Reaction to News About Ben Sasse
Vice President J.D. Vance is among the many people who are reacting to Ben Sasse’s cancer diagnosis. “I’m very sorry to hear this Ben,” Vance wrote. “May God bless you and your family.”
Former NFL player Benjamin Watson also replied, offering Sasse prayers and love. “Thank you for all of your words of wisdom, kindness and encouragement,” wrote Watson. “May the blood of our savior cover you as you continue to journey. Thank you for these words of gospel proclamation and hope.”
Sasse, who has a Ph.D. from Yale, is an outspoken Christian and pro-life advocate. Before being elected to the Senate, he taught at the University of Texas, served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, and was president of Midland University, a Lutheran school in Nebraska.
The Nebraska native represented his home state in the U.S. Senate from early 2015 to early 2023. Last year, Sasse resigned as president of the University of Florida after wife Melissa was diagnosed with epilepsy. He continues teaching history and civics courses at the school.
After the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, Sasse was one of seven Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. That earned him the label of a “grandstanding, little-respected senator” from Trump.
The Faith of Sen. Ben Sasse
In a 2016 interview with World, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse spoke about his Christian upbringing and his evolving beliefs. Although he was raised and confirmed in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, in college he wrestled with theology and how to put faith into practice.
“I started reading a lot of [Martin] Luther and some B.B. Warfield,” said Sasse, noting that Bob Godfrey, Mike Horton, and R.C. Sproul “were all really influential in my college clarification of being Calvinistic, Reformed.” He wrote his master’s thesis on John Calvin and the third use of the law—“how the law is used in sanctification, as a guide to righteousness,” Sasse said.
The former senator was previously involved with evangelical and parachurch groups such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His wife Melissa was a staff member at Cru, formerly Campus Crusade for Christ. The couple homeschooled their children for many years, and Ben wrote a book about the downfall of adolescence in America.
When asked how his faith and government service interact, Sasse said, “I get the chance to live out a life of gratitude to God by trying to serve my neighbor, and politics is one of many secular callings—like building good shoes or speedboats.”
Regarding arguments about public policy, Sasse said, “We, as Christians, have a responsibility to do it in a way that doesn’t violate the Ninth Commandment.” He added:
We don’t want to bear false witness against our neighbor, so we should assume our neighbor means well and try to characterize their position accurately, not beat a straw man. As it turns out, really believing in the dignity of your neighbor and loving your neighbor means that you want to try to refine and shape their best argument.
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