and declare them a benefit, what’s to stop them from taxing water fountains, break room refrigerators, microwaves, vending machines, and even restrooms? 

Congress needs to “park” this absurd effort in a proverbial tow-away zone, once and for all. 

Image from Shutterstock.