Posted by
Conservative Wordsmith on Sunday, October 28, 2007 1:45:27 PM
Conservative Wordsmith Susan Baldwin writes: Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is rapidly gaining support from major evangelical Christian leaders across the country. Mitt Romney is now being seen as the only "acceptable" and "viable" Republican presidential candidate, according to a Newsmax article published on Monday, October 22. 1
If you are still having doubts about Mitt Romney, and if you reject the mere possibility of supporting him because of his Mormon faith, then I suggest that you read this list:
1. James Bopp, Jr., an evangelical, pro-life activist and attorney: "'So it does come down to two things,'" Bopp concludes in his letter, which was excerpted in The Atlantic. "'One, the viability of the candidate, which only Mitt Romney has demonstrated among the socially conservative candidates, and two, whether social conservatives will have the courage to rally around the only viable conservative alternative to Rudy Giuliani. A divided field means that Giuliani is likely to win the nomination.'" 1
2. Dr. James Dobson: "[Focus on the Family founder] Dr. James Dobson, America’s most influential evangelical leader, has expressed his opinion that Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Fred Thompson are not acceptable, based on their positions on various important conservative issues." 1
3., 4. Tony Perkins and Dr. Richard Land: "Bopp points out that Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention have also declared that Romney is an acceptable presidential choice for social conservatives." 1
5. Mark DeMoss: "Influential evangelical public relations executive Mark DeMoss has expressed similar views regarding Romney and Giuliani." "He said Giuliani 'clearly does not share our values on so many issues.'"* 1
6. Dr. Bob Jones: "Dr. Bob Jones III, chancellor and former president of Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., has also come out in support of Romney." "'I just believe that this man has the credentials both personally and ideologically in terms of his view about what American government should be to best represent the rank and file of conservative Americans,'" he said in a statement reported by the Greenville News." 1
7. Pastor Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Church, a megachurch located in Houston, Texas: "'Well, you know what? I look at people, their character, their values, what they stand for. And I know only Mitt from watching him on your program and reading a couple of articles about him. And I don't think that that would affect me. I've heard him say that he believes Jesus is his savior, just like I do. I've studied it deeply, and maybe people don't agree with me, but I like to look at a person's value and what they stand for.'"** 2
8. Dr. Wayne Grudem, an evangelical research professor of Bible and theology at the Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona; also a Townhall columnist: "'Romney’s positions on social, economic, and international issues are all soundly conservative. On major issues such as protection of the unborn, a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, strong national defense and victory against radical Islamic terrorists, securing our border, a signed pledge of no tax increases, promoting school choice, and appointment of Supreme Court justices who will interpret law, not make new law, Romney holds solidly conservative positions. His positions are the ones the majority of evangelicals have supported in the past.'"
"'Some people object that Romney has 'flip-flopped' on some of these positions. I think that accusation is exaggerated. He hasn’t flip-flopped back and forth, he has simply become more consistently conservative. I think that’s a good thing in a political and media climate that is more and more liberal. (In fact, Ronald Reagan also changed from signing a liberal abortion law as governor of California to being a consistently pro-life president.) Evangelicals have worked for decades to persuade people of the pro-life position, and Romney has been persuaded, and he is strongly on our side on this issue.'"
"'Here in the United States, God used not only Founding Fathers who were strong Christians, but also Deists such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, to build the foundation of our nation. Jefferson even became our third President in 1801, a demonstration of the wisdom of Article 6 of the Constitution, which says, 'no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.'"
"'The situation as it looks today: Apart from Romney, I don’t think there is any other solidly conservative candidate who can beat Giuliani in the primaries. As for McCain and Thompson, they are not reliably conservative. Among the 'second-tier' candidates, there are some good men with solid positions, but they have not generated much support. With the early primary schedule nearly upon us it isn’t reasonable to hope that one of them will suddenly 'take off.' There is not enough time now to build sufficient funding and a large enough support structure before January.'" 3
9. Dr. Don Wilton: "Dr. Don Wilton Is Senior Pastor At The First Baptist Church Of Spartanburg, South Carolina, And The Immediate Past President Of The South Carolina Baptist Convention." 4
"'I am proud to stand alongside Governor Romney as he pursues our nation's highest office. His values are my values – protecting the sanctity of human life, defending marriage and strengthening the family. We need someone in Washington who will stand up for traditional families and Governor Romney is that person,'" said Dr. Wilton. "'While we may not agree on theology, Governor Romney and I agree that this election is about our country heading in the right direction. Governor Romney is the best candidate to stand for conservative values in Washington.'" 4
10. Dr. John Willke: "Dr. John Willke, Often Referred To As The Father Of The Pro-Life Movement, Served For 10 Years As President Of The National Right To Life Committee And Helped Found The Organization. A physician by trade, Dr. Willke serves as President of the Life Issues Institute, Inc., and President of the International Right to Life Federation." 5
"'Unlike other candidates who only speak to the importance of confronting the major social issues of the day, Governor Romney has a record of action in defending life. Every decision he made as Governor was on the side of life. I know he will be the strong pro-life President we need in the White House,'" said Dr. Willke. "'Governor Romney is the only candidate who can lead our pro-life and pro-family conservative movement to victory in 2008.'" 5
1 Evangelicals Rally to Romney to Stop Giuliani
Monday, October 22, 2007 10:28 AM
By: Newsmax Staff
2 CNN -- Larry King Live
3 Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney
By Wayne Grudem
Thursday, October 18, 2007
4 Press Releases