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 openly about his Christian faith. During the event, he shared that he hopes his non-Christian wife, Usha Vance, will one day 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 members of the Hindu community, who took issue with his declaration of Christianity’s superiority over other religions. One such individual, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, responded, “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 encourages respect for individuals of different faiths, it does not endorse treating false religions as equally true—and this is something Vance fully understands. In a social media post responding to the criticism, he explained, “[M]y Christian faith tells me the Gospel is true and is good for human beings.”
He further 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.” He stated, “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 powerful maxim is one many Christians engaged in public life today seem to have forgotten—or perhaps are willingly ignoring.
Christ Himself proclaimed, “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, and recognize that the only way to reach Heaven and eternal union with our Maker is through Christ, then they cannot pretend that other religions, worshipping pagan gods, may also offer a pathway to Heaven.
In fact, sharing the Gospel with those around us, praying for loved ones who are not yet Christian, and inviting friends and family to church are acts motivated by love. If Christianity is true and the only pathway to Heaven, it would be an act of cruelty and evil not to share it with others, especially those who worship false gods.
Consider this: if a man has a loaf of bread, he would be considered cruel or foolish to allow his starving wife to try to feast upon a rock simply because she called it bread. Similarly, withholding the truth of the Gospel from those we love denies them the spiritual nourishment they need.
Too often, American leaders have pretended to Christian devotion and claimed Christian identities, yet they have refused to preach the Gospel. What should be the most vital facet of their lives—the core and animating principle in their souls—has remained hidden, concealed under a bushel.
However, men like J. D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and other bold voices in former President Donald Trump’s administration have rejected the false pietism of their immediate predecessors. They have embraced Christian virtue and are courageously continuing 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.
**American Christians: Heed the Example of Decimated Europe**
As history shows, the rejection of faith leads to cultural decay. Europe’s struggles following secularization are a cautionary tale. The fall of Catholic Spain to Islamic conquest centuries ago reminds us of the consequences when a people turn away from their faith.
For America to preserve its spirit and freedom, Christians are called to stand firm in their beliefs, share the Gospel boldly, and love their neighbors with the truth that brings eternal life.
https://spectator.org/j-d-vance-proclaims-christ-as-the-way-the-truth-and-the-life/