INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Vice President Mike Pence expressed his gratitude for the work of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) during a special lunch event hosted by the entity on Tuesday (June 11) of the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting.
Pence, 48th vice president of the United States and 50th governor of the State of Indiana, said he is grateful for the work the ERLC has always done in the public square, and for the leadership of ERLC President Brent Leatherwood.
“Brent I’m grateful for your leadership,” Pence said. “I appreciate so much, and have for many years, the work of the ERLC. We’re truly grateful for the principal leadership that this group provides. What a blessing to see you in this role, it really is Brent.”
Leatherwood, who met Pence while working on Capitol Hill in the early 2000s, introduced Pence as someone whom he respects “immensely.”
Pence began by chronicling his political journey to the sold-out crowd of more than 400. He described a mindset shift that came after losing a couple of elections early in his career.
“While I gave my life to Christ when I was 18, I’m not sure that I gave my dreams to him until after I lost a couple of elections,” Pence said. “I started thinking about what my faith required of me.
“The ERLC represents the idea that we can bring our faith into the public square and that being a winsome witness for Jesus Christ is just as important as the things we stand for. And I’d failed that early in my life. I thought the dream was gone, but I purposed in my heart to say that if it (the opportunity to pursue public office) ever came around again I’d aspire to carry myself in a way worthy of the Gospel.”
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