Romney talks values
At Christian college’s commencement, topic is faith, marriage.
LYNCHBURG, Va. — In a bid to win over evangelical voters who have been skeptical of his candidacy, Mitt Romney offered a forceful defense of faith and conservative Christian values, including his stance that marriage only should be between a man and a woman.
In highlighting the virtues of American values before graduates of Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell, Romney said, “As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate.”
“So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said. “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.”
Throughout the Republican primary contests, many evangelical Christians were wary of embracing Romney, citing his Mormon faith and what they saw as his lack of conviction on social issues, such as samesex marriage, abortion and the ability of religious institutions to keep birth-control coverage out of their health plans, which is seen as a test of religious freedom.
Romney made sure to address those issues in his speech to the university’s crowd of 6,000 graduates and 30,000 friends and family members.
“Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution,” he said. “And whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.”
And he added, “It strikes me as odd that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem, something America is stuck with instead of being blessed with,” he said. “Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government.”
Romney mentioned historic Christian figures, including Pope John Paul II, the novelist C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Charles Colson, the Nixon aide who went on to become an important evangelical leader. And in a nod to his Republican rival, Romney also cited Rick Santorum, saying Santorum had stressed to him that “culture matters,” that marriage, family and work determine success in life.
“What you believe, what you value, how you live, matters,” Romney said.
Without mentioning his Mormon faith directly, Romney also tried to assuage those evangelicals who are wary of his church. “People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology,” Romney said. “Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview.”
The reaction from evangelical leaders was generally positive.
“I thought it was a really good speech,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who had backed Santorum. “He hit on the religious-freedom aspect, again recognizing the shared values while acknowledging the theological differences he has with them. I think he made very clear what marriage is, and in the context of his speech he spoke about the importance of marriage and the family, even giving a hat tip to Sen. Santorum.”
“I don’t think I could have improved upon the speech,” he added.
Gary Bauer, the president of a Christian advocacy group called American Values, who had strongly pushed for Santorum, said this speech would help assuage the concerns of Christian evangelicals.
“I thought it was a home run, and I think so will most values voters,” he said. “He also clearly stood for the sanctity of life, clearly stood for the traditional definition of marriage, and I think importantly, encouraged the students to be bold and stand for those kinds of values, too. I think it’s going to be hard for critics to find much in this to criticize.”
Before his speech, some Liberty students, expressing distrust of Romney’s Mormon faith, were upset at his selection as the commencement speaker.
The university’s student newspaper, The Liberty Champion, even offered pro and con commentary on its editorial page, arguing in the “con” column that, “Choosing Romney to speak continues a dangerous and unethical trend.”
“Mitt Romney was announced as Liberty’s 39th commencement speaker, great — but he is a Mormon,” one article said.
Debbi Bowen, whose daughter graduated from Liberty’s law school Saturday, said that while Romney was not the main attraction — “I’m more excited about my daughter’s graduation, to be honest,” she said — she had no problem with him giving the commencement address.
“I’m glad to see there’s a variety and you don’t have to be one type to speak here,” Bowen said.