Feb. 7 (UPI) — The White House on Friday launched a faith office, one day after another executive order was signed to protect Christians from discrimination.
President Donald Trump signed the order in the Oval Office that was closed to the media before he departed for Florida on Friday afternoon.
The new office will “empower faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better serve families and communities,” according to a fact sheet obtained by Fox News.
In charge of the office will be Paula White-Cain, a 58-year-old pastor.
White-Cain posted on X after Trump signed the order: “Prayers are being answered and God is moving in America. YOUR prayers matter, But we MUST remain in prayer! Pray for our nation, our President, The White House Faith Office, and believers everywhere.”
White headed the evangelical advisory board to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
She delivered the invocation at his first inauguration.
White-Cain then led Trump’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative in 2019, advising faith-based organizations on ways to partner with the federal government. It was part of the Office of Public Liaison.
She was senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Fla., from 2014-2019. In 1991, she co-founded Without Walls International Church in Tampa with pastor and then-husband Randy White.
Her website touts 40 years of ministry.
White-Cain said on X on Thursday: “The office will work alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi to combat discrimination against Christians in federal institutions and ensure religious liberties are upheld across the country!”
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order “eradicating anti-Christian bias.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi will lead a task force to “root out anti-Christian bias.”
Bondi is already empowered by the Constitution to uphold religious freedom for all in America with no legal need for a faith office to accomplish religious liberty defense.
The First Amendment clause on religion states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
The Supreme Court has interpreted it to cover all branches of the federal government and not just Congress.
So Christians, along with Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists and other religions, already have legal protection from the Constitution’s Bill of Rights to worship as they please or not all.
The Civil Rights Act also already protects federal workers against religious discrimination.
In a Facebook post the American Civil Liberties Union said, “As we saw in his last term, President Trump wants to eliminate the separation of church and state. Everyone has the right to religious freedom, not just the select few who practice this administration’s preferred brand of Christianity.”
A 2019 Pew Research poll found 82% of Americans believe Muslims are discriminated against in the United States, with 56% of them saying it is a lot. That poll showed 64% believe Jews face discrimination.
Only 50% said there was discrimination against evangelical Christians, with just 18% saying they face a lot of discrimination.
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