Adam Hamilton, the Kansas pastor running for U.S. Senate, has rejected Vice President JD Vance’s claim that he believes raising cattle and eating meat are sinful, saying the accusation misrepresented a sermon about racism and repentance.
“No, it’s not a sin to raise cattle and eat meat,” Hamilton told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on This Week Oct. 11. “There was no part of what he said was true,” Hamilton said after Karl read Vance’s characterization of his views on air. The ABC transcript records Hamilton saying he had never called for repentance “for being white” or “for eating beef.”
Vance made the claim Sept. 14 at a campaign rally in Olathe, Kansas, where he was supporting Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who faces Hamilton in the November election. “Democrat pastor Adam Hamilton thinks it’s a sin to be white and a sin to raise cattle and eat meat,” Vance said, according to Baptist News Global’s report on the remarks.
Hamilton said the disputed sermon addressed repentance as a change in how people see others, in the context of racism. He said Vance had taken the message out of context and called the attack “a sign of desperation” and “pathetic.” Hamilton is the founding pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, a United Methodist congregation in the Kansas City area.
The church’s size and Hamilton’s public role have made the dispute part of a broader campaign fight over religion and politics. According to Hamilton’s campaign website, he and his wife, LaVon, began the congregation in 1990 with four people; it now has roughly 24,000 members and is described as the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States.
Hamilton has also directly addressed his position on cattle and meat in an Oct. 2 interview with Politico. Asked about ranchers’ concerns over climate policy and beef production, he said, “I eat a lot of beef,” and pledged that as a senator he would be “a friend and a champion for the cattle industry in Kansas.” The full interview transcript shows Hamilton distinguishing support for the industry from discussion about consuming less meat as one possible response to climate concerns.
PolitiFact concluded Oct. 20 that Hamilton’s comments did not amount to a call to shut down Kansas’ beef industry. The dispute remains part of the contest between Hamilton and Marshall, with Vance continuing to campaign for the Republican incumbent ahead of the November general election. PolitiFact’s review also noted Hamilton’s stated support for beef consumption and the cattle industry.
Image Credits:
• D Vance speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina as part of the 2024 United States presidential election via Wikimedia Commons by Voice of America with usage type - Public Domain, By Voice of America - YouTube, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=174612989
Featured Image Credit:
• D Vance speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina as part of the 2024 United States presidential election via Wikimedia Commons by Voice of America with usage type - Public Domain, By Voice of America - YouTube, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=174612989