5 Interesting Facts About the Christian Faith of Jim Webb
Jim Webb, a United States Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps veteran, served in the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s. a recipient of the Navy Cross and Silver Star during Vietnam, he has served as the Secretary of the Navy and as a U.S. Senator from Virginia. He was a vocal opponent of the George W. Bush administration handling of the war in Iraq.
Webb has been married three times and is a novelist. He authored the story of the popular Hollywood film 'Rules of Engagement' starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. He won an Emmy award in 1983 for his reporting on the Lebanese Civil War.
Officially declaring his candidacy for the Democrat Party nominee for president in July, Webb is expected to be in the upcoming debates which will at least feature Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley.
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Below are five interesting facts about the Christian faith of Webb:
1. Webb identifies as Protestant but there is no active information about his preferred denomination or church.
He has said on many occasions he is a Christian. He has called his faith and family the two most important things in his life. Webb is fond of and an expert in Scotch-Irish culture and praised the ethnic group's fighting capability and has called them historically "deeply religious."
2. In 1990 he wrote a praiseworthy piece about a Roman Catholic priest ministering in the predominately Buddhist country of Thailand.
The article, titled "Help for the Forgotten," can be read on his presidential campaign website.
3. Webb is a strong advocate for abortion rights.
While in the Senate, he received a perfect score from NARAL and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Life News reported in 2011, that the former Senator did not cast one pro-life vote during his six year term.
4. Webb's Senate office featured a large print of George Washington in prayer at Valley Forge.
He says the print, which is a personal possession he owns, helps him to stay focused on a sense of purpose. The well-known work was painted by Arnold Friberg. Webb wrote about the painting in his 2009 book A Time to Fight.
5. Jim Webb previously has said that his Christian faith informs his position that marriage is between a man and a woman, but his position on marriage has apparently changed.
In his book A Time to Fight, Webb said, "In church handouts and on Christian radio they claimed I was in favor of gay marriage, despite repeadetely telling everybody that I am a Christian and that, in my faith, marriage is between a man and a woman."
Ballotpedia now lists Webb as "comfortable with same-sex marriage. The New York Times also reports that Webb has flipped his position and calls same-sex marriage "good for the country."
