{"id":11550,"date":"2026-05-02T05:17:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T23:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/anti-christian-bias-task-force-blasts-biden-for-targeting-traditional-christians\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T05:17:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T23:47:27","slug":"anti-christian-bias-task-force-blasts-biden-for-targeting-traditional-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/anti-christian-bias-task-force-blasts-biden-for-targeting-traditional-christians\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Christian bias task force blasts Biden for targeting &#8216;traditional Christians&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_WKBBEioDbjK?client=wp&amp;client_version=3.1.5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON (RNS) \u2014 A new government report accusing President Joe Biden\u2019s administration of fomenting \u201canti-Christian bias\u201d is being met with mixed reactions from Christian leaders, with some conservatives celebrating the study and others arguing it appears narrowly focused on the concerns of evangelical Christians and obscures President Donald Trump\u2019s own conflicts with faith groups.<\/p>\n<p>The report, which was released on Thursday, is one of the first public actions by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, a body created by President Donald Trump in February of last year. Written by a group primarily composed of Trump\u2019s cabinet members, the study concluded that while the Biden administration \u201cgenerally tolerated religious beliefs that were privately held,\u201d the government under the former president\u2019s leadership nonetheless \u201czealously pursued actions to limit Christians\u2019 ability to act in accordance with their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The report, which stretches for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1438506\/dl?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery\">more than 500 pages<\/a>, alleges the wide array of incidents it highlights represent clashes between the Biden administration and a \u201cChristian worldview\u201d \u2014 particularly among what the report calls \u201ctraditional Christians,\u201d who hold conservative-leaning views on abortion, gender and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n<p>Among the report\u2019s claims are allegations that anti-Christian bias was present at various federal agencies during the Biden administration, including the Departments of Justice and Education, the latter of which is highlighted in the report for what the authors argue was an unfair focus of \u201cenforcement actions against Christian universities.\u201d The report argues that Christian colleges such as Liberty University and Grand Canyon University were made to pay larger fines than other schools that were scrutinized by the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>The report also accused the Biden administration of using the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act \u2014 which bars certain behaviors directed at those seeking an abortion \u2014 as the \u201cenforcement arm for abortion non-governmental organizations.\u201d It pointed to the monitoring and prosecution of Christian anti-abortion demonstrators who blockaded an abortion clinic, some of whom were <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/abortion-trump-executive-order-pardon-817774b21d32a4edf6d39ee43cbc18f4\">pardoned by Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The report was celebrated by figures such as Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, a conservative group that is cited in the report. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/article\/perkins-new-report-thaws-the-chill-of-bias-against-christians\">blog post<\/a>, Perkins said the task force had \u201cproduced one of the most, if not the most, substantive works of this administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, Kelly Shackelford, who leads the First Liberty Institute and sits on Trump\u2019s Religious Liberty Commission, called the report \u201cshocking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s record of hostility toward Christian Americans is despicable and should serve as a warning,\u201d Shackelford said in a statement. \u201cWe can never let this happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the report has also garnered ample criticism. In a call with reporters on Friday, Melissa Rogers, who led the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships under Biden and former President Barack Obama, derided the report.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4255508\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 231px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/04\/17\/if-the-white-house-faith-office-sent-a-memo-to-the-president\/trump-jesus\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4255508\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4255508 \" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Trump-Jesus-212x369.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Trump-Jesus-212x369.webp 212w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Trump-Jesus-368x640.webp 368w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Trump-Jesus-300x522.webp 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Trump-Jesus.webp 592w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">An AI-generated image that President Donald Trump shared on social media. (Screen grab)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s absurd to say that President Biden\u2019s administration was anti-Christian,\u201d said Rogers, who noted she is a lifelong Baptist. \u201cHe firmly believes, as I do, that we must protect religious freedom for everyone, everywhere, in equal measure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rogers also referenced a series of controversial social media posts made by Trump around Easter, such as his use of profanity when referring to Iran, decrying Pope Leo as \u201cweak on crime\u201d and posting an image that <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/04\/13\/in-criticizing-leo-and-depicting-himself-as-jesus-trump-sparks-outcry-from-religious-allies\/\">depicted himself as a Jesus-like figure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s also worth noting that President Biden spent Easter and Orthodox Easter wishing Christians worldwide joyful resurrection Sundays, not by pretending to be Jesus, by tweeting profanities and by attacking the Pope,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n<p>She was echoed by Amanda Tyler, who leads the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Tyler said any examples of government \u201coverreach\u201d regarding religious freedom should be handled by \u201ccourts of law, not a partisan political report,\u201d and accused the report\u2019s authors of using \u201ccherry-picked anecdotes that omit crucial context and legal basis for the policies and actions it takes issue with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also expressed frustration with what she said was the report\u2019s suggestion that Christianity and the U.S. government have long had a close relationship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Baptist contribution to our nation\u2019s founding is in the advocacy for the separation of religion from government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Tyler was one of several speakers on the call who also argued that the report seems to focus on what authors of the report call \u201ctraditional Christians.\u201d She noted that Christian beliefs and practices have long been a source of debate throughout Christian history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they talk about as \u2018traditional Christianity\u2019 \u2026 they\u2019re really just going to focus on conflicts around abortion, gender ideology and sexual orientation,\u201d Tyler said. \u201cThey\u2019ve narrowed, in the report, Christian theology to those three topics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert Jones, head of the Public Religion Research Institute, noted that on all three of those issues, polling from his group shows as many or even most Christians holding more liberal positions. A slim plurality of Christians overall support the right to an abortion in all or most cases (50% versus 48%), he said, and majorities support the right to allow gay and lesbian people to marry (56%). In addition, roughly two-thirds said they favor laws that would protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people against discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>The recurring outlier, he said, is white evangelicals, who often take a different view.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea that there\u2019s a broad anti-Christian \u2014 writ large \u2014 bias and that Trump is on the side of all Christians really just doesn\u2019t hold up when you look at the data,\u201d Jones said, adding a majority of Christians (54%) also have an unfavorable view of the president.<\/p>\n<p>The report does acknowledge a spectrum of Christian belief. In one section, after citing a series of Bible passages, the report notes that \u201csome Christians argue that these verses should be understood in a manner different than traditional Christians,\u201d but adds that \u201conly the latter\u201d were \u201csubjected to hostility by the Biden administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even so, the study also draws from conservative Christian sources when defining Christianity itself. A section devoted to outlining \u201cChristian beliefs\u201d uses some broader sources, such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and statements from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, but it also initially cites G.K. Chesterton, a Catholic Christian apologist popular in conservative Catholic circles. The section and another immediately following then cite a series of prominent evangelical Christian voices, such as the late pastor Timothy Keller, theologian John Piper, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler and commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/10\/13\/allie-beth-stuckey-equips-6500-conservative-christian-women-for-spiritual-battle\/\">Allie Beth Stuckey<\/a>. The report\u2019s authors also quote Scripture exclusively using the English Standard Version of the Bible, a translation first published in 2001 and created by \u201cmore than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors,\u201d according to the translation\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esv.org\/about\/\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers did not directly respond to questions about the criticisms of the report, instead reaffirming the authors\u2019 overall conclusions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4169848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 640px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2024\/10\/07\/at-events-across-the-u-s-american-jews-mark-a-grim-anniversary\/joe-bidenjill-biden-8\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4169848\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4169848 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-807x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-807x538.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/webRNS-October-7-Memorial3.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">FILE \u2013 President Joe Biden, center, standing with first lady Jill Biden, left, and Rabbi Aaron Alexander of the Adas Israel Congregation, participates in a memorial candle-lighting in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. (AP Photo\/Susan Walsh)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe Biden Administration weaponized the full weight of the federal government against people of faith, specifically Christians \u2014 this is the second report that reinforces that with real examples,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThere has never been a bigger champion for Christians than President Trump, and his track record proves it: he has proudly defended and expanded our religious rights, pardoned pro-life activists, stopped the chemical mutilation of our nation\u2019s children, and protected parents\u2019 rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But on the press call, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of Interfaith Alliance, which is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.au.org\/the-latest\/press\/religious-liberty-commission-lawsuit\/\">suing the administration<\/a> over the makeup of the president\u2019s religious liberty commission, noted that a growing number of Christian groups and other religious organizations, as well as individual faith leaders, have accused the Trump administration of violating their rights. Dozens of religious groups \u2014 including entire Christian denominations \u2014 have signed on to <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/07\/28\/fourth-group-of-religious-organizations-sues-trump-administration-over-ice-raids-at-churches\/\">four separate lawsuits<\/a> challenging the Trump administration\u2019s decision to rescind an internal policy that discouraged immigration raids at houses of worship. And clergy in Illinois and <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/02\/19\/bay-area-pastor-shot-with-a-pepper-round-files-5m-claim-against-federal-government\/\">California<\/a> have filed legal complaints after federal agents were <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/10\/07\/in-chicago-clergy-and-religious-protesters-say-ice-is-threatening-their-religious-freedom\/\">filmed shooting faith leaders<\/a> with pepper balls and pepper rounds as they were protesting Trump\u2019s immigration policies.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, priests, nuns and faith groups have filed two <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/11\/20\/catholic-clergy-nuns-sue-trump-admin-over-lack-of-communion-access\/\">separate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/03\/23\/federal-judge-grants-injunction-allowing-clergy-visits-at-minneapolis-ice-holding-facility\/\">lawsuits<\/a> demanding the administration allow clergy to have more access to detainees; more than a hundred faith leaders have been <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/01\/23\/inside-the-effort-to-organize-clergy-nationwide-to-resist-ice-minneapolis\/\">arrested<\/a> protesting Trump\u2019s policies since he was inaugurated; and the president has repeatedly sparred with Catholic leaders who have been critical of him \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/04\/13\/pope-leo-says-he-does-not-fear-trump-citing-gospel-as-he-pushes-back-in-feud-over-iran-war\/\">including Pope Leo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe greatest threat to Christians exercising our religious liberty in the United States today is the Trump administration itself,\u201d Graves-Fitzsimmons said.<\/p>\n<p>The task force is slated to produce another repot in 2027.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/05\/01\/anti-christian-bias-task-force-blasts-biden-administration-in-first-report\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON (RNS) \u2014 A new government report accusing President Joe Biden\u2019s administration of fomenting \u201canti-Christian bias\u201d is being met with mixed reactions from Christian leaders, with some conservatives celebrating the study and others arguing it appears narrowly focused on the concerns of evangelical Christians and obscures President Donald Trump\u2019s own conflicts with faith groups. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}