Hillary Clinton Opens Up About Her Faith
Apr 26, 2014 6:51pm
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers the keynote address to the United Methodist Women's Assembly at the Kentucky International Convention Center, Saturday, April 26, 2014, in Louisville, Ky.
Hillary Clinton delivered the keynote remarks at the United Methodist Women Conference in Louisville, Ky., this morning, where she spoke about the significant role that the Methodist church has had in her life, while calling on women to follow the gospel of the church and challenge themselves and others to get things done in their communities.
The event was of personal importance to Clinton, a longtime Methodist, who told the nearly 7,000 attendees that being at the conference felt like a sort of homecoming.
The former secretary of state who usually charges a high price these days for speaking engagements, did this one on her own dime. According to the United Methodist Women President Yvette Richards, who introduced Clinton as a daughter of the Methodist Church, Clinton waived her speaking fee for the organization and paid all her own travel expenses.
Throughout her remarks, Clinton described how her experiences growing up in a Methodist household, and the churchs call to service message, shaped her understanding of the injustices in the world and inspired her to pursue community work. She specifically cited her efforts in the State Department in which she helped disadvantaged women and children from around the world.
The potential 2016 presidential frontrunner also called on the women of the church to get their own hands dirty, urging them to participate in their communities and to defy glass ceilings, saying there are no limits on how far we can go.
During one of the most rousing moments in her remarks, Clinton told the audience that as women, we cannot wait for someone to solve our problems, adding that even when we are tired and all we want to do is go away to a secluded place and rest a while, it is important to roll up our sleeves and make it happen.
These sort of empowering remarks for women have been a reoccurring theme for Clinton lately, and as some have noted, sound almost like a personal pep talk perhaps for 2016.
On Wednesday, Clinton made comments at a womens conference in Boston where she hinted that advanced age was a reason to embrace older women in positions of authority. While she wasnt speaking about herself, per se, it raises the question that if shes preaching this, will she practice this?