Jeb Bush: Christians Acting on Faith Is 'Liberating Influence,' But They Need Freedom to Do That
Former Florida governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush stated that Christians in America and abroad should have protection to act upon their beliefs.
In a speech at a major Hispanic evangelical gathering, the former Florida governor shared his thoughts on religious liberty and other issues.
"There is no more powerful or liberating influence on this earth than the Christian conscience in action and today in America it is important to respect and to protect Christians acting on their faith," said Bush.
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"Not just talking about their faith, but there is a constitutional right and more importantly for a loving society Christians need to have the space to be able to act on their conscience."
Periodically using fluent Spanish during his speech, Bush also spoke about the importance of education reform, describing his efforts in Florida as governor as a success story.
Bush's remarks came as part of the annual conference for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which takes place in Houston from April 28-30.
With an estimated 1,000 attendees expected, the NHCLC convention had several religious and political leaders speaking to those gathered, including religious leaders like Russell D. Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; Bishop Harry Jackson, author and senior pastor of 3,000-strong Hope Christian Church; and Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, another potential GOP presidential candidate, was also in attendance.
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of NHCLC, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that the "Latino electorate will play a crucial role in the outcome of the 2016 election."
"Understanding issues such as education, religious liberty, immigration, life and limited government are important to Latino voters," said Rodriguez.
"We invited a number of political leaders across both the Republican and Democratic party to join us and address these issues for our constituency."
Last December, Bush announced that he was going to form an exploratory committee to see if he will be entering the Republican Primary.
"The son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of George W. Bush is a favorite of the Republican establishment but has many challenges," reported Politico.
"While he may be able to raise more money than anyone else in the field, he is vulnerable to attacks from conservatives over his strong support for the Common Core education guidelines, comprehensive immigration reform and other issues."
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky have announced their bids for the GOP nomination. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced her bid for the Democratic nomination.
