Vice President Mike Pence addressed the Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday, encouraging those in attendance not to abandon their Christian faith and compassion.
“The Southern Baptist Convention has always strived to reach the world for Christ and so you have throughout the decades,” Pence told the audience in Dallas. “I believe with all my heart that your faith has moved mountains.”
Pence received a standing ovation when he listed certain accomplishments of the Trump administration, including President Trump’s recent agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to return the remains of more than 5,000 Korean War MIAs, the moving of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jersusalem, and his pro-life policies. Pence said Trump is “the most pro-life president in American history,” and referenced his own tie-breaking vote to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood.
Pence also expressed his grief for the victims of the November shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, having visited members of the congregation shortly after the event.
“We met families of the fallen, still shattered by the evil of that morning,” Pence said. “But what we saw beyond the pain was extraordinary. Through all the tears in the midst of such loss, the light and the faith and the hope of the people of that church shone through.”
The speech was a last-minute addition to the convention’s schedule, and it took place after a motion backed by some of the convention’s delegates that would have replaced his speech with a time of prayer failed to gain enough support. Garrett Kell, a pastor from Virginia, said he was concerned that having Pence speak would reinforce the denomination’s politically biased image.
Pence spoke to another evangelical group, the National Religious Broadcasters, in February. He often describes himself as a “Christian first, a conservative second, and a Republican third,” and is known among evangelicals for his influence on President Trump in promoting traditional Christian values.
