WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Pence is telling Christians this election is no time to “sit on the sidelines.”

Donald Trump’s running mate addressed students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, as Trump took an aggressive turn against Republican leaders who have abandoned him because of his inflammatory comments about women.

Pence tells students at the evangelical college that personal “shortcomings are no excuse for inaction” and they should vote for Trump.

He says people of faith cannot choose to stand “idly by in this great national debate.”