North Carolina Reverend Says Trump's Executive Order Is About 'Religious Bigotry'
Reverend William Barber II, President of the North Carolina NAACP talks about his perspective on what President Trump's executive order on religious freedom means for communities of faith in the U.S.
May 6, 20176:41 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Let's go back to one of the executive orders President Trump signed this week that got a lot of attention, in part because he led a ceremony in the Rose Garden to promote it. This order directs the Justice Department to, quote, "issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in federal law," unquote. Now, over the course of the campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly promised conservative Christian supporters that he would defend their view of religious freedom by allowing them to opt out of mandates with which they disagree.
The executive order he signed, though, mainly focuses on the Johnson Amendment, which limits political activity by churches and other tax-exempt institutions. Basically, it bars religious people and institutions from politicking from the pulpit. Now, a number of Christian conservatives have weighed in both praising the order and criticizing it, but we thought we'd like to hear a perspective from a politically active clergy member from the other side of the aisle.
The reverend William Barber II is president of the North Carolina NAACP. He also pastors Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., and we reached him there. Reverend Barber, thank you so much for speaking with us once again.
WILLIAM BARBER II: Thank you so much for allowing me to be on today.
MARTIN: Now, you are politically involved, as we said. Is there something you can do today that you couldn't do last week?
BARBER: No. And the fact of the matter is when I look at that executive order it is not about religious liberty. It's about religious bigotry. But clearly as a clergy person who knows the Scripture, we have the authority at any time to speak out on policy. It's as old as the prophets in the Bible who said woe unto those who legislate evil and rob the poor of their rights.
What this order does - and Ralph Reed said it in an interview. He said if an organization, a religious organization, wants to spend some of its money on endorsing candidates, now they would be free to do that. And that's what this is really about. It's about loosing more dark money, doing it under the guise of religion to support candidates who in many ways support policies who are the antithesis of love and justice and mercy.
http://www.npr.org/2017/05/06/527196376/north-carolina-reverend-says-trumps-executive-order-is-about-religious-bigotry
3:57 audio at link.
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