The Church has spent years fighting for the freedom to live its faith in public. As those protections grow stronger, the question remains: Will Christians seize the opportunity to live, speak, and lead boldly?
Each day’s headlines remind us that our nation’s foundations are under attack. As radical cultural agendas and government overreach grow bolder, many Christians have felt pressured to retreat, treating their faith as something best kept behind church walls. Many wonder what kind of America we are leaving to our children and grandchildren.
Yet beyond the noise and confusion, encouraging news is emerging from America’s courts and the Trump administration for Americans who seek to live out their faith in public.
Most recently, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new memo on July 27 instructing federal executive agencies to strengthen protections for religious liberty, with particular emphasis on safeguarding parental rights and the autonomy of religious organizations.
The document, titled “Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty,” marks the first update to the department’s religious liberty guidance since 2017. It incorporates key U.S. Supreme Court decisions issued over the past nine years interpreting the First Amendment, church autonomy, government neutrality toward religion, and parents’ rights.
These decisions include Mahmoud v. Taylor, Kennedy v. Bremerton, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, 303 Creative v. Elenis, Carson v. Makin, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, and Shurtleff v. City of Boston.
The new guidance also ensures that federal programs, employment practices, contracting, rulemaking, and enforcement actions comply with the Constitution, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and other applicable federal laws.
“Religious liberty is one of our Nation’s founding principles and a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “It is essential that federal agencies fully respect and protect the ability of all Americans to live out their faith in daily life, including in their interactions with the federal government.”
This is both a legal victory and a blessing for churches, Christian business owners, and families across America. God has given us a season of renewed freedom, and we must use it wisely and courageously.
Beyond the Freedom of Worship
For decades, a dangerous idea crept into our laws: that religious liberty must be limited to the right to worship behind closed doors.
This narrow view said you could believe what you wanted on Sunday, but you had to hide your faith the rest of the week. If you tried to run your business or ministry by biblical values, the government often threatened your job or your mission. Christians were told to choose between their faith and their future.
Thankfully, that false choice is beginning to crumble. Recent court decisions are reaffirming what the First Amendment has always protected: Our Constitution protects the free exercise of faith in every part of life. Courts are increasingly standing up for faith-based ministries, Christian business owners, religious schools, and believers in the workplace and the DOJ will enforce those decisions.
In the case of Christians, for example, the DOJ’s new religious liberty guidance will make sure that federal agencies abide by the following constitutional realities:
- The free exercise of religion doesn’t just protect the right of Christians to speak and practice their deeply held beliefs in public; it also protects their right to not participate in any activity or expression that violates those beliefs.
- Freedom of religion isn’t just for individuals but it extends to those working in Christian organizations, including Christian schools, ministries, private organizations, churches, and even for-profit corporations.
- Government cannot interfere with the autonomy of a church, such as forcing it to adhere to nondiscrimination laws, such as forcing it to hire women as pastors or to host a same-sex marriage ceremony.
- Government cannot interfere with parents’ right to direct the religious upbringing of their children, including making the availability of public services, like public schooling, conditional on “parents’ willingness to surrender their religious freedom.”
The memo makes it very clear: Christians have as much right as any other American to speak and participate in everyday life without fear of government discrimination or punishment.
Freedom Rooted in God, Not Government
We should remember why victories like this matter. Religious freedom is about far more than politics or personal convenience. It reflects a truth grounded in God’s nature and His design for humanity.
Scripture teaches that every person is created in the image of God, with inherent dignity and a conscience that belongs to Him. God calls people to trust and follow Him, but He does not compel faith through force. Instead, He calls us to respond freely in truth and love.
Only God is Lord of the conscience. No government has the right to come between a person and their Creator. The role of government is to restrain evil and uphold justice, not to control what we believe or how we worship.
When the government tries to force Christians to accept what God forbids, our duty is clear. As the apostles declared, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Defending our rights is not about power but about standing for the truth that our conscience belongs to God.
In response to the DOJ’s announcement, Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said,
“The updated religious liberty guidance from the Department of Justice is a testament that religious freedom is not a right granted by government, rather it is a right to be protected by government. A government should act as a shield for religious liberty, parental rights, and religious autonomy, and should never be a weapon that targets, penalizes, or silences people of faith. Religious people, parents, and organizations should never be forced to choose between their beliefs and full participation in public life.”
A Gift We Cannot Afford to Waste
Strong legal protections matter, but they accomplish little if Christians fail to use them. The real question for the Church is not just about winning in court but how we will live out our faith with the freedom God has given us.
Legal protection is a call to action. If we are free to teach our children God’s truth, we should build strong Christian schools and homeschool co-ops. Christian business owners and church leaders should lead the way in honesty, generosity, and courage.
If the law protects our right to serve through pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, and outreach, we should be donating, volunteering, and encouraging both pregnant mothers and those with children. We must show America that when Christians live out their faith, everyone benefits.
We must also show the character of Christ in public. The Apostle Peter reminded believers to always be ready to explain their hope, and to do so with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16). We are called to be both courageous and kind.
Stepping Into the Open Door
We are living in a rare moment of opportunity. The walls that tried to push faith out of public life are coming down, and now is the time for Christians to lead with conviction and grace.
The future of our country will not be shaped by those who hide in fear or waste time on outrage. It will be shaped by faithful Christians who show up, work hard, love their neighbors, and stand firm for what is right.
God has given His people a season of renewed freedom and open doors. Now is the time to set aside fear, step forward with confidence, and work for the good of our neighbors and the glory of God.
Every open door needs someone willing to walk through it. If this article strengthened your resolve to live out your faith with courage, help us keep the light of biblical truth shining in the public square. Your gift equips the Standing for Freedom Center to defend religious liberty and encourage Christians to stand with conviction and grace. Consider making a donation here.
