Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a bunch of Baptist evangelical church buildings primarily based in Southern California, took to social media this week to share a second he mentioned supplied a stark religious reminder: not being on the listing to enter a White Home worship service.
Why It Issues
The pastor’s anecdote got here days after he praised the Trump administration’s new White Home Religion Workplace (WHFO), a federal initiative aimed toward addressing anti-Christian bias in the USA.
In February, President Donald Trump established the WHFO, which changed the Workplace of Religion-Based mostly and Neighborhood Initiatives. It’s led by Senior Advisor Paula White-Cain, a longtime religious advisor to Trump.
What To Know
On Thursday, Laurie discovered himself briefly barred from a White Home worship occasion—an expertise he later described as a putting metaphor for “the everlasting stakes of religion.”
“So, I went to the White Home to guide a prayer at their very first worship service—and guess what? My title wasn’t on the listing!” Laurie wrote on X, previously Twitter. “It jogged my memory of one thing way more critical—what Jesus mentioned will tragically occur to some folks sooner or later after they step into eternity. They’re going to count on to be welcomed into Heaven, however their title will not be within the Ebook of Life.”
Laurie mentioned the mix-up was rapidly resolved after he crammed out a “very official kind” he had forgotten to finish, which allowed him to enter the service.
“No harp music or pearly gates—however an amazing worship service filled with White Home workers members able to reward the Lord,” he added.
So, I went to the White Home to guide a prayer at their very first worship service—and guess what? My title wasn’t on the listing!
Yep. Pastor will get denied on the door.It jogged my memory of one thing way more critical—what Jesus mentioned will tragically occur to some folks sooner or later when… pic.twitter.com/8aaLhZLOTM
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) April 17, 2025
“I shared a verse from the ebook of Esther and reminded them that, sure, God has positioned them there—for such a time as this.”
In a weblog publish from February, Laurie voiced sturdy assist for the brand new White Home Religion Workplace and pushed again towards considerations concerning the separation of church and state.
Anticipating criticism, Laurie argued that the idea is commonly misunderstood.
“This assertion just isn’t in any official authorities paperwork, just like the Structure,” he wrote. “It is a assertion Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter, with the concept being that the state’s affect needs to be stored out of the church, reasonably than the opposite method round.”
He described the present political local weather as an “unprecedented alternative” for Christians to share the gospel overtly and with out worry.
Matt Masin/The Orange County Register through AP
“This isn’t ‘Christian Nationalism,’ as some wish to negatively say,” Laurie continued. “We’re not attempting to ‘push’ our religion on anybody. Quite, the other is true. We do not wish to drive anybody to imagine something. We would like them to open their hearts and see their want for Jesus Christ.”
Evangelical Christians stay a cornerstone of Trump’s base, taking part in a pivotal position in his return to the White Home. In keeping with a Pew Analysis Heart survey carried out months earlier than the election, 82 % of white evangelical Protestants mentioned they supported Trump and his insurance policies.
A number of Democratic leaders and affiliated organizations have expressed sturdy opposition to the WHFO and the Job Pressure to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias established by Trump in February.
What Individuals Are Saying
Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, wrote on his private weblog in February: “The First Modification offers us the precise to talk our minds, and we have to use this unprecedented alternative that now we have proper now to proclaim the gospel.”
President Donald Trump, in his government order in February: “The Founders established a Nation through which folks had been free to follow their religion with out worry of discrimination or retaliation by their authorities…But the earlier Administration engaged in an egregious sample of concentrating on peaceable Christians, whereas ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.”
Pastor Paula White-Cain, chief of the WHFO, on X in February: “The workplace will work alongside Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi to fight discrimination towards Christians in federal establishments and guarantee spiritual liberties are upheld throughout the nation.”
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of People United, informed WBBF: “Quite than defending spiritual beliefs, this activity drive will misuse spiritual freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination and the subversion of our civil rights legal guidelines.”
What Occurs Subsequent
Though the WHFO has not confronted direct authorized challenges, its existence continues to be a focus in discussions about spiritual freedom and the suitable position of faith-based initiatives within the federal authorities.
