Posted on 02/25/2016 1:58:31 PM PST by drewh
While in Nashville at the National Religious Broadcasters convention, Steve Deace landed Rafael Cruz as a guest on his show. In keeping with the convention’s theme, they started talking about religion and its role in politics.
Deace framed his question carefully, asking, “How in the world does Donald Trump win evangelical voters in South Carolina? What does that say about where we’re at as a church, or does it say anything about where we’re at as a church across the board?â€
The question was a great one because Cruz’s son Ted Cruz is running for president and was expected to dominate the Evangelical vote. Trump has somehow ended up doing that in spite of insults to the community and a demonstrated lack of ecclesiastical know-how. Because of this, Cruz was all too ready with his answer:
Well, I think that they’re defining evangelicals in a very loose manner. If we look at the numbers, those that are people that call themselves born-again Christians that are committed to the lord, we won overwhelmingly among that group. Unfortunately — and this is a message that I have been carrying to America, as you said, for several years — there are too many people in the church that have actually become lax about the word of God, that they are being more concerned with being politically correct than being biblically correct, they have diluted the word of God in order to be palatable to everyone.
Questioning someone’s faith didn’t work well for Pope Francis or for Jeb Bush, but it has been a winning strategy for Trump, so maybe the older Cruz is onto something here. Then again, Trump has already beaten him to that punch, accusing the candidate of phony Evangelism:
Never intended to say “my candidate is more pure than yours”, just my thoughts on Ted Cruz’ father. Between him and Beck they are ruining, in my opinion, Ted’s political reputation. I was a Cruz fan in the beginning but not now.
I agree with that. There's plenty of evidence about his character outside his bluster and Twitter account.
His rallies are also different in that it isn't a prepared speech over and over and over again.
Fair enough, and I agree with your assessment on Beck and his father.
The people that surround him include his children who have come out publically for same-sex marriage. Ivanka is also close friends with Chelsea Clinton.
The people around Trump exhibit extreme New York liberal values. Even if he has tried to flip-flop in recent years, they haven’t.
Marie, my husband died few years ago. I have come to realize that, in final analysis, he was freer than I because he did not have any restrictive mental structures. He expressed his spirituality in many ways, with his love for nature and animals, by respecting people of any social status, of all beliefs. He had great intellect, an encyclopedic mind, he was a successful writer but above all very, very humble.
Then tell me what he’s saying!
Because what the quote sounds like to me is, “If we look at the numbers, those that are people that call themselves born-again Christians that are committed to the lord, we won overwhelmingly among that group.”
Actually, that’s a direct quote. “Real Christians voted for my son,” seems to be a pretty good summary, and from there it’s a short step to, “If you didn’t vote for my son, you’re not a real Christian.”
And I’m ‘maligning’ Cruz and his father because despite my potty mouth when I’m incensed—a sin, when it is a sin, which is one of my personal thorns in the proverbial flesh, at least online and when I’m alone—I take the Christian faith seriously and if I see it publicly mangled, especially by someone who has laid claim to the title of pastor, I’m going to speak out against it.
I will assume that it’s an error and that he didn’t mean to say that Christians who didn’t vote for Cruz aren’t sincere in their faith. I can’t read his mind. However, what he said may well harm the faith of believers. It would be best for him to issue a correction or clarification before he causes any to stumble.
I have called Trump out too for his stumbles, missteps, and cringe-worthy moments too. The difference is that Trump isn’t claiming to be any kind of spiritual leader, like Cruz Sr. is.
Anyone surprised by this doesn’t know who they’re dealing with. One of these links, I may have posted before, but the other is new. I just read it last night. Both explain Ted Cruz’s behavior very well.
http://www.discernment-ministries.org/JoelsArmy.pdf
https://americanvision.org/5130/seven-mountains-dominionism-not-the-same-brand/
As far as the Cruzes (father & son) are concerned, we’re *not* Christians. We just think we are.
But Ted & his supporters will ‘’straighten us out’’.
I’ve noticed that too. As I mentioned upthread, I’m not a mind-reader, so I don’t know if this is genuine virtue, just like I’m not sure if it’s sinful pride that he takes in his accomplishments, though I prefer to err on the side of grace.
This does bring to mind one saying that I’ve heard before, though.
“Modesty isn’t thinking less of yourself. Modesty is thinking of yourself less.”
I wonder how much that applies.
Put Obama's speeches against Trump's and compare the me's & I's between the two. Obama is the hands down winner.
LOL...perfecto!
I’m not looking for a Christian “representative” in a president...my pastor, maybe.
Rafael and Beck are going to cost Cruz Texas
Just another example of why people are gravitating to Trump; he says what he thinks and doesn't beat around the bush or try to be PC.
I think that the issue is that if we are to judge Trump and Cruz by the same harsh standards, both come up extremely lacking.
Most of us here on FR would probably do pretty bad too.
What I know is, I don’t want Hillary Clinton (or Bernie) to be the next president. The heavy evangelicals are running far behind Trump. We need a warrior right now, not a preacher.
The nation isn’t going to automatically turn society around just because the president happens to be a Christian. There’s too many raw elements, and too much evil, to calm it all down with kindness.
Let’s stop all the leaks first.
Oh yeh that’s really helping Dad. Anger the evangelicals.
Rush played a couple of clips of Ted Cruz on his radio show early last week that I thought were odd.
In one clip, Ted said that Romney lost in 2012 “because 54 million evangelicals stayed home.”
I thought, “Huh, 54 million evangelicals?” I don’t believe there are that many evangelicals in the U.S.
Then Ted said, “We can’t have non-believers picking our president.”
What does that mean? Everyone who showed up to vote for Romney or Obama is a non-believer? WTF?
20 years of internet. 6 months of FR participation. Always in the first few posts to ATTCK the most conservative candidate in the race 24/7.
Do you get paid for doing this?
How much?
Do the checks come Planned Parenthood, GOPe, or someone else?
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