Over a dozen Christian leaders prayed with President Donald Trump within the Oval Workplace this week, with one saying that the assassination try final summer season has induced the president to embrace religion teams much more than he did in his first time period.
Led by White Home Religion Workplace Senior Advisor Paula White-Cain, Trump’s longtime religious advisor, the religion leaders met with Trump on Wednesday. Photos from the occasion present a number of religion leaders putting their fingers on Trump in prayer across the president.
Attendees included, amongst others, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the Nationwide Hispanic Christian Management Convention, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Pastor Travis Johnson of the multi-campus Pathway Church based mostly in Alabama, David Barton of WallBuilders, former presidential candidate and longtime social conservative activist Gary Bauer and William Wolfe, the chief director of the Middle for Baptist Management.
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Rodriguez, who serves as a religion advisor to the White Home Religion Workplace and took part in Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, supplied a prayer for Trump. The contents of the prayer had been shared with The Christian Publish:
“With gratitude and humility, we pray for President Trump. You assigned him, you appointed him, you anointed him for such a time as this. We ask You to cowl him with the blood of Jesus, empowering him to advance an agenda of righteousness and justice, fact and love.”
“Shield him from all evil as he undergirds our nation with the firewall of our Judeo-Christian worth system. Fulfill Your function in his life,” Rodriguez, the lead pastor of New Season megachurch in California, added.
“And in consequence, we pray by religion that via his management, the next will happen in America — the success of Isaiah 58:8: Salvation will come just like the daybreak. Wounds will rapidly heal. Godliness will lead us ahead because the glory of God will defend us from behind. In Jesus’ title, Amen.”
Rodriguez informed CP that it’s “an honor” to accomplice with White-Cain and Particular Assistant to the President Jenny Korn “to assist the unbelievable and essential work they’re doing via the White Home Religion Workplace.”
“I’m grateful to them for the chance to be a voice for Christians and the Latino neighborhood on this most essential of instances,” Rodriguez mentioned.
Earlier than assembly with Trump within the Oval Workplace, the leaders met with out the president.
“Our assembly time as a faith-based staff centered on faith-based insurance policies, initiatives and simply strategic planning and that was the gist of that assembly,” Rodriguez mentioned. “The time within the Oval Workplace was very cordial and simply time for us to simply relate with the president and time in prayer.”
Rodriguez known as Trump “unbelievably gracious” and “actually simply outstanding,” praising him for his hospitality.
“It felt extra like a household reunion … across the president, however it felt actual, it felt genuine,” he mentioned. “It was simply an unbelievable gathering.”
“That is the No. 1 most pro-faith president in my lifetime. That is the success of Ronald Reagan’s dream,” Rodriguez proclaimed. “I used to be a child, however I bear in mind being impressed by Ronald Reagan, and he would discuss religion and America being a metropolis on a hill, and the religion that guides us as People is our Judeo-Christian values system. That is taking his dream and bringing it to actuality.”
Throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace from 2017 to 2021, the White Home held a number of briefings and occasions with Evangelical leaders, together with the likes of Rodriguez, Franklin Graham, James Dobson, and others. On totally different events, Evangelical leaders equally prayed for Trump within the Oval Workplace.
In August 2018, the White Home hosted what was dubbed a “state dinner” during which over 100 Evangelical leaders had been invited.
When requested if he felt there have been any variations in Trump’s angle towards Christian leaders between his first time period and second, Rodriguez mentioned he thought the assassination try on Trump’s life at a marketing campaign rally final summer season produced a noticeable change.
“God spared his life, and therefore, the religion issue is even elevated via his private testimony. So, President Donald Trump is within the Oval Workplace as a result of God intervened and guarded him and that was apparent,” Rodriguez mentioned.
“So, he’s the byproduct of a miracle. Therefore, religion is extra essential than ever earlier than, even than in his first time period,” Rodriguez asserted.
Trump first introduced the creation of the White Home Religion Workplace throughout a speech on the Nationwide Prayer Breakfast final month, simply over two weeks after he took workplace. He recognized the aim of the brand new entity as serving to to fight “anti-Christian bias.” He elaborated on his imaginative and prescient for the brand new workplace in an government order printed on Feb. 7.
“The Workplace shall have lead duty within the government department to empower faith-based entities, neighborhood organizations, and homes of worship to serve households and communities,” the chief order said. “The Workplace shall be housed within the Home Coverage Council and headed by a Senior Advisor to the White Home Religion Workplace, and supported by different positions because the President considers acceptable.”
The capabilities of the White Home Religion Workplace embrace consulting with and looking for info “from specialists and numerous religion and neighborhood leaders recognized by the White Home Religion Workplace and different [Executive Office of the President] parts, together with these from outdoors the Federal Authorities and people from State, native, and Tribal governments.”
One other duty entails making “suggestions to the President, via the Assistant to the President for Home Coverage, relating to adjustments to insurance policies, packages, and practices, and facets of [the Trump] Administration’s coverage agenda, that have an effect on the power of faith-based entities, neighborhood organizations, and homes of worship to serve households and communities.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Publish. He will be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
