Former Vice President Mike Pence will be the special guest at a luncheon in June at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.
The event, titled “Serving in the Public Square: A Conversation with Vice President Mike Pence,” will be hosted by the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and take place on June 11 during the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood told The Christian Post that he wanted Pence to speak at the luncheon because “we wanted to create an event that will be both insightful and helpful for pastors and lay leaders about important issues, faithful public service, and how Christians can engage political discourse in a biblical way.”
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“We think a conversation with Vice President Pence in a lunch setting provides the perfect venue for exploring those themes with someone whose career has spanned the intersection of faith and policymaking while maintaining his character and his faith-formed convictions,” Leatherwood said.
Leatherwood also told CP that while the ERLC “engages regularly with high-profile leaders,” this event with Pence was “unique” because it will enable attendees “to hear directly from someone who was previously one of the highest-ranking officials in the U.S. in an unscripted session about issues that are being talked about in churches around the country.”
In June 2018, then-Vice President Pence gave a speech on the main stage of the SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, with some taking issue with the overtly political nature of his remarks.
“It’s the greatest privilege in my life to serve as vice president to a president who is working every day to renew the greatest of this country,” Pence said to those gathered in Dallas, receiving a loud ovation from most of the SBC messengers.
“When you look at the progress we’ve made over the last 500 days at home and abroad, a stronger America, a stronger economy, a stronger commitment to the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, I think there is only one way you can sum up this administration: it’s been 500 days of action, 500 days of accomplishment, it’s been 500 days of promises made and promises kept.”
“I know the SBC has welcomed politicians on occasion going back 45 years, but has there ever been a full-blown campaign speech like this one?” Trevin Wax, vice president of Research & Resource Development at the SBC North American Mission Board, tweeted at the time.
“I love America. I like Mike Pence. I hate this,” tweeted North Carolina Pastor Clint Pressley, a nominee for SBC president this year, in 2018.
For his part, Leatherwood noted that this luncheon event with Pence will be different from the 2018 speech since Pence is no longer in public office or running for president.
“Pence has a significant record as a public servant and, given he isn’t seeking office, we believe this will be a rich conversation that can truly focus on issues of concern and serve our church leaders as they minister in their congregations and their communities,” he said.
“We hope that the ministry leaders who attend our event gain a glimpse into what it is like to serve in public office, including the joys and challenges.”