"How did America become a country that harvests organs from unborn children? And who has the courage to stop it?"For background, read Sen. Ted Cruz Rallies Christians in Iowa for Religious Liberty and also read Planned Parenthood Caught Selling Aborted Babies on Video as well as Kill Baby to Save Mother? No! Says Gov. Scott Walker
-- Ted Cruz campaign ad
In addition read Rev. Franklin Graham Says Pastors Cowering from 'Culture War' Deserve Hell and read Study Finds Pastors Conceal Culture Truth to be Successful
-- From "Ted Cruz Rallies Evangelicals In Campaign To Defund Planned Parenthood" by Don Gonyea, NPR National Public Radio 8/25/15
[Ted Cruz'] latest pitch to religious voters came in a conference call Tuesday with church pastors from around the country.
In the conference call earlier, and at every campaign event, Cruz attacks Planned Parenthood. He highlights the recent series of undercover videos from an anti-abortion-rights group accusing the organization of selling fetal tissue from abortions for profit.
Cruz argues that he can win the nomination — and the presidency — by motivating real conservatives and not worrying at all about winning moderates. That's something he and others argue imperiled Republicans' chances in the last several elections.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cruz’s evangelical outreach shifts into high gear" by Katie Zezima and Tom Hamburger, Washington Post 8/23/15
More than 100,000 pastors received e-mail invitations over the weekend to participate in conference calls with Cruz on Tuesday in which they will learn details of the [defund Planned Parenthood] plan to mobilize churchgoers in every congressional district beginning Aug. 30. The requests were sent on the heels of the Texas Republican’s “Rally for Religious Liberty,” which drew 2,500 people to a Des Moines ballroom Friday.
Heading into the primary season, it wasn’t clear how significant a role social issues would play in the selection of the Republican nominee. But social conservatives and evangelical voters say they have been galvanized by a one-two punch this summer: first, the Supreme Court’s decision that same-sex marriage should be legal in all 50 states — and then, the release of hidden-camera videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the donation of fetal tissue in a seemingly cavalier fashion.
All of the Republican candidates have found themselves spending more trail time on both issues over the past few months. Those fighting most fiercely for religious voters have made them central to their campaigns. But few candidates have made the burgeoning “religious liberty” movement in opposition to same-sex marriage and the fight to deny funding to Planned Parenthood as much of their campaign centerpiece as Cruz has — and perhaps no one is as well positioned to benefit politically from a renewed focus on those issues.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ted Cruz Teams With Pastors To Defund Planned Parenthood" by David Brody, CBN News Chief Political Correspondent 8/23/15
Dear Pastor,
The recent exposure of Planned Parenthood's barbaric practices of harvesting the body parts of innocent babies and selling them to the highest bidder has brought about a pressing need to end tax payer support of this institution.
As the son of a pastor, I know you bear a high and holy calling on your lives. I am urging you to confront this evil in our nation by praying and preaching with an unbridled passion until funding for Planned Parenthood ends, and this barbaric practice is purged from the land.
Over the next two weeks, with the support of your prayers and the impact of your preaching, I intend to lead an effort to end taxpayer support of Planned Parenthood.
The battle we face is not political. It is spiritual. To enter this arena in a prayerless condition invites failure. . . .
To read the entire E-mail from Sen. Ted Cruz above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ted Cruz tries to rouse evangelicals with campaign against Planned Parenthood" by Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service 8/26/15
Cruz is working with the American Renewal Project, a conservative group that encourages pastors to run for elected office on a campaign to defund Planned Parenthood.
“Our call to action primarily, number one, is to get the pastors to return to prayer on this and every issue,” said the Rev. Ken Graves, who spoke on Tuesday’s teleconference call.
Too many of of the nation’s evangelical pastors “have come to believe that we have no freedom, no right to speak,” said Graves, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel in Bangor, Maine, and a speaker on the 20-minute call. He encouraged his fellow pastors to exercise their right to talk about Planned Parenthood and other issues according to their understanding of Scripture.
And Graves said the pastors stand on firm legal ground. “The word is out that pastors have the freedom, that they’re not a lower caste of American people,” he said. They can both speak out and engage in the process.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ted Cruz recruiting pastors in push to defund Planned Parenthood" by Bob Allen, Baptist News Global 8/24/15
The phone call is part of a larger 50-state campaign by Cruz to end taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood — a campaign likely to raise his profile in a Republican primary race where the vote of social conservatives is seen as up for grabs.
[Sen. Cruz] asked that pastors preach a message Aug. 30 “calling on your people to enter into this spiritual battle for the soul of their nation.” A link on the American Renewal Project points to an outline for a sample sermon titled: “The Cry of the Innocent for the Soul of a Nation.”
Finally, Cruz asked pastors to lead congregations in a “Day of Prayer and Fasting,” on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and use Wednesday night services asking God “to move in the hearts of men and women in government to vote to end the slaughter of the innocents.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ted Cruz calls out pastors to fight abortion" by Jack Minor, World Net Daily 8/25/15
“Now more than ever it is the role of the church, as well as our pastors and faith leaders, to stand up and speak the truth with absolute clarity,” Cruz said in a telephone conference call.
“I would encourage every pastor on this call to preach the truth about what is happening with Planned Parenthood. I recognize these are topics that are not without controversy, and they invite criticism when faith leaders speak candidly about them,” he said.
“If we cannot speak about this, there is very little that we can stand up and speak about. Preaching from the pulpit biblical values on life and comparing those values, the teachings of Jesus, to this nationwide business of trafficking in the body parts of unborn children is a message that needs to be heard across this nation.”
Cruz urged the pastors to lift up America’s leaders in prayer as well as pray for action against the sale of human body parts by the abortion provider.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Urging Pastors to Register Their Flocks to Vote (David Lane, American Renewal Project)
