If Evangelical Voters Take Their Religion Seriously, Ted Cruz Will Be The Republican Nominee

Gary Bauer, one of America’s leading pro-life and pro-family activists, endorsed Ted Cruz on Friday. In doing so, Bauer became one of many evangelical Christian leaders who have thrown their support behind the senator from Texas. Bauer explained:

Ted Cruz is a courageous conservative who has built a consistent record on the issues that matter most. He has fought for religious liberty at home and abroad. He believes all of our children should be welcomed into the world and protected by the law. Ted knows that government is too big and that taxes and regulations are too high. He will rebuild our military strength and pursue a foreign policy that repairs our frayed alliances. Ted Cruz understands that Israel is our friend and that Iran is our enemy. He understands that border security is national security. Last, but certainly not least, Ted Cruz is committed to restoring the rule of law and repealing President Obama’s outrageous executive orders.

There’s a reason why Bauer, James Dobson, Bob Vander Plaats, and a host of other largely Protestant conservative leaders have endorsed Cruz: he’s the Biblical choice for president. Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, explained two years ago what that phrase — the Biblical choice — means:

The Bible, Cruz went on to explain, tells you exactly how to vet a politician. He turned to Exodus 18:21 and made his case. Moses is in the wilderness trying to govern the Israelites, where his father-in-law gives him leadership advice: “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, ruler of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”

The elder Cruz then broke down the specifics:

1. Able men: “That means elect someone who is capable of doing the job—don’t elect the village idiot.”
2. Fearing God: “That means you follow a Judeo-Christian ethic. It is a moral code by which you live. . . honesty, integrity, individual responsibility, hard work, the rule of law, and yes, limited government and free enterprise.”
3. Men of truth: “Haven’t we had enough men and women of lies in government? Look at what has been happening with this administration: they would tell you a lie to cover up the previous lie. And it’s lies after lies after lies and we see scandal after scandal.”
4. Hating covetousness: “Covetousness in government doesn’t have to do so much about money as it has to do with power and control. These politicians covet power and they covet the control that that power gives them over your lives and mind.”
5. Rulers of thousands, ruler of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: “That’s equivalent to federal government, state government, county government, local government. . . . That’s Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, that’s the Ninth Amendment, and that’s the Tenth Amendment. If it isn’t there [in Article 1 Section 8], the federal government’s got no business being involved.”

With regards to the latter, the elder Cruz pointed out that the federal government shouldn’t be involved in education and the environment.

These points are all well-taken and, obviously, Bible-based. And they all point in the direction of only one candidate: Ted Cruz. He’s highly intelligent and healthy. He’s also a man who fears God: he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior when he was eight years old and he has taken his faith seriously ever since. He is a staunch defender of the freedom of religion, has dedicated his life to the principles put forth in the Constitution, and always defends the free-enterprise system, even when doing so may result in him losing votes. See his criticism of ethanol subsidies for instance, which may very well cost him dearly in Iowa.

Of course, that brings us to the third Biblical qualification for a leader: he (or she!) has to be a man (or woman) of truth. His critics can say that Cruz is stubborn, uncompromising and extremely conservative, but they can’t accuse him of being dishonest. He promised Texas voters that he’d take a stand against the establishment and the Obama administration if they’d send him to Washington, and he’s done so.

With regards to coveting power, Cruz could quickly have become one of the most powerful politicians in D.C. by simply playing along with the establishment, like Marco Rubio did on amnesty. Instead, Cruz has always defended his principles, even when doing so meant he stood alone — or only with one or two allies like Senators Mike Lee and Jeff Sessions.

Lastly, although most of the Republican candidates say they want to reduce the size of the government, only a few of them have the courage to call for abolishing the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ted Cruz is one them. He also plans to get rid of ObamaCare if he becomes president.

In other words, Ted Cruz fulfills every single Biblical requirement for a leader. Most Christian conservative leaders recognize that, and have endorsed him because of it. If Christian voters — and 83% of Americans consider themselves Christians — take this glorious faith of ours and their leaders half as seriously as they should, Cruz will not only win the Iowa caucuses, but after that the Republican presidential nomination and the presidency.