UPLAND, Ind. — Vice President Mike Pence used a Saturday commencement address at Taylor University to urge a religious resolve among the Christian school’s graduates and faculty, dozens of whom walked out minutes before Pence began speaking.

“Throughout most of our American history it’s been pretty easy to call yourself a Christian, but things are different now,” Pence said. “Lately, it’s become acceptable, even fashionable, to malign traditional Christian beliefs. So as you prepare to leave this place and build your life on a Christ-centered, world-engaging foundation poured here at Taylor University, be prepared to stand up.”

Read his address: Pence's remarks at Taylor University

The protest stemmed from disagreement among students, faculty and alumni about whether it was appropriate for the nondenominational Christian liberal arts school to invite the vice president, known for his conservative religious views, to speak.

Most of Taylor's graduating class, however, remained seated for the vice president, who was the first official from the U.S. executive branch to speak at a Taylor graduation and received a standing ovation.

He devoted other parts of his address to the Trump administration’s message on the state of the economy, the nation’s number of job openings and its low unemployment rate.

The day was exciting for graduate Emmanuel Boateng, who said it was exciting to have a vice president speak at graduation.

"Because of his position it's a privilege to have him speak here,” said Boateng, who was born in Ghana and raised in Spain. “I know that on campus the emotions range from very positive to not very positive. No one dreams that way. But despite our differences, the whole entire campus has come to celebrate together."

Mixed Reaction:Pence's invitation from Taylor University stirs controversy

Other graduates took a different view.

Laura Rathburn was one of the dozens to walk out, disappointed that the school's administration picked Pence to address her class. Rathburn decorated the top of her mortarboard in rainbow colors and added a message on top that said, "Ally Visible For Those Who Can't Be.”

“I think his presence makes it difficult for everyone at Taylor to feel welcomed,” she said.

Graduates Katie Tupper and Anna Streed wore stickers on their mortarboards that said, "We are Taylor too," which they said represented support for marginalized people hurt by the Trump administration's policies.

"For me personally, I think we should identify as Christians first before we have political ties,” Tupper said. ”That might not be a good choice for everyone but I think that we struggle a lot at Taylor in trying not to raise our political views. ... The purpose of this is to recognize that we're all a part of Taylor."

The walkout occurred as Taylor associate music professor H. Conor Angell led graduates and attendees in singing "Be Thou My Vision."

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In their caps and gowns, the protesting students and faculty at the Christian liberal arts school of about 2,500 rose and quietly walked down the aisle and out of the auditorium in the Kesler Student Activities Center, where the university held the commencement exercise.

The vast majority of the graduating class, which totaled 494 women and men, remained as audience members responded to Pence's introduction with a standing ovation and a lingering round of applause.

For weeks, the vice president’s invitation to speak at Taylor's spring commencement has elicited strong reactions among the university's faculty, students and alumni.

Thousands signed competing online petitions — one asking the university to rescind the Pence invite and the other expressing support for the school's decision.

Some critics told IndyStar prior to the graduation day that they would not be opposed to the one-term Indiana governor speaking at the school under different circumstances. Many stressed that their opposition had nothing to do with Pence being a Christian, per se.

Rather, they said, it was the university's lack of faculty or student input, concerns that his presence endorses a specific political or religious view or the matter of Pence's affiliation with President Donald Trump, who some say doesn't represent the Christian values central to the university's mission.

Pence has had a busy commencement schedule this spring, having spoken last Saturday at another Christian school, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where he warned graduates to "be ready" to face intolerance of their faith from Hollywood, the media and the secular left.

The vice president will give another address next Saturday, when he'll speak before graduating U.S. Army cadets at West Point in New York.

Call IndyStar reporter Alexandria Burris at 317-617-2690. Follow her on Twitter: @allyburris.