The Washington Times today profiled David Lane, the far-right extremist who is working with the Republican National Committee to mobilize conservatives come Election Day, and trains pastors to get “involved in the ‘dirty’ game of politics.”
These trainings, part of Lane’s effort to recruit 1,000 pastors to run for office, have particularly popped up in early primary states, with one speaker, Bruce Waltke, urging “the righteous” in attendance to “defend against the wicked by vigilant and spiritual warfare.”
Presidential candidates such as Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee, the conservative outlet notes, recently joined Lane’s training sessions or are scheduled to do so (Rand Paul and Rick Perry have also made appearances at Lane’s events).
“Fighting back tears, Mr. Lane prayed for mercy over the 55 million babies that have been aborted since Rove v. Wade, the mounting national debt, the growing acceptance of homosexuality and fears of Islamic terrorism,” the article continued, while adding that Lane criticized Caitlyn Jenner’s “perverse” gender transition as a “mark of a decadent society.”
“We are mobilizing an army,” David Lane, founder of American Renewal, told The Washington Times on the sidelines of the training session, which he named after a biblical tribe of Israel that produced wise leaders.
During the six-hour session, Bruce Watke [sic], author of “Proverbs and Politics: The Biblical Foundation for Righteous Governing,” told the rapt attendees that there has been a misunderstanding of the separation of church and state in politics. He used parables to outline the need for Christians to be involved in the “dirty” game of politics.
“The righteous must defend society against the wicked by vigilant and spiritual warfare. If Christians don’t fight, the wicked will plunder their heritage,” Mr. Watke [sic] said. “With hard work, the wise will prevail over the evil as surely as oil protects iron from rust, as cedar wood protects cloth from moths and salt preserves meat from maggots.”
Dave Hageman and Steve Michael, the young political masterminds behind the American Renewal Project’s $2 million ground game in last year’s U.S. Senate races that helped turn out low-propensity evangelical Christian voters, shared a beginner’s guide on running for office, outlined the mechanics of campaign operations and provided some insight into messaging.
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In response to a question about Bruce Jenner, he said he feels sorry for the former Olympic athlete, who now goes by the name Caitlyn, whom he argued needs prayer. He shook his head at the attention the “liberal” media have given to his “perverse” behavior.
“The mark of a decadent society is the exaltation and normalization of sin,” he said. “That is what they are doing.”
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Fighting back tears, Mr. Lane prayed for mercy over the 55 million babies that have been aborted since Rove v. Wade, the mounting national debt, the growing acceptance of homosexuality and fears of Islamic terrorism.
Some of the big names in Republican Party politics have taken notice. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a declared presidential candidate, attended the second training in Oklahoma, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is expected to enter the presidential race June 24, addressed a training session in Baton Rouge and last week’s session in South Carolina.
Mr. Huckabee is scheduled to appear at the next training session July 10 in Orlando, Florida. Close to 100 pastors have signed up for the event.
