How we order our societies, but for me obviously the bible is primarily the revelation of god planning principles for humanity and the best way to know the keys to living a godly life with intimacy with him and if you believe in the new testament as i do is son jesus christ. I also think as a trained historian its one of the most important history books that you will ever readve. Theres no better Single Source than the bible. Its all there, the rise and fall of empires from, you know, the babylon to the persians, to the greeks, to the roman empire. And then finally, even if you dont shower and then finally even if you dont share my faith, or the jewish or Christian Faith, i think it is one of the most important books of philosophy ever written. I mean, if you read the songs the proverbs, even if you dont have a view of the world, the principal, the philosophical beliefs that are found inca scripture are, you know some of the most timeless and eternal and important ever written. Host how did you come to your Christian Faith . While i was raised in the church my parents grew up in the methodistur church. I grew up in the methodist church. My best friend growing up was the son of my pastor. My father was chairman of the board of deacons or elders. My mother was the headd of the methodist youth fellowship. I grew up going to methodist youth camp. In grow up going to sunday school. I did not know any other life other than that. It was just the way i was raised. But i never really had a personal relationship with jesus christ. When i got excited with politics as a teenager, i went off on that track and worked on campaigns and ended up going to washington d. C. And working at the Republican National committee and, really a long story short, i did not find that to be satisfying. To fill the void that was inside of me. I came in contact some Young Christians who were involved in the College Republicans who shared their faith with me. But more importantly, just share their lives with me. They loved me. We became good friends. I saw the happiness and joy in them that i had never known. I was curious to where it came from. And that ultimate intent evultimately led to me driving to a Small Evangelical Church outside washington d. C. On september 18, 1983. And at that Church Service i gave my life to jesus christ. Host ralph reed why are you a conservative . Iv guest i am a conservative because i believe in free markets for it i believe in capitalism, not on buttered, un hinged capitalism, but a capitalism that is ungoverned by the principles that i referred to earlier from scripture about caring for the poor. Caring for the downtrodden. The left behind, the marginalized. I believe in free markets. And free minds. Our together, freedom in a civic sense the greatest generator of wealth and happiness in all of Human History and i believe conservativism t has found its home in the Republican Party in the postworld war ii period, is the best way to preserve, guard and protect those free minds and free markets. And i think unfortunately, liberalism, which is found its home in the modern Democratic Party and the post depression, post new deal context, spends most of its time trying to restrict and even crush those freedoms and those markets. And believes in the redistribution of wealth and trying to create a quality of outcomes rather than maximizing the wealth and progress that comes from free markets and free minds. Gripping a military family served in the u. S. C navy during the conflicts. Then was a reserve officer. And i grew up in a household of faith. And so, that was the way i grewec up. Over time and in my own independent decisions based on my own study in my ownwn involvement. Stewing from a 1996 book, active faith, you write what does it mean to be a person of faith in the political world . It is no different than being a christian and any other vocation. Politics is a contact sport. I have a job to do that it involves trying to advance my agenda. In that combat i play hard and i try to win. But i never hit below the belt. Guest yowrites. A lot of times i get asked a question, what is the proper relationship between christianity or our faith in politics . It seems to be such a dirty business. It is so cutthroat. This really two answers. The first is we are called as men and women of faith to be engaged in the policy wherever god has placed us. In the time of the ancient jews, that sometimes meant being under subjugation and occupying power where there is the babylonian or the persians or later the roman romans. In the current context, it means for me being a citizen of the unitedit states. And i think we have earthly civic responsibilities and we have heavenly responsibilities. And we essentially carry two passports. We are citizens effective in two realms and two kingdoms. One is of the United States. We are american citizens. And the other is of the kingdom of god, which is both here today and yet to come. And each carries responsibilities as a citizen of the heavenly kingdom, i am called to obedience to gods commandments, to care for the poor, to share the gospel with others. To pray, to read the bible. And to worship, to not neglect the coming together of believers. There are certain responsibilities. The earthly civic contacts there are certainin responsibilities which i believe are to register to vote, be informed, to vote, to make ones views known to elected officials. To petition our government to redress grievances, and injustices. And if we fully understand our faith, we are to be muscular citizens above. And the reason why we are called to be muscular and robust citizens in the earthly realm is not because we believe we can usher in the kingdom of god by electing the right person or passing the right law, we cant do that. Gods kingdom will only come when christ returns. But until then, we are to occupy until he is comes. And if we understand our citizenship in the biblical understanding, its effective in two ways. Number one, it can protectct the innocent. And it can establish justice and redress injustice and resist evil. Certainly the Civil Rights Movement did that in the 1960s. The Antislavery Movement did that in the antebellum period and onto the civil war. The Temperance Movement did that and the Suffragist Movement in the late 19th century. They werent just on their knees praying for jesus to come back. They were doing everything they could to resist and combat evil in their time. The second thing that it does, as it allows the gospel to spread into rise to the highest and most influential levels of our society. Because of our civic engagement. In other words, other people become aware of our faith and our principles and are exposed to them and an altogether positive way because we are engaged in the civic process. For example, when you read the new testament you find because hethe apostle paul was a citizen of rome and appealed his case, all the way to the amber. Which was the right of a roman citizen. The bible says that many members of caesars household, came to know jesus christ. Because bald did that. In some epistles that paul wrote later, he sends greetings from members of caesars household. And there were governors, and roman officials who were exposed to the gospel only because paul chose to be an effective citize citizen. So that is the way i approachpr i it. For. Now mr. Reed, from your 2014 book, awakening, how america could turn from economic and moral destruction back to greatness, you talk about a topic we are talking about toda today. You write because we have never fully repented for the injustices and wrongs done during slavery and segregation , we have never experienced the healing that comes to thede redemptive process of redemption and forgiveness. Until we do, we will not fully experience the spiritual awakening our nation so desperately needs. Guest yeah. That is certainly not a thought that is original to me. Iy think in that chapter i quote a beautiful speech that my good friend Mike Huckabee gave when he was governor of arkansas. To honor the children who were the first to integrate a high school in little rock, arkansas. And ultimately led to dwight d eisenhower, as i recall federal lysing the National Guard to protect those young people from the violence they were threatened with. And Mike Huckabee said in effect, the same words and said that some of the poverty and the backwardness that arkansas had experience, in the 20th century was attributable to the sin of racism and the sin of segregation. And specifically to the failure to fully repent of that sin. And i still believe that is truew true. And, we both individually and collectively as a nation, we need to acknowledge that this sin occurred. That it was a collective sin of both commission by those who erected jim crow. And subjected africanamerican citizens to be secondclass citizens. And deny them rights as americans. And by omission. By those who allowed it to go on and failed to oppose it. So there is no question that is true. While i know there is a lot of controversy about the 1619 project at the new york times. And i think there has been a distortion of some truths about American History in that project, i do think it iss undeniable as the historian, Edmund Morgan wrote in amamerican slavery American Freedom, that American Freedom was getting struck up a intertwined with slavery. And that it has been very difficult for us as a society to disentangle the two. Even almost 400 years after the first europeans landed on this continent. Host do some of that repentance include reparation . Guest i have not felt that was the way to go. I think it is very hard, you know, 150 years after the end of slavery to figure out who gets compensated and how. It was done for the victims of the japanese internment during world war ii. Congress actually passed a law and made a monetary payment to the families of those who were denied their freedom. Who were citizens. Who were put in internment camps during world war ii under the administration of franklin or chad roosevelt. I think it would be difficult to do it 150 years later. I think if it was n going to be done it needed to be done after the civil war or during reconstruction. I think there are other ways you can express a repentant spirit. Somel, of that is personal some is spiritual and some of it does take place in Public Policy. And without getting into a fullblown Public Policy discussion today, i think in areas like healthcare, criminal Justice Reform, Economic Empowerment, and education reform an opportunity, you can build a society that is just and we can build a society that is based on equal opportunity for everyone. And we can make sure no one is left behind. Particularly those minority americans. De particularly africanamericans who had been denied that opportunity. In many cases today. They live in neighborhoods that are not safe. Their children go to school where they are not safe and cannot learn. They do not have the same opportunities as other americans. We should do everything we can to redress that. Obviously i am a supporter of president trump. Whether you look at education reform and School Choice agenda, you look at his Economic Empowerment agenda, lowering africanamerican employment to the lowest level and recorded economic history, you look at his opportunities own agenda where they have unleashed approximately 5 billion in capital that is flowing into hundreds of opportunity zones. Mostly in disenfranchised minority areas of urban and rural centers. And you look at what he has that criminal Justice Reform. Historic to redress what i think was a twotiered Justice System for too many minority americans. I think it is possible. I think donald trump wants to do it. And i think once we get past the selection and this partisan season that we are in, i am optimistic that we will be able to. So would so ralph reed, your most recent book, is for god and country. The most recent place for trump. You just lay out yours for trump . Guest somewhat. That is certainly what i talk about. I have a proposed, and both awakening, the 2014 book, and for god and country, i lay out what i say is not a republican or a democrat. Not necessarily a liberal or conservative. But a biblical agenda for the country. And in some cases, what criminal Justice Reform and immigration reform, we end up in a little bit of a different way than the Republican Party has traditionallyn. Been. People tend to look at conservativey and think they are reflexively republican. But many have changed the Republican Party far more than the Republican Party is change them. Theyve made the Republican Party a prolife party. And i believe that black lives matter. I believe all black l lives matter. Bo including unborn lives. An abortion is one ofse those cases where disproportionately, minority lives are being lost and are being taken systematically by what i consider to be a great social injustice. We also changed on criminal Justice Reform. Historically the Republican Party has been a tough on crime party, lock them up and throw away the key party. And through our efforts, not just our efforts but largely our efforts, this has come through the Faith Community. We have called for a more biblical criminal Justice System aced on redemption and not simply punishment. Giving people a Second Chance at life. And focusing particularly on non violent first offenders, compassionate humane and tough love alternative to longterm incarceration like job training, like mentor ship programs, like spiritual programs including those led by fellowshipthr and others that minister inmates and lead them toio a better life spiritually. And then the last one i will mention is immigration reform. You know, most people focus on Donald Trumps desire for Border Security and building a wall to secure the border. But be on that, we have also called for welcoming the stranger and welcoming the immigrant. And making sure that while they abide by our laws, we also treat them with compassion. And give them a chance, if they obey our laws. And if they pay taxes. And if they either get a job or they go to school of being able to have a path to citizenship. We have called for either permanent residency, and we dont oppose citizenship with the entire dreamer population. Because we dont think those young people should be punished for the crime that their parents committed. We believe the bible teaches that you dont punish the child for the sin of the father. And so, again, if they are violating laws. Ifre they are trying to get on public assistance, that is a different deal. But if they serve in the military, they have a job, or they are getting an education, we think they can be part of the greatness of america. We have called for his part of a comprehensive solution to the immigration system allowing them to have residence. So, i think there is such an agenda. That is what we work on. Most the time of course we find ourselves in agreement with the Republican Party. But not always. See what mr. Reed is there some discomfort in evangelical circles with the president because of some of the personal issues that have been reported on . Guest sure. As i point out in for god and country, there has been a little bit of revisionist history by the media about how evangelicals came to support donald trump. And i wrote for god and country, not so much to defend trump although i do plenty of that in the book and happily so, i wrote the book primarily as a defense to the Faith Community. Because they have been called every name in the book. Hypocrites, spiritual fraud, phony, selling out the gospel for 30 pieces of silver, trampled mize in their spiritual beliefs to have access to power, and get a few items on their policy agenda. He had been smeared, they have been lied about. And i knew better. Because i was there. I was in the room with these leaders. But the exit polls show is two hairds of self identified evangelical but for someone other than donald trump in the primary m. Mostly ted cruz or marco rubio, huckabee or santorum or someone like that. For many of them donald trump was not only their first choice, he is not their second, third, or fourth choice. I met a lot of people in the Faith Community he was their 17h choice. But once they got to the general election and they faced a binary choice between donald trump and Hillary Clinton, and he was prolife and pro religious freedom and pro israel. And he released a list during the campaign of respected conservative and prolife. We should point out at the moment there was a vacancy on the supreme court, that either he or Hillary Clinton would fill. And he said if you elect me president , i will choose from this list. You know, sometimes we are not always aware of the history thats being made in front of our very eyes. But donald trump was the First Major Party president ial candidates in u. S. History to ever tell us who his court pics would be. No one had ever done that befor before. They voted on a faith based on the binary choice. Becau