Nearly six months after ending his Republican presidential campaign, former Vice President Mike Pence landed a new teaching job at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.
In a statement posted last week, the Christian college said it was establishing a Center for Faith & Public Life “to support the presence of Christian faith in public institutions.” Pence will help launch the initiative, serving as the Distinguished Visiting Fellow.
“The appropriate role of faith in the public square is a major issue in this moment of our American life,” said Grove City College President Paul McNulty. “The Founders envisioned a free society sustained by a self-governing citizenry and strengthened by virtues rooted in religious belief. At the core of Christian faith is the call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. The Center will examine how and why Christians have sought to put their faith into action for the common good.”
Judeo-Christian values are coming under increasing attack in America, the statement noted, and the new initiative will bring awareness to the vital and historic relationship between public life and faith, and how faith can be integrated into public policy as well as other sectors of society.
“Mike Pence is the perfect choice for the Center’s first fellowship,” McNulty said. “No one has pursued this calling more sincerely than the former vice president. He is an extraordinary role model for what it looks like to lead with wisdom and winsomeness in public life, and he will be a leading source of thought leadership and an impactful voice of the Center.”
Pence, who was on campus to address a conference held by The Institute for Faith & Freedom, said it was his "great honor" to serve in the position.
“Faith and engaging in public life are not mutually exclusive, nor should they ever be. History shows that Christians steadily working toward the common good have changed the world, and Grove City College opening a center shows they are committed to continuing this work.”