Christian backlash as JD Vance puts a number on his chances of getting into heaven

JD Vance has said that he is a '7 or an 8' out of ten on a scale measuring how confident he is that he will make it to heaven. The vice president was interviewed about his faith by Christian influencer Bryce Crawford, discussing his conversion to Catholicism and saying he wouldn't be surprised if we were living in the 'end times.' 'On a scale of 1-10, 10, how confident are you that you'll go to heaven?' asked Crawford, a 22-year-old evangelical.Vance replied: 'Oh man that is a tough question. It's high but it's not 10. It's a 7 or an 8. I'm always one of these people who is going to have little doubts and if you'd asked me that question a year ago it was probably a 5 or a 6.'Asked about the change from last year, he continued: 'I'd say the difference is - and again, all respect to God - you know, I still occasionally have doubts like, is this actually real.' The VP's response sparked a theological debate among Christians, with some arguing that faith is binary rather than a scale, while others said Catholics interpret the Bible differently. 'If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, your confidence should be a 10,' said pro-life activist Steven Ertelt.An X user called William Holt said: 'This is rather shocking. It shows that this new Catholic has not cracked open his Bible, or particularly the New Testament at all. It's not a sliding scale, JD.' JD Vance was interviewed about his faith by Christian influencer star Bryce Crawford, discussing his conversion to Catholicism and even confessing that he wouldn't be surprised if we were living in the 'end times' Crawford, a 22-year-old evangelical, has a huge social media followingBut others said that they believed Vance's position was a reflection of Catholic teaching.'I was raised Catholic and we were not taught the Gospel. It was Jesus plus our good behavior. Not faith in Jesus alone as Savior. That is why Catholics question their salvation,' said an X user called Ann Marie. Vance's answer tracks closely with official Catholic doctrine. The Council of Trent, convened in 1547 in response to the Protestant Reformation, condemned the idea that a believer can know with certainty that they are saved.The Catechism also lists presumption, the assumption that heaven is already secured, as a sin against hope. Catholics are taught to hope for salvation, but never claim absolute certainty. The distinction is one of the clearest dividing lines between Catholicism and Protestantism, many branches of which teach 'assurance of salvation,' the belief that a Christian can and should be certain of their place in heaven. Elsewhere in the interview Vance, whose new memoir Communion narrates his conversion in 2019, said that while it was possible we are living in the end times, he didn't find it helpful to ruminate on the idea.'What do you think about the end times? Do you think it's here? Do you think it's coming?' asked Crawford.Vance answered: 'Do I think that we're in the end times? I don't know. And I think that it's probably bad for me spiritually to focus too much on it because there are, like, things that you gotta do.' The vice president was also grilled about Trump posting an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus earlier this year which Crawford said had offended himHe said that it was more important for him to look after his young family, including wife Usha and their four children, and to help lead the US.'I think that there are, like, things about the world that make me feel like not shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us. But again, I try not to focus too much on it,' he added.'I tend to think, like, while I wouldn't be shocked if we are living in the end times, what I'm trying to focus on is doing as much of God's work as possible right now.'And if that leads to the end times, OK. And if that leads to you know, us building a better world that thrives and survives for a very long time after I'm gone, that's great too.'The vice president was also asked about Trump posting an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus earlier this year, which Crawford said had offended him. Vance explained that Trump believed the image showed him as a doctor and removed it after receiving criticism from even his loyalists. 'He's a bit of a ballbuster, for those of us who work with him, and he just likes to have a good time. And I think that if people appreciated that, they would recognize, he's not trying to offend people, he's trying to keep things light,' Vance said.