Pastor Robert Jeffress says Trump's executive order ended '60-year war' on Religious Liberty

Robert Jeffress, the pastor at First Baptist Dallas, expressed his belief that the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday ended a "60-year-old governmental war" on religious liberty.

The executive order signed by Trump on the National Day of Prayer at the White House Rose Garden relaxed the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits churches and religious organizations from engaging in partisan political activities. The order also provides "regulatory relief" for religious objectors to Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate, which requires employers to provide free birth control coverage.

In an interview on "Fox and Friends" on Saturday, Jeffress, one of the first prominent evangelicals to appear at Trump's campaign rallies, dispelled claims from some conservatives who said that the order is too watered down.

"What I am saying to people is that this executive order marks the end of the 60-year-old governmental war on religious liberty," the pastor said. "The fact is, it is not a road map — a detailed road map — it's a compass saying [that] government is changing direction," he continued.

Many have criticized the order because it does not explicitly create new regulations or religious protections. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) even abandoned its plan to file a lawsuit over the executive order because the group perceived it as nothing more than an "elaborate photo-op" with no real policy outcome.

Jeffress said that the executive order is one of the reasons why he considers Trump as the most "faith-friendly" president in U.S. history.

"Instead of assaulting religious liberty, it's going to protect it," he contended. "Look, as revered as Ronald Reagan and George Bush were by evangelicals, neither they, nor any other president has taken the bold, courageous action of this president, which is why I say without hesitation [that] President Donald Trump is the most faith-friendly president in U.S. history," the pastor added.

Rev. Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, pointed out on Thursday on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" that no one has ever been penalized by the federal government for discussing controversial issues from the pulpit. He contended that the Johnson Amendment only prevents a church or a synagogue from being turned into "what amounts as a political action committee."

Jeffress, who was also a guest on the show, pointed out that Lynn had sent him a letter two decades ago threatening the tax-exempt status of his church. The Baptist pastor contended that he was not endorsing a particular candidate and he was only voicing his concern about a moral issue in the community. Lynn, however, maintained that Jeffress "did endorse candidates."

In 2011, Lynn sent a letter to the IRS, accusing Jeffress of violating the Johnson Amendment by endorsing former presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry on his church's website. However, the video contained a disclaimer, saying Jeffress' opinion did not represent the view of the church.