As the presidential election draws near, it seems clear that Americans want a strong political leader to take charge. And as the official Republican presidential nominee, the spotlight is squarely on former President Donald Trump. The question is, if he’s elected president, what direction will he lead America? As Family Research Council and others have pointed out, the new GOP platform leans away from the strong language on life and marriage that it previously contained, prompting many conservatives to wonder what the future of the Republican Party holds.

“[D]uring his speech at the Republican National Convention,” guest host and former Congressman Jody Hice said on Friday’s episode of “Washington Watch,” former President Donald Trump “referred to past platforms as long, boring, meaningless agendas. But words matter. And these issues matter. In fact, they’re critical.”

Even so, “[T]here [were] a couple of really good things — memorable moments — in that speech,” FRC’s Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview David Closson pointed out. First, “Hearing the former president recount a failed assassination attempt … just days removed from what could have taken his life” was significant. “[O]ne of the most moving moments,” he added, “was when President Trump said, ‘I’m not supposed to be here,’” to which “the crowd started to cheer, ‘Yes you are! Yes you are!’” As Closson highlighted, Trump gave credit where credit was due: “Only by the grace of Almighty God am I in this arena with you tonight.”

Similarly, Closson said, “[W]hen he honored the firefighter” by bringing his uniform on stage “was an absolutely moving moment.” And of course, “towards the end of the speech, [he] said that his administration will not allow men to compete against biological women in sports.” All these topics were strong themes of his speech, Closson explained.

Much of it was “extremely emotional,” Hice added, noting he found himself “wanting to tear up” at certain points. But even so, “there were some other things in the speech that were missing.” Returning to the issue of the new GOP platform, Hice noted it has many weak spots that do not reflect deeply held conservative Christan values. “[T]he reality is,” Hice emphasized, “words matter and platforms matter. And the fact that many of those words, many of those promises, many of those commitments” that clarified the GOP stance on important issues “are now missing … is a little alarming.”

“It is,” Closson concurred. “I’m profoundly disappointed in the fact that the Trump campaign … decided to really whittle down the GOP platform.” He explained that the two biggest concerns with the new GOP platform are the topics of abortion and marriage. “[O]ver 80% of the time,” he said, “politicians in both parties vote in line with the party platform. And over the last 40 years, the Republican platform has … articulated a very clear vision on issues such as the sanctity of human life and the definition of marriage and the importance of religious freedom. And frankly,” Closson emphasized, “… when President Trump won in 2016, a huge, overwhelming majority of people said one of the reasons they voted for the then newcomer was because of the strong language in the Republican platform.”

As such, he urged, “It’s up to us now to hold the campaign, and if President Trump wins, to [also] hold the administration accountable to stand for the issues that he did steadfastly support during his first term.” Hice added, “And the party as a whole, for that matter.”

Ultimately, Hice went on to say, “[W]e are not against Team Trump. That is not why we’re bringing these issues to light.” Rather, “we are appealing from the heart … raising authentic concerns — both for their benefit and for the benefit of the entire nation. These issues cannot, nor should they, be swept under the rug and treated as though they are not important.” According to Hice, “[T]here are things that are more important than politics, and these biblical principles are certainly among them.”

When it comes to striving for “a flourishing” and “healthy nation,” Closson argued that “the right to life [is] the most foundational right.” He continued, “[T]he sanctity of human life [and] the fact that all of us are made in God’s image … is not an issue of Left or Right, progressive or conservative. This is a deeply biblical theological issue, and I do hope that the GOP is on notice that if they walk away from protecting life, they are going to lose millions of conservative Christians.” And beyond that, Closson insisted that protecting marriage is of equal significance. “[Y]ou don’t have a civilization if you don’t have a strong marriage culture,” he stated.

He explained that over the last nine years, same-sex marriage has been “imposed on all 50 states. And we’re now seeing the slippery slope is a lot [more slippery] than a lot of us even believed nine years ago” with how far the LGBT ideology has infiltrated government and public institutions. Notably, new polling shows that fewer and fewer Republicans now support the idea. “And so,” he said, “these are issues … Christians are going to continue to fight for no matter what the political parties do.”

Hice asked the pressing question on most people’s minds: “[W]hat do Christian conservatives need to do in response to all of this?” To which Closson responded, “[O]ne of the main things that we need to be doing is praying … earnestly praying.” Additionally, we need to be boldly “speaking to these issues, the issues that God’s word clearly talks about in Scripture.” Hice agreed, concluding that “we can’t be upset and not vote.” To help foster the future we want, “We have to pray, we have to vote, [and] we have to stand for biblical truth.”