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Candidates represent wide range of religious views
Illinois Baptist
President Donald Trump
President Trump’s personal faith has been of much interest, particu- larly among the white evangelical voting bloc that largely supported him in 2016.
Religious background: As
a child, Trump attended Sunday school at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, where he was also confirmed. Later, his family became close with Norman Vincent Peale, pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan and author of “The Power of Positive Thinking.”
Current church member- ship/attendance: President Trump identifies as a Presbyte- rian, but doesn’t regularly attend a Presbyterian church, Pew Research reported this year. Rather, he has engaged with various faith groups, including Southern Baptists. He famously visited Family Church,
an SBC congregation in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Christmas Eve 2019, and made an impromptu stop for prayer at McLean Bible Church earlier that year.
In his words: The President has made strides to relate to people of faith, including appointing pro-life judges and introducing measures
to protect religious liberty. His comments about faith have been complicated, as when he said in 2015 that he hadn’t asked God for forgiveness for his actions. But in
Vice President Mike Pence
In 2016, evangelicals cheered
the addition of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to the Republican ticket. Pew Research found in 2020 that the share of Americans who view Pence as somewhat or very religious is more than double the share who say the same of President Trump.
Religious background: Vice President Pence was raised in an Irish Catholic family, but converted to evangelical Christianity as a stu- dent at Hanover College in Indiana.
Current church member- ship/attendance: Pence and his wife, Karen, have attended Falls Church Anglican in Alexandria, Va., and Sanibel Community Church when in Florida.
In his words: Vice President Pence has described himself as “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” A 2017 Washington Post profile noted his adherence to the “Billy Graham Rule,” named for the late evangelist who committed not to spend time alone with any woman other than his wife. Pence’s policy garnered him both praise and criticism.
The Vice President said in 2018 that he tries to start his day reading the Bible, and that he and his wife
his book “Great Again,” CNN report- ed, he wrote he thought people were shocked to find out he’s a Christian.
“They see me with all the sur- roundings of wealth, so they some- times don’t associate that with being religious. That’s not accurate.”
During the same interview, the President said he does participate in Holy Communion. “When I drink my little wine—which is about the only wine I drink—and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed.”
Outside perspective: Several noted evangelicals have reported praying with the President and shar- ing their faith with him, including Phil Robertson. The “Duck Dynasty” star told Fox News in August that spiritual matters were at the center of his three meetings with the President. “I pointed him to Jesus,” Robertson said.
try to pray together every morning. “I can honestly tell you, my faith sustains me in all that I do,” he told the news site Axios. “And it’s just a regular part of our lives.”
Outside perspective: Biog- rapher Leslie Montgomery’s “The Faith of Mike Pence” details the Vice President’s spiritual journey with special attention to how his faith impacts his actions in the public square. “Mike Pence would shy away from wanting to be called a spiritual hero,” Montgomery wrote for Crosswalk.com, “but what I’ve learned about him is that he’s a
man who lives his faith, a man after God’s own heart, who seeks to fulfill his will for his life, that of his family, and for our nation.”
Vice President Joe Biden
If elected in November, Biden would become only the nation’s sec- ond Catholic President. His speech at the virtual Democratic National Convention and recent political
ads have emphasized his faith and shown him visiting with Pope Fran- cis. But many Catholic leaders have denounced his positions on abortion and same-sex marriage.
Background: Biden grew up in an Irish Catholic family, attending church and parochial schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Current church member- ship/attendance: Biden and his wife, Jill, worship at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Greenville, Del. In his words: Vice President Biden has written and spoken about his crisis of faith following the deaths of his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash in 1972, and his son Beau’s death in 2015. “No words, no prayer, no sermon gave me ease,” Biden wrote in “Promises to Keep,” published in 2008. “I felt God had played a horrible trick on me, and I was angry.”
Biden eventually found his faith again, and references it publicly and often. At a 2019 town hall meeting, he answered a question about his faith from Rev. Anthony Thomp- son, whose wife was killed during
Senator Kamala Harris
The California lawmaker is the first woman of color to be nomi- nated for national office by a major party. Her faith history is also the most varied of any of the candidates, with roots in several traditions.
Background: Growing up,
Sen. Harris attended both Chris- tian and Hindu worship services, reflecting her parents’ own dispa- rate beliefs. In a 2017 speech at an Atlanta church, the Associated Press reported, she described attending Oakland’s 23rd Avenue Church of God and singing in the choir. In ac- cepting the Democratic nomination for Vice President, she referenced walking by faith rather than sight, from 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Church attendance: Harris identifies as a Baptist and attends services at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, which is affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA. Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish.
In her words: In her speech in Atlanta, Harris referenced biblical concepts when talking about her work as San Francisco’s District Attorney and California’s Attorney General. “And a lot of that work was motivated not only because of what
a racially-motivated mass shooting in South Carolina. Quoting Søren Kierkegaard, Biden said, “Faith sees best in the dark.” Lauding Thomp- son’s display of forgiveness toward his wife’s killer, the Vice President called it “the ultimate act of Chris- tian charity.”
Outside perspective: The National Catholic Reporter wrote recently of him Biden, “He is hands down the most comfortable Demo- cratic politician of his generation talking about the role religion has played in shaping his approach to public life.”
Former Fuller Theological Semi- nary President Richard Mouw told Christianity Today that Biden “is viewed as having an authentic faith. He may not be the conservative Catholic that a lot of evangelicals would like him to be, but when he talks about his faith, it rings true.”
I believe we need to do to be smart on crime, which is to understand prevention is one of the best and most effective ways to reduce crime, but underlining it also was the age- old concept that the Bible teaches us, the concept of redemption.
“Understanding, we will all make a mistake, and for some that mis- take will rise to the level of being a crime. But is it not the sign of a just society that we allow folks a way
to earn their way back? That is the concept of redemption.”
Outside perspective: Amos Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, told the Associated Press Harris is a “quint- essential scholar” and “a spiritual person.”
– Additional reporting from Christian Post, CNN, Indianapolis Monthly, Business Insider, and Relevant