“When it is considered how short is the span of human life,” St. Augustine of Hippo wrote in the fifth century, “does it really matter to a man whose days are numbered what government he must obey, so long as he is not compelled to act against God or his conscience?”

President Trump is no theologian, nor was he elected to look after souls. He’s also not from the “religious right.” On Thursday, though, he took up the noble cause of religious liberty, and for that he deserves applause.