family values, and making more rules and standards part of everyday life. he also restated his position that marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. his remarks are 20 minutes. >> thank you, mark. liberty university is a non- profit educational institution. liberty university does not endorse candidates. the governor's presence here should not be seen as an institutional endorsement of his candidacy. the bible teaches us that christians should be good citizens. christians should all take for the candidates who is positions on the issues are more closely aligned with their own, not the candidate that shares years or her faith or theology. we are electing a commander in chief, not a pastor or religious leader. i have got a crack in here about jimmy carter that i will skip. [laughter] i would like to invite governor romney and the doctor to the podium at this time. with the power vested in me by the board of trustees, the doctor of humanities is conferred on governor mitt romney with all of the rights and privileges apertaining thereto. [applause] now to deliver our 39th annual commencement address, i am thrilled to welcome the next president of united states, governor mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you so very much. mark, thank you for that powerful and moving an emotional introduction. thank you for your friendship. what a great man. chester falwell, thank you for your kindness today. faculty and staff and distinguished guests, parents and friends and graduating seniors from liberty. [applause] for the graduates, of course, this moment marks a clear ending and a clear beginning. to the class of 2012, well done and congratulations. by the way, i am told some of you may have taken a little longer than four years to complete your studies. one graduate said he completed his degree in only two terms, clinton's and bush's. [laughter] in some ways, it is fitting that i share this distinction with mr. cathy. the romney campaign comes to a sudden stop when we spot a chick-fil-a. it is comfort food during the campaign season. and we needed a lot of comfort. congratulations on your honor today. [applause] of course, there are some people here who are even more pleased than the graduates. that would be their parents. their years of prayers and devotion and investment have added up to this joint achievement. the american dream is not owning your own home. it is getting your kids out of the home you own. lately, i have found myself thinking about life in four year stretches. not many have achieved as much in four years as you have. but that is a topic for another day. it is not for nothing that you have spent this time here. america needs your time and skill. i am convinced we will see a resurgence in the american economy that will open new doors of opportunity for those as prepared as you are. what the next four years might hold for me is yet to be determined. things are looking up. i take your kind hospitality today as a sign of good things to come. [applause] i want you to know that i consider it a great life honor to be able to be here to address you today. your generosity of spirit humbles me. the welcoming spirit of liberty is a tribute to the christian example of your founder. in his 73 years of life, dr. falwell made a mark. we remember him as a courageous and big hearted minister of the gospel. he never hated an adversary. he never feared an argument. he deserves the tribute he would have treasured most as a cheerful, confident champion for christ. i will always remember his cheerful good humor and selflessness. several years ago in my home, anne and i were posing with a double-posing for a picture with him. he assisted anne be in the middle and he and i be on the side. he explained that christ died between two beans. -- two theives. [laughter] dr. falwell believe liberty would be one of the most respected princeton universities in the world. -- christian universities any world.n the the first class graduated only 13 students. and year after year christians would be drawn to the university in ever greater numbers. thanks to what you have gained here, you leave liberty with confidence as your armor. you know what you believe and you know who you are. it will be one of the most prized qualities of your education here. moral certainty, clear standards, andthe commitment to spiritual ideas will set you apart in a world searching for meaning. that said, your values will not always be the object of public adoration. the more you live by your beliefs, the more you will endure the censure of the world. it showed in their own way the relentless and powerful influence of the message of jesus christ. may that be your guide as well. you enter a world with civilizations and economies that are far from equal. harvard university historian and devoted his lifelong study to understanding why some civilizations rise and by others falter. his conclusion was this -- culture makes all the difference. not natural resources, geography, but what people believe and what they value. central to america's rise to global leadership is our christian foundation. the american culture promotes personal responsibility. the dignity of work. the value of education. the merit of service. devotion to a purpose greater than self. and that the foundation, the pre-eminence of family. the power of these values, the sculptor, is evidenced by a recent brookings institution study that senator rick santorum brought to my attention. for those who graduate from high school, get a job been married before they have their first child the probability that they will be poor is 2%. if they are absent, 76% will be poor. culture, what you believe and how you live matters. as fundamental as these principles are, they may become a topic of debate from time to time, so if it is today with the enduring institution of marriage -- marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. [applause] the protection of religious freedom is also a matter of debate. it strikes me as strange that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem. something america is stuck with. instead of being blessed with. perhaps religious content subsets' the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government. but, from the beginning, this nation has rested in god, not man. [applause] religious liberty is the first freedom in our constitution. whether the causes justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than christian conscience in action. [applause] religious freedom opens the door for americans that is close to many others. whether we walked through that door and what we do with our lives after is up to us. someone once observed that the great drama of christianity is not a crowd shot following the movements of collectives or nations. the drama is always personnel. individual. unfolding in one's own life. we are not alone in sensing this. men and women of every faith and good people with none at all sincerely strive to do right and lead a purpose-driven life. i can tell you this much, all that you have heard here at liberty university about trusting in god and in his purpose for each of us makes for more than a good sermon. it makes for a good life. so many things compete for our attention and devotion. that does not stop as you get older. we are all prone to treat the trivial things as all important. the all important things as trivial. little by little, we lose sight of the one thing that endures forever. the lord's words of bring us back to ourselves into something far greater than ourselves. what we have, what we wish we had come ambitions fulfilled. ambitions disappointed. investments won, investments lost. elections won, elections lost. each is subject to the serendipities of light. our relationship with our maker depends on none of that. it is entirely in our control. for he is always at the door. he knocks for us. our worldly success cannot be guaranteed, but our ability to achieve spiritual success is entirely up to us thanks to the grace of god. [applause] the best advice i can give is to give those worldly things your best, but never your old. reserve your hope for the only one who can grant it. many preachers advise the same. if you as memorably as dr. martin luther king jr. he said, with most of my life ahead of me, i decided to give my life to something eternal and absolute. not to these little dots that are here today and gone tomorrow but the one who is the same today and forever. [applause] the commitments that come closest to forever are those of family. my dad was the ceo, a governor, and a member of the president's cabinet. my wife asked him how what was your greatest accomplishment? without a moment's pause he said, raising our four kids. my wife and i feel the same way. i have never once regretted missing an opportunity so that i could be with my children and grandchildren. among the things in life that can be put off, being there when it matters most is not one of them. the home is the ultimate career. all other careers exist to support the ultimate career. promotions often marked the high points in a career. i hope i have not seen the last one of those. [laughter] sometimes, the high points come in unexpected ways. i am embarrassed to recall that when this opportunity was presented to me, i dismissed it. the winter olympics. i was busy. i was doing well. by the way, my lack of athletic prowess did not make the olympics it logical step for me. after i accepted the position, my son called and said, dad, i have spoken to the brothers. we saw the paper this morning. we want you to know there is not a circumstance we could have conceived of that would put you on the front page of the sports section. [laughter] the olympics were not a logical choice. but, that was one of the best and most fulfilling choices of my life. opportunities to serve in meaningful ways may come at inconvenient times. that will make them all the more precious. people of different faiths sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose. when there are so many differences in theology. certainly, we can begin service. in shared moral convictions about our nation, stemming from a common world view. the best case for this is always the example of christian men and women working and witnessing to carry god's love into every life. people like chuck colson. he recounted a story from his days after leaving prison. he was assured by people of influence that even with his record, a man with his connections and experience could still live very comfortably. they would make some calls, get him situated. set him up once again as as important. his choice at a crossroads would make him, instead, a great man. the call to service is one
Related Keywords
United States ,Americans ,America ,American ,Martin Luther King Jr ,Chester Falwell ,Jimmy Carter ,Chuck Colson ,Jesus Christ ,Joe Trippi ,Rick Santorum ,
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.