J.D. Vance Proclaims Christ as ‘The Way, the Truth, and the Life’ | The American Spectator

Vice President J.D. Vance, a convert to Catholicism, delivered a strong speech at a Turning Point USA event last week, in which he spoke of his Christian faith and shared that he hopes his non-Christian wife, Usha Vance, will follow in his footsteps and become a Catholic. “Now, most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church. As I’ve told her, and I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends, do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by?” Vance asked, in response to a question from a Hindu audience member. “Honestly, I do wish that because I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”

Almost immediately, Vance was met with backlash and criticism online, predominantly from Hindus, for the sin of declaring Christianity superior to paganism. One such individual, named Ajay Jain Bhutoria, said, “JD Vance must apologize publicly & reaffirm interfaith respect. ‘As husbands, fathers, & leaders,we have a sacred duty to uplift,not undermine,those closest to us. America deserves better. Our strength is in diverse faiths & freedoms — not yielding to pressure that erodes them.’” While the Catholic Church does encourage respecting individuals of different faiths, it does not tolerate treating false religions as true — and Vance knows this.

“[M]y Christian faith tells me the Gospel is true and is good for human beings,” Vance said in a social media post responding to criticism of his comments. He noted that his wife “is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but like many people in an interfaith marriage — or any interfaith relationship — I hope she may one day see things as I do.” The Vice President added that much of the criticism leveled against him in recent days reeks “of anti-Christian bigotry. Yes, Christians have beliefs. And yes, those beliefs have many consequences, one of which is that we want to share them with other people. That is a completely normal thing, and anyone who’s telling you otherwise has an agenda.”

The great Christian author C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” This is a maxim many Christians in the public square today have seemingly forgotten, or else willingly ignored. Christ Himself told us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). If Christians truly believe this, if Christians recognize that the only way to reach Heaven and eternal union with our Maker is through Christ, then we cannot pretend that other religions, worshipping pagan gods, may also be a pathway to Heaven.

In fact, sharing the Gospel with those around us, praying for loved ones who are not yet Christian, and bringing friends and family to church are acts of love. If Christianity is true and is the only pathway to Heaven, it would be an act of evil not to share it with others, especially those who worship false gods. If a man has a loaf of bread, he would be considered cruel or stupid — or both — if he allowed his starving wife to try to feast upon a rock simply because she called it bread.

Too often, our leaders in America have pretended to Christian devotion, have claimed to be Christians themselves, but have refused to preach the Gospel. What should be the most important facet of their lives, the core and animating principle in their souls, was hidden away under a bushel. Men like Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and other bold voices in President Donald Trump’s administration have rejected the false pietism of their immediate predecessors and have instead embraced Christian virtue and are courageously carrying on the tradition of America’s Founders. These are men who, because they sincerely strive to love God above all else, can truly love their country and their countrymen.

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