A report on nominees to the 15 cabinet posts in the new Trump administration summed up the group as “the most Catholic cabinet ever.” At least eight nominees have Catholic backgrounds, ranging from nominal to devout. But there are other faiths represented too, including Southern Baptists.
As President Trump prepares to take office again, Southern Baptists, three-fourths of which voted for Trump, may be wondering what influence our conservative evangelical faith will have on key cultural and moral issues, such as pro-life and gender assignments, now that the election is over.
And there’s the question of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and its relationship to the second Trump administration. The previous president of the SBC’s public policy entity, Russell Moore, clashed with the first Trump White House, particularly on treatment of immigrants. That also put him at odds with much of the rank-and-file SBC membership, who will likely be looking or a more supportive stance from the Brent Leatherwood-led ERLC.
Leatherwood wrote to the Trump transition team Nov. 11 with a specific list of concerns the ERLC would like to see addressed in the Administration’s first 100 days: restricting access and funding for abortion providers and the abortion pill, reversing President Biden’s guidance to federal agencies on anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, and reversing other federal rules under Biden protecting LGBTQ rights.
In the meantime, confirmation hearings for 44 top appointments will be coming, including 15 cabinet members. On the list are three Southern Baptists, who are also pastors.
Doug Collins, Veterans Administration
A former pastor from Georgia has been tapped to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins served as pastor of Chicopee Baptist Church for eleven years, and was elected to the state legislature and then to Congress in 2012. He stepped down in 2020 to run for Senate, but lost.
Collins is active in the Air Force Reserves. He is a NAMB-endorsed chaplain, serving first as a Navy chaplain before joining the Air Force. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009.
The announcement of his nomination said Collins “will be a great advocate for our active duty service members, veterans, and military families to ensure they have the support they need.”
Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development
Turner has served as an associate pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, but before that he served in the first Trump administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, “helping to lead an unprecedented effort that transformed our country’s most distressed communities,” according to the Trump team’s announcement.
With HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Turner oversaw 16 federal agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions, amounting to $50 Billion in private investment in opportunity zones.
Turner was previously a defensive back for the Washington Redskins and the San Diego Chargers during seven seasons in the NFL. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.
Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel
Although not a cabinet post, this diplomatic nomination will be significant given the war in Gaza and relations with Israel. Former Baptist pastor and governor of Arkansas, Huckabee was a candidate for president in 2008 and 2016. He later became a television political commentator.
“Mike has been a great public servant, governor, and leader in faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East!” President elect Trump said in an announcement.
Huckabee is an outspoken supporter of Israel, especially in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in the wake of Hamas’ attacks in October 2023, which he called “not just criminal, but evil.”
He has endorsed the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and has led several Christian tours of the Holy Land.
While not Southern Baptist, Russell Vought, nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget, attended Wheaton College. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, identifies as an evangelical Christian. And Marco Rubio, future Secretary of State, attended a Southern Baptist Church as a child, although he is now Catholic.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is a Southern Baptist from Louisiana, who succeeded Kevin McCarthy, a Southern Baptist from California. It will be up to members of the House to decide if Johnson keeps his leadership post in the chamber.
—Eric Reed, with info from Baptist Press, Christian Post, RNS, and the Tennessean