Christian College Invites Mike Pence To Give Commencement Speech: Immediately Gets Hit With Backlash

Wisconsin Lutheran College is being hit with some serious backlash this week as Vice President Mike Pence is preparing to speak at the Christian college’s commencement on Saturday.

Christian College Hit With Backlash Over Pence

Over 200 students and alumni have denounced the decision to make Pence the commencement speaker in an open letter to the college, calling the invitation for the vice president to speak “disrespectful” and “problematic.”

“We renounce the decision to invite Vice President Pence to speak at the Class of 2020 Commencement on Saturday, August 29, 2020,” the letter stated. “We are concerned about the college’s blatantly inappropriate decision to invite the vice president to speak for this monumental event for the Class of 2020. Not only is the invitation disrespectful, but also the remarks provided by the college fail to recognize the reality of the decision.”

The letter added that “the mere invitation of a Vice President of an incredibly divisive and controversial ticket to speak in a swing state months before an election is ignorant and deceptive.”

Letter Blasts Administration

The letter went on to blast the Christian school’s administration for praising Pence “for the freedom of religious expression so that ministries like our churches and Wisconsin Lutheran College can flourish within a pluralistic society,” describing this as “problematic.”

“This administration has been divisive and degrading,” it stated. “As a governor and now as the vice president, Mike Pence has failed to promote policies that reflect Christian values. The WLC administration should recognize, instead of ignoring, his problematic policies. WLC cannot and should not thrive from putting love on hold. Love must always come first. We invite you to rethink your priorities.”

Letter Issues Dramatic Message To Class Of 2020

The letter concluded with a message to the class of 2020:

Lastly, we would like to express our empathy and grief for the Class of 2020. We celebrate your achievements and congratulate you on your graduation. Your commencement ceremony should not have been infected by toxic politics. You didn’t ask for this, and you should not have needed to ask for this not to happen. Controversial political figures need to stay out of our academic celebrations. Please continue to shine in your future endeavors. We are excited for you and continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

The Christian college has stood strong so far and not caved to the backlash calling for cancelling Pence’s speech. It remains to be seen whether the school’s administration will be able to brave this storm until Saturday.

This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on August 26, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.