Ted Cruz and Bobby Jindal are about to "Meet the Pastors."
The influential David Lane has done it yet again, pulling together a big event in Iowa where the two soon-to-be presidential candidates will speak in front of a couple hundred pastors next week. More below from The Des Moines Register.
White House aspirants Ted Cruz and Bobby Jindal, both born-again Christians, will speak to about 200 Iowa pastors and their spouses next week, organizers told The Des Moines Register.
And Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, will accompany evangelical conservative pastors from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada on an all-expenses paid journey to Israel in July, his aides confirmed to the Register Tuesday. Those four states are the big players in the presidential selection process with coveted spots at the front of the nomination voting calendar.
On Monday, Cruzand Jindal will be the keynote guests at a two-day, invitation-only "pastors and pews" event in Des Moines organized by the American Renewal Project, a group that seeks to mobilize Christian conservatives to become influencers in presidential elections and other civic matters and to run for public office themselves.
Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, will give remarks at the event’s lunch session. Monday's dinner session will feature Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, and California-based conservative radio talk show host Dennis Prager. Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds keynotes Tuesday's breakfast at the event, which will take place at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines.
Cruz is already scheduled to be in Des Moines this weekend for a big political gathering called the Iowa Agriculture Summit. Jindal won't be at the ag summit, nor was he at Iowa's last GOP two multi-contender forum, the Iowa Freedom Summit. He had already committed to an all-day prayer rally in Louisiana that day in January.
The American Renewal Project, founded by evangelical Christian activist David Lane, has been working in Iowa, South Carolina and other politically influential states for several years. The group pays for hotel and meal expenses for guests invited to the "pastors and pews" events, officially billed as "Rediscovering God in America" pastors policy briefings.
Hey mainstream media: you better pay attention to these events. These spiritual events are authentic as can be and here's some straight talk for the media as well: don't think that Cruz, Jindal, and others do these events for political purposes. They are both authentic Christians who believe every word of what they say when they talk to these pastors. They are NOT ashamed of the Gospel.
Will there be some political benefit? Well, of course but their heart is in the right place. And after all, God looks at the heart.