Donald Trump isn’t the only one being told to watch his language. Apparently, the Left is just as offended by the Cruzes’ use of the f-word: faith. In a bizarre twist, liberals are bashing Ted’s wife, Heidi, for daring to talk about their family’s Christianity in a radio interview this week. Of all the things to attack the Cruzes for, their religion seems like a stretch. The son of a pastor, Senator Cruz has made faith a cornerstone of his campaign since Day 1. In fact, it would probably more be shocking if he and Heidi didn’t talk about their religious convictions to the press.

Unfortunately, this administration has created such an environment of hostility toward religion that liberals erupt any time someone mentions God. “We are at a cultural crossroads in our country,” Heidi told South Carolina radio host Vince Coakley, “and if we can be in this race to show this country the face of the God that we serve — this Christian God that we serve is the foundation of our country, our country was built on Judeo-Christian values, we are a nation of freedom of religion, but the God of Christianity is the God of freedom, of individual liberty, of choice and of consequence.” She went on to say how Americans need to be reminded that “Christians are loving people, are nonjudgmental people, but there is right and wrong, we have a country of law and order, there are consequences to actions and we must all live peaceably in our own faiths under the Constitution. And Ted is uniquely able to deliver on that combination of the law and religion.”

On a scale from zero to Donald Trump, Heidi’s comments are hardly the stuff of controversy. Especially not now, when Americans are hungry for leaders bold enough to talk about their values publicly. While the Left may think candidates who talk about their faith are extreme, voters do not. The only extremists are liberals who can’t stand the mere mention of religion. “Heidi Cruz Bizarrely Rants about How Ted Will Show America ‘The Face of God,” Mediaite wrote. Former Obama worker Joe Green complained, “Thomas Jefferson envisioned a wall of separation between Church and State. Ted Cruz envisions that wall being torn down entirely. He’s not judging, he just thinks people who disagree are wrong and bad.”

Of course, there was no mention of the fact that seven days ago, Joe’s former employer gave a lengthy speech about his faith at the National Prayer Breakfast. I suppose President Obama wants to tear down Jefferson’s imaginary wall too? It may come as a surprise to Joe and friends, but the same president the Left is so fond of invoking held the same position as Ted and Heidi Cruz: that faith is critical to the country’s survival. In fact, Jefferson couldn’t be more clear, praying as governor of Virginia that God would “establish the independence of these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue.” Yet today, the mere mention of faith makes liberals apoplectic.

The absurdity of this controversy wasn’t lost on Fox News’s Megyn Kelly, who is as frustrated by the Left’s intolerance as the rest of America. “It is literally now at the point in our country where our children have to go do practice drills where they hide inside the bathrooms at their preschools because they might get shot. But if their teacher says a prayer when they’re in there, she can get fired.” Has it ever occurred to anyone that if prayers were more prevalent, shooters might not be? Or if more presidents bowed a knee to God, we might have more unity?

America was founded by men fleeing religious persecution. Four hundred years later, they can’t even run for president without facing it. But, as Ted told David Brody [Thursday], he isn’t backing down. “I’m not running to be 'Pastor-In-Chief’… I am a Christian and the Word says if you are ashamed of Jesus He will be ashamed of you. I don’t intend to have that conversation with my maker. It is an integral part of who I am in my faith.”

DISCLAIMER: Tony Perkins has made an endorsement in his individual and personal capacity only, and it should not be construed or interpreted in any way as the endorsement of FRC, FRC Action, or any affiliated entity.

Originally published here.

Lone Scars on Marriage Fight

Texas’s Ken Paxton ought to know law better than anyone. As the state’s attorney general, it’s his job. So when he defended the First Amendment rights of government workers, Ken understood more than most the legal foundation he stood on. Yet now, Paxton is not being commended for doing his duty — he’s being punished for it. Months after coming to the aid of the state’s county clerks, Paxton is being investigated by an ethics panel for “possible violation” of professional conduct rules! Why? Because the state’s chief law enforcer dared to enforce the religious freedom of Texas officials who object to same-sex marriage.

“Attorney General Paxton has a right to disagree with a ruling of the Supreme Court. Lawyers do that every single day. What makes a difference is that you cannot encourage people to violate that ruling and that law,” said one of the 200 attorneys who filed the complaint. If found guilty, Paxton could be disbarred and removed from office — all for offering legal help to anyone who objected to issue same-sex marriage licenses in the state. “I will do everything I can from this office to be a public voice for those standing in defense of their rights,” he told reporters. Faced with losing his job for doing it, Paxton is resolute. “This complaint has always lacked merit, and we are confident the legal process for resolving these complaints will bear that out.”

Once again, Texas is pulling back the curtain on the Left’s real agenda — and it isn’t tolerance. It’s forced acceptance. It’s about public affirmation. When religious liberty clashes with homosexuality — as it has from bakeries to flower shops — the storylines are all the same: conform or be punished. It’s a strange and dangerous new world, where the government is doing what liberals accuse the church of — imposing its own orthodoxy on the people. Thank goodness there are still leaders like Ken Paxton, who speak up and demand freedom no matter the consequences.

Originally published here.