For Christians around the world, Easter gives us the opportunity to celebrate Jesus’ life and death, and most importantly, His resurrection. We reflect on the suffering of Jesus, what he endured for His people even though He was without sin. Then we joyously proclaim His triumph over death; his ascension to the right hand of the Father and the gift of everlasting life he offers to all who repent and believe in him.
My belief in this miraculous gift is what guides me every day. As the son of a preacher, I’ve known the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection since childhood. But like so many believers, as I grew older, that faith became my own. It became a conviction in my life that I resolved to follow.
When I first came to Washington, I pledged to myself that nothing would cause my faith to waiver, even as I confronted the frustrations of partisanship and political games that plague this city. I take this pledge seriously because it isn’t just my faith that I am standing up for, but the religious beliefs and rights of all those whom I’m honored to represent. Whether it’s fighting for the unborn – ensuring that no taxpayer’s dollars go towards funding abortion – or protecting the rights of parents to educate their children in a manner consistent with their beliefs, I am proud to use my voice to stand up for religious freedom.
Our Founders knew that a person’s beliefs are deeply personal and as a result, enshrined the right to religious freedom in our Constitution. We are truly blessed to live in a country that allows the practice of all faiths and religions.
But during this time I am reminded that not every Christian around the world has the same freedom that we do. Many of our Christian brothers and sisters must practice their faith in secret, facing daily threats of persecution and even death.
Christians in countries like China. China is home to one of the world’s largest populations of believers. Yet most believers remain members of underground churches, unwilling to submit to the Chinese Communist Party’s control over their faith. Or Christians in Afghanistan. Since the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal last summer, which resulted in the fall of Kabul and the collapse of their government, the Afghan people are now once again subject to the brutal rule of the Taliban. While the practice of Christianity or other minority faiths may never have been easy for Afghan believers, the Taliban’s hostility to any beliefs except their own means increased suffering for all. Or in Ukraine, a country not known for religious intolerance but is now defending itself from Russia’s unprovoked aggression – fighting against a return to a past of occupation, state control, and persecution.
When I think of Christians living under these conditions, I am reminded of John 16:33:
“I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
It is my prayer that Christians around the world, especially those in countries where their faith is tested each day, remember these words, and find peace in them. I am so thankful for the religious freedom we enjoy as Americans, and I will continue to fight for that freedom every day. I hope, no matter our circumstances or beliefs, that we all can meditate on the life of Jesus this Easter Weekend and celebrate His triumphant rise from the grave with joy.
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