Vice President J.D. Vance and actor Rainn Wilson addressed the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (Feb. 5), giving the gathering a high-profile boost in the cause of religious liberty.
Vance’s appearance was seen as a show of U.S. administration support for the core values of religious liberty and freedom, as he asserted that President Trump in his first term advanced religious freedom in foreign policy in China, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
“The first Trump administration took critical steps to protect the rights of the faithful, whether that was by rescue of pastors who were persecuted by foreign regimes or bringing relief to the Yazidi Christians and other faith communities facing genocidal terror from ISIS,” Vance said. “And in his domestic policy, President Trump’s first term brought a new high watermark for religious Americans. He took decisive action to defend religious liberty, combatted antisemitism and preserved the conscience rights of hospital workers and faith-based ministries as they provide care to the fellow Americans.”
Part of protecting such freedom means recognizing in foreign policy the difference between regimes that respect religious liberty and those that do not, he told hundreds of participants at the Washington Hilton hotel from throughout the world.
“The United States must be able to make that distinction,” he said. “We must be able to look at the catastrophes like the plight of Iraq’s Christians over the past three decades and possess the moral clarity to act when something has gone wrong.”
Touting Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a “dear friend” and champion of religious liberty worldwide, Vance said the Trump administration stands ready to take action against violations of religious liberty.
“Both at home and abroad, we have much more to do to more fully secure religious liberty for all people of faith,” Vance said. “I’m grateful for the painstaking work that everyone in this room has poured into that effort. I pray that together we’ll be able to better protect the dignity of all peoples as well as the rights of all believers to practice their faith according to the dictates of their conscience.”
Wilson, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute in the television series The Office, addressed the gathering by video conference, saying he was in the midst of rehearsals for a Broadway musical.
“I see a bunch of people milling around in a room talking, but I’m going to pretend that you’re listening to every word I say,” quipped Wilson, a member of the Baha’i faith, and then proceeded to speak of the plight of the Baha’i in Iran as many conference participants continued their own private conversations.
Iran, where the monotheistic Baha’i religion originated in the 19th century, does not permit adherents to obtain higher education, own Baha’i literature or marry, resulting 1,200 followers facing court proceedings, Wilson said.
“Out this 150 to 180 years of persecution, tens of thousands of deaths, thousands and thousands of imprisonments, Baha’is are fostering something that we call constructive resilience,” he said.
And examples of “constructive resilience” was the creation of the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education, where adherents find ways online and in secret to get world-class education and thrive as a community, “even as it is being actively sought to be stomped out,” he said.
Wilson ended his talk citing the need for spiritual answers to the mental health crisis afflicting especially university-age young people.
“I spoke last year to a group of university chaplains, and I’ve never seen a more bedraggled bunch of people, because they are on the front line, the mental health crisis in the United States, and they felt ignored and they felt kind of put upon,” said Wilson, author of the 2023 book, “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.”
Young people are building community and touching souls, but they figure prominently in high suicide rates, he said. Wilson said he wished to encourage conference participants as he endeavored to encourage the university chaplains.
“This is a beautiful conference – you guys are doing God’s work,” he said. “This is the most important work that can be had right now, which is people of all faith gathering, working shoulder to shoulder to build unity, cohesion, speak to social justice, international justice, healing, bringing souls together, transcendence, building community.”
