A champion for the persecuted

On April 10, President Trump announced the appointment of former North Carolina Congressman Mark Walker as the United States ambassador at large for international religious freedom at the State Department. If confirmed, as expected, by the Senate, Walker will be the seventh such person to serve in this role.

Walker comes to this important position after serving three terms in the House of Representatives, serving North Carolina’s Sixth Congressional District. He chaired the influential Republican Study Committee and was vice-chair of the House Republican Conference. Walker also co-chaired the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

The former congressman’s background as a Southern Baptist pastor will serve him well in this new role as a champion for religious freedom. He pastored churches in North Carolina and Florida before entering public service.

The role of ambassador for religious freedom at the State Department was created in 1998 with the adoption of the bipartisan International Religious Freedom Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It not only created this role, which reports directly to the secretary of state, but it also created the separate U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Both offices create separate reports on the state of religious freedom around the world.

The ambassador for religious freedom helps integrate the country’s core value of religious freedom into its diplomacy and foreign policy, both championing religious freedom and calling out bad actors on the world stage. The United States is the only country in the world with an office specifically designed for this kind of diplomacy. Walker will have access to the secretary of state and the president and can help shape policy recommendations.

It’s good and right for the United States to use her status as the world superpower to champion religious freedom around the world. Former Ambassador Sam Brownback, who served in this role for President Trump’s first term, said of the office, “The United States is the preeminent country in the world that stands for religious freedom. There’s nobody anywhere close to it. So to be the ambassador for international religious freedom for a country that stands for it … affects billions of people around the world that simply want to peacefully practice their faith.”

The United States’ first responsibility, of course, is to the liberty and freedom of her own citizens, and America cannot be the world’s policeman. Yet we can use our bully pulpit in ways that both give voice to the millions around the world who live under tyranny, and we can use our influence to encourage nations to prioritize the first freedom: the freedom to worship according to one’s conscience.

Today, millions around the world must worship in secret for fear of a knock on the door, or worse, an army of terrorists or state police ready to enforce a state-sanctioned ban on certain religions. Last year, 17 countries made the list of “countries of particular concern.” These include nations such as Afghanistan, Burma, China, Cuba, India, Russia, and others.

It is incumbent on American Christians to speak up for those who daily choose between death or devotion. Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion around the world, but we are not alone. In places like China, the government not only systematically enslaves and imprisons Christians, but also Muslim Uygurs and those of the Bahai faith. We should be grateful that our government prioritizes religious freedom in our foreign policy. Quite often, the lack of religious freedom is a sign that a nation fails to recognize other basic human rights. Pope John Paul II was correct when he said, “The fundamental right to religious freedom is a cornerstone of the structure of human rights and the foundation of every truly free society.”

As a Baptist, Mark Walker won’t have to be convinced of this, for religious liberty is his native language. President Trump made a wise choice for this important role.