Vice President JD Vance Says He’s Raising Kids Christian in Mixed-Faith Family
Vice President JD Vance recently opened up about raising his children in the Christian faith, despite being part of a mixed-faith household. Speaking at a Turning Point USA event held Wednesday at the University of Mississippi, the 41-year-old clashed with a student during a Q&A session over immigration policy and religious identity, while also paying tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
### Turning Point USA Event at Ole Miss
Joined by Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk and the new head of Turning Point USA, Vance addressed thousands in an arena setting. The event followed the format of Kirk’s well-known “Prove Me Wrong” sessions, where attendees ask pointed questions and engage in thoughtful debate. This Ole Miss stop marked Erika Kirk’s only appearance on the current tour, which has recently featured prominent conservative figures such as Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson at various college campuses.
Vance set a welcoming tone early on by encouraging the audience to take their time formulating questions. “Please don’t be nervous if you need to work through a question. Think through it, speak it,” he said. “We’re all here to have a nice conversation, and we’re all supportive of it.”
Later, the crowd chanted “48” in reference to a potential 2028 presidential bid by Vance. Responding with humor, he stated, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, ladies and gentlemen.”
### Topics Covered: Immigration, Faith, and More
Questions during the event touched on a broad range of subjects, including President Donald Trump’s Israel policy and the influence of donor Miriam Adelson, the idea of mandating Christianity in schools, and bipartisan common ground such as antitrust issues.
One of the most intense exchanges came when a non-Christian student challenged Vance on what she described as a broken “dream” for legal immigrants who invested their lives and resources only to face restrictive immigration policies. She also questioned the emphasis placed on Christianity as a shared value.
“I’m not even Christian and I’m here standing to support,” she said. “Why are we making Christianity one of the major things that you have to have in common?”
Vance pushed back on the student’s framing of immigration, emphasizing the importance of honoring legal pathways while advocating for lower immigration levels moving forward. “I can believe that we should have lower immigration levels. But if the United States passed a law and made a promise to somebody, the United States, of course, has to honor that promise,” he said.
He clarified that his focus was on individuals who entered the country unlawfully and stressed his primary duty as vice president: “My job as vice president is not to look out for the interest of the whole world. It’s to look out for the people of the United States.”
Drawing applause, Vance added, “Just because one person or 10 people or 100 people came in legally … does that mean that we’re thereby committed to let in a million or 10 million or 100 million people a year in the future? No.”
### Faith and Family: Navigating a Mixed-Faith Marriage
Reflecting on his personal life, Vance spoke about his interfaith marriage. His wife, Usha, was born in California to Telugu Indian immigrant parents and grew up in a Hindu family that was not particularly religious.
“In fact, when I met my wife, we were both, I would have considered myself an agnostic or an atheist, and that’s what I think she would have considered herself as well,” Vance revealed.
Despite their different backgrounds, the couple has chosen to base their children’s upbringing on the Christian faith. “We’ve decided to raise our kids Christian,” Vance said. “Our two oldest kids who go to school, they go to a Christian school. Our 8-year-old did his first communion about a year ago. That’s the way that we have come to our arrangement.”
Acknowledging the challenges of a mixed-faith marriage, Vance emphasized that it requires commitment, communication, and grace. “The only advice I can give is, you just got to talk to the person that God has put you with and you’ve got to make those decisions as a family unit,” he said.
He added that on most Sundays, Usha joins him and their family at church, even though she isn’t yet a Christian. “Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that, because I believe in the Christian Gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way,” Vance shared. “But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.”
### Vance’s Journey to Faith
This is not the first time the vice president has spoken publicly about his faith journey. During his 2024 campaign, then-Senator Vance revealed how he transitioned from being an atheist law student to a devout Christian.
Vance, author of the 2016 bestselling memoir *Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis*, was primarily raised by his grandmother. She was a devout Christian who regularly prayed and read the Bible but attended church services only once or twice a month.
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Vice President JD Vance’s remarks at the University of Mississippi highlight his commitment to his faith and family values, while also engaging with complex political issues like immigration and national identity.
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