The Honorable James Lankford
The Honorable James Lankford, Senator from Oklahoma, truly deserves to be the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Christian Statesman Award conferred by the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship in Washington, DC.
James’s early childhood was spent in Texas where he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at eight years of age. He earned a B.S. degree in Secondary Education—specializing in Speech and History—at the University of Texas and later earned a Master’s Degree in Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
After receiving his Master’s Degree, he moved to a suburb of Oklahoma City and served as the Director of Student Ministry with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. He later became the Director of the Falls Creek Youth Camp, the largest Christian camp in the U.S. with more than 51,000 students and adults attending each summer.
It was during James’s time as Director of the camp that the Lord impressed upon him that he was to run for Congress. He stepped down as director in 2009 and began his campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives. He won the election and served
in the House two full terms before running for U.S. Senate to which he was elected in November of 2014. Sen. Lankford serves on the following committees: Appropriations, Homeland Security, Governmental Affairs, Intelligence, and Indian Affairs.
In January of 2015, Rep. Randy Forbes, founder and chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, named Sen. Lankford as co-chairman. Lankford was the first Senator
to join the Caucus since its founding in 2005, thus making the Caucus bicameral. The Congressional Prayer Caucus works to protect the fundamental human right of religious freedom and guards the right of individuals to pray and practice their faith freely.
Senator Lankford’s verbal and outgoing commitment to Jesus Christ and Biblical principles has separated him from the crowd. He embodies the qualities and principles that stand behind the Center for Christian Statesmanship. He lives by and promotes Biblical morals and ethics, understanding that the Christian faith cannot be left out of his public service and discourse. He possesses a keen intellect, a thorough grasp of complex issues, and an effective ability to communicate his positions cogently. James understands that his priorities must be to God first, to Cindy, his wife of 20 years and their daughters Jordan and Hannah, and then to his work as a Senator.
“Sen. Lankford’s clear, vibrant, and articulate Christian witness and his commitment to the highest standard of public service exemplifies what it means to be a Christian Statesman, “ said Dr. George Roller, Executive Director of the Center for Christian Statesmanship. “He is a diligent servant leader who takes the responsibilities of public office with the utmost seriousness and brings an unashamedly Christian worldview to the task. We are thrilled to recognize him as a Christian statesman and leader.”
The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship is proud to confer its highest honor, the Distinguished Christian Statesman Award, upon this steadfast and stalwart Christian leader.