Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt has reversed course and said he will boycott the 2014 Clark County Mayor and Civic Leaders Prayer Breakfast, scheduled for 7 a.m. Friday at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Earlier, Leavitt said he would honor his commitment to host the event despite controversy surrounding the keynote speaker, former Army Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, who in interviews, speeches and writings has said that the war on terrorism is a Christian war against Satan and that followers of Islam are “under an obligation to destroy our Constitution.”

“The purpose of the prayer breakfast is to bring together people of many different faiths and religions to pray for, honor and encourage military personnel, public safety first responders, civic leaders and others who serve our community — and that is an effort that I do support,” Leavitt said in a news release issued by the city Wednesday afternoon.

“The vision of the breakfast is ‘Inspiring Clark County residents to honor, encourage and support each other.’ But it is apparent to me that the values and beliefs of the keynote speaker are not consistent with the original vision of this event,” Leavitt’s statement continued. “In fact, I’m certain that Lt. Gen. Boykin’s position on a number of social, political and religious issues does not at all reflect the values of acceptance, tolerance and compassion our community strives for.”

Leavitt changed his mind about hosting after researching and reviewing Boykin’s previous public statements.