During an interview with CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp on Thursday, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the significance of faith in public life, outlining how his Christian beliefs shape his approach to leadership and policy.

According to Vance, the foundation of Christianity is not simply about adhering to moral principles, but rather about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“First is, I believe the fundamental tenet of the Christian faith. It’s not just a set of good moral principles, though it is that. I think the fundamental tenet of our faith is that the Son of God became man. He died and then he raised himself from the dead. That is the fundamental tenet of the Christian faith,” the Vice President said.

For Vance, this central belief in Christ’s resurrection provides profound insight into how Christians should approach life and death. He emphasized the importance of understanding that death, while inherently tragic, should not be feared above all else. “And I think one lesson that flows from that is that we shouldn’t fear death. Of course, death is a very bad thing, but there are much more—there are much more terrible things than just losing one’s life, and importantly, you could lose one’s soul.”

Tremendous presentation of the Gospel from Vance. I love this timeline. pic.twitter.com/zyVpVMk8Ws

— Megan Basham (@megbasham) February 20, 2025

Vance stressed the importance of creating a society that enables parents to raise their children in accordance with their faith. He stated, “I want us to be the kind of society where my kids can grow up to be virtuous young people, can be good, young Christians, because that’s what I’m trying to raise them to be. And that’s what our public policy is trying to do.

“Creating this space where moms and dads can raise their children in their faith to become good, young people who believe things that I do. This is what I’m trying to create, is the space for you, of course, to raise your children as you see fit, but the space for me to raise my kids to be the kind of young people that I think they sought to be.”

Reflecting on the long history of the Christian faith, which spans nearly two millennia, the Vice President acknowledged the highs and lows Christians have experienced throughout the centuries. “If you look at the long history of the Christian faith, we’ve been about for around 2,000 years now, give or take a few years, and there have been really dark times in the history of the Christian faith, there have been really good times in the history of the Christian faith.”

He also emphasized that the focus should remain on faith in God, regardless of earthly circumstances. “And I just try to remind myself that we put our faith in God above. We put our faith in the grace of God, and we try the best to do his will. And we don’t worry so much about whether we’re going to have earthly rewards. We worry about whether we’re doing right by God Almighty above.”

Ultimately, Vance said that his approach to both personal and public life is rooted in this sense of faith. “That’s what I try to do, and that’s how I try to run my life in public.”

Amazing!

Vance encapsulates the kind of leader the world needs—he’s the kind of leader we’ve been instructed in the Bible to ask for. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, the Apostle Paul urges Timothy to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings” for all people, and in particular, for “kings and all who are in high positions”—Vice Presidents included.

The purpose of this petition, according to Paul, is exactly the outcome most of us desire, namely, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Do you want a peaceful life? Pray for the powerful. Do you want a quiet life? Pray for kings and queens. Do you want a godly life? Pray for governments. Do you want a dignified life? Pray for those who wish to dominate you.

But what is the prayer we’re to offer on their behalf? What is our appeal to Heaven’s court? We are to pray that our leaders, Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Prime Ministers would become Christians because it is more likely that a Christian leader would cultivate the social conditions necessary for the righteous to flourish in a peaceful and quiet life.

Like Vance, the Christian ruler understands he is not a law unto himself. He governs as one who is governed. He rules as one who is ruled. He ought to know how to treat his subjects because he is a subject himself. As Paul said elsewhere, “Masters, treat your servants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven” (Col. 4:1). The knowledge of our heavenly Master ought to prompt earthly masters to treat their subjects with justice and fairness.

Church leaders who have abdicated from their responsibilities and retreated from the public square while Christianity was culturally “unfashionable” should take note. You don’t have to compromise to maintain relevance. Men follow faithful men of courage, not the cowards in the corners.

Vance is likely to have a greater impact on strengthening the Christian church in the U.S. and around the world than decades of left-leaning church leaders who have unsuccessfully sought to woo the world by compromising with it as much as possible within the bounds of what’s deemed “essential” Christianity.