Speeches
Good morning. Thank you to Providence and the Institute on Religion & Democracy for the invitation to speak at this important gathering.
This conference reminds us that faith and freedom are inseparably connected. As the Founders well understood, here on Earth, governments are chartered not to establish rights, but to guard and guarantee rights that have already been gifted by God against those who would seek to take them away.
Good morning everyone, and I want to thank the Hudson Institute for bringing together such a distinguished group of thinkers and leaders. That's you. You know, Hudson has always been and for a long time, been a home for serious ideas and for courage. And I want to start today by recognizing a painful reminder of why our work together matters. Last week, Pastor Jin Mingri, the founder of the Zion Church, one of the China's largest underground congregations, was detained by Chinese authorities at his home in Beihai.