On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered remarks at Jack Graham's Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. As a Christian himself, Pompeo encouraged believers not to shy away from expressing their faith in the public square despite opposition from critics.
Pastor Jack Graham, who leads the Texas-based megachurch, highlighted Pompeo’s resume and his Christian faith as “a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and a believer in our Savior.”
According to The Christian Post, Pompeo stated that the eyes of the world are on America for direction and the world must know “America’s foundation as a Judeo-Christian nation.”
“Faith in the public square is not only lawful but righteous. This faith is not only powerful, but required by the American tradition,” he said.
Pompeo also quoted George Washington, America’s first president and one of the Founding Fathers: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable support.”
Regarding the Founding Fathers, Pompeo noted that they “put protection of human dignity and human freedom at the heart of our founding documents … To this day, America reflects this.”
The Secretary of State added that the work of the State Department must likewise reflect it.
Pompeo proceeded to highlight China’s oppression of Uyghur Muslims as an example of what a godless nation resembles. The Christian Post reports that between an estimated 1 to 3 million Uyghur Muslims alongside other minority groups in China are detained in internment camps.
Pompeo contended that the Trump administration has undertaken the matter seriously. In May, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 was passed by Congress that protects the rights of the Uyghur Muslims.
Pompeo also shared with the congregation the concerns of a wife of a Chinese Christian whom she lost contact with after his imprisonment in China. The wife had previously written to Pompeo asking him to pray for her husband.
Pompeo also told the church that the responsibility of prayer is fundamentally American.
“We should pray; that’s the first of all things,” he asserted. “If you hide your light in an open society like ours, that sends a terrible message to places that are more difficult.”
While Pompeo knows that expressing one’s faith will be shunned by critics, he told the church to not be discouraged as “it means you’ve got conviction and that you showed it.”
“Connecting faith to America’s foreign policy is imperative. It’s a good thing,” he continued, citing last week's signing of the UAE Peace Agreement between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House.
“Faith strengthens American diplomacy, it doesn’t diminish it," Pompeo asserted.
“It is in the places where faith is suppressed or targeted for total erasure, we see brutality and evil, and where humanity is most oppressed.”
Pompeo attributed God’s grace for the opportunity and privilege to serve as American’s 70th Secretary of State.
The secretary noted that he keeps a Bible in his office and reads it daily. Pompeo then cited Galatians 6:9 which reads: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
“Don’t ever give up shining the light," Pompeo stressed. "Don’t ever walk away from an opportunity to put faith in the public square. Do walk with the Lord and keep at it. Stay true. Keep believing. All of us together, we’ll make this nation a light unto the world.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Mark Wilson/Staff
Video courtesy: The Great Awakening
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
