AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Two recent executive orders from President Trump address religion directly. One sets up a task force to counter what Trump calls, quote, "anti-Christian bias" in the federal government. The other establishes, or reestablishes, a Faith Office in the White House. Here to walk us through how these orders might work is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Hi, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
CHANG: OK, so I want to start with the anti-Christian bias task force. What would that be, exactly?
DEROSE: Well, this order says that its purpose is to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the, quote, "anti-Christian weaponization of the (ph) government." The task force will be headed by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Then the order lists some specific instances of what it calls this anti-Christian targeting under the Biden administration. Among them, the Department of Justice prosecuting people who blocked access to reproductive health clinics and the Department of Education guidance about campus groups that discriminate against LGBTQ people.
CHANG: OK. I guess my question is how is that anti-Christian bias - like, those examples?
DEROSE: Well, certainly not bias against all Christians. There are plenty of Catholics and Protestants who favor abortion rights and believe access should not be blocked. And same with Christians and LGBTQ rights. Professor of law and religion Robert Tuttle, at George Washington University, says what's really being described in this executive order is a specific conservative version of Christianity.
ROBERT TUTTLE: It's about the relationship between Christianity and its perceived mistreatment by the government and the elites that has long been a staple of the Protestant evangelical right.
DEROSE: And Tuttle says this persecution narrative leads to the false idea that Christians are an embattled minority when, in actuality, about two-thirds of the U.S. identifies as Christian. What's really going on here, Tuttle says, is that the loss of Christian hegemony feels like persecution to these evangelicals.
CHANG: OK, let's turn to the Faith Office. I said this executive order establishes, or maybe reestablishes, the office. What would a Faith Office do?
DEROSE: Well, an office like this has existed in the White House since 2001, when George W. Bush established what he called the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives. It helped faith-based groups navigate getting government grants to do work like run shelters or refugee resettlement programs. Melissa Rogers headed that office under both Obama and Biden. She says the spirit of the office was bipartisan, and the office had a clear goal.
MELISSA ROGERS: The government does a smart thing when it works with these organizations who know how to bring about change in people's lives that can be transformational.
DEROSE: It's worth noting this office was mostly dormant during the first Trump administration.
CHANG: Oh, OK. Well, these moves, Jason, they're coming while a number of religious groups are fighting against the Trump administration, right? Like, what policies...
DEROSE: Yeah.
CHANG: ...Are at the center of their concerns?
DEROSE: Well, more than two dozen religious groups, including several large Christian denominations, are suing over one policy in particular. Trump has rescinded the guidance that prevented authorities from entering houses of worship to enforce immigration laws. They say fears of immigration raids are preventing them from living out their faith.
Also, the administration has suspended the refugee resettlement program, which is carried out mostly by faith-based organizations. Those groups often resettle Christians fleeing persecution in other countries, and they've had to lay off people doing that work. So while the Trump administration says it's fighting anti-Christian bias, it's also hampering the work that many Christians say they're called to do as part of their faith.
CHANG: That is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Thank you, Jason.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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