Donald Trump’s announcement of an “anti-Christian bias task force” has stirred strong reactions across the spectrum, but from a biblical Christian standpoint, it feels less like a shield and more like a spotlight which could deepen the very tensions it claims to ease.

Christians are indeed increasingly marginalized in America, not through overt government decrees (as seen in parts of India, Africa or modern-day China), but through slow and steady cultural erosion, legal battles over conscience rights, and the steady ridicule of Christian values in public discourse. But this is nothing new, nor is it something true Christians should be shocked by.

Scripture doesn’t merely anticipate persecution, it promises it. In 2 Timothy 3:12, we’re told plainly: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Jesus Christ Himself said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” in John 15:18. We aren’t victims in need of Trump’s protection, we signed up for this. The early Church didn’t plead for policy reform. They endured, empowered by the Holy Spirit, holding fast to eternal truths while the temporal world raged around them. We’re doing the same, no task force needed. 

This isn’t a call to be passive, there is a place for Christians in law, government, and culture, but it’s a call to keep first things first. Our protection doesn’t come from Washington; it comes from the Lord. And if persecution is part of the Christian walk, we shouldn’t be trying to legislate our way out of it.

Creating a government led task force focused solely on “anti-Christian bias” may sound like support to some, but to the world, it plays right into the narrative of Christians as entitled hypocrites, now seemingly demanding privilege over principle. Worse, for many believers, it risks nurturing a worldly victim mentality, one that insists the government should ease our burdens, rather than calling us to pick up our cross and follow Christ. We pray for Donald Trump because Jesus told us to pray for our leaders, but we don’t worship Him as one who protects us. Frankly, we’re the ones praying for his protection. 

Furthermore, beyond theology, there are constitutional implications. While the First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion, it also guards against the establishment of any single faith as specially favored by the state. The Supreme Court has long treaded carefully in balancing these rights. In Employment Division v. Smith (1990), the Court ruled that neutral laws of general applicability don’t violate the Free Exercise Clause even if they incidentally burden religious practices. This means Christians, like everyone else, have to navigate laws that aren’t tailor-made for faith based life. It may be inconvenient but it’s lawful.

More recent cases like Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018) show that legal recourse does exist when real bias occurs. The system isn’t perfect, but it functions. We do not require special privilege and we don’t desire targets on our backs, more than already exists. Civil litigation, amicus briefs, and constitutional defenses are already available to Christians facing discrimination. A task force adds redundancy rather than  remedy and eventually, resentment.

Additionally, enshrining Christianity in special government protection undermines the credibility of the faith itself. We aren’t a political class to be catered to. We’re followers of Jesus, who said His kingdom is not of this world. When Constantine fused Church and State in the 4th century, Christianity gained political power but lost something spiritual in the process. A task force might offer symbolic support, but it echoes that same entanglement.

This is not to deny Trump’s good intentions. His administration made tangible efforts to support religious liberty, and there is no sin in being grateful for political leaders who recognize the importance of faith in society. But Christianity is not a campaign platform nor is it an identity group in need of special lobbying. It is a covenant between God and man, lived out in daily obedience, not state recognition.

In fact, history shows that Christianity thrives under pressure. The Church grew fastest under persecution, not protection. What we need now is not a task force, but clarity. Clarity that suffering is part of our calling and that that God is our defender, not government. We are not owed peace from the world, but we are offered peace in Christ.

God bless Trump for wanting to help, but for the Christian, this is not the help we seek.