Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., son of the
late televangelist, endorsed Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump,
a move that will likely dismay GOP rival Ted Cruz, a Southern Baptist who is
banking on evangelical votes.
“He is a successful executive and entrepreneur, a wonderful
father and a man who I believe can lead our country to greatness again,”
Falwell said in the statement released Tuesday (Jan. 26).
The news follows an unofficial Trump endorsement Saturday
(Jan. 23) from
an influential evangelical pastor from Cruz’s home state.
Robert Jeffress, who leads First Baptist Dallas, has been
introducing Trump on the stump. As a pastor, Jeffress cannot officially endorse
any candidate and maintain his church’s tax-exempt status.
But he added: “I want you to know I would not be here this morning if I
were not absolutely convinced that Donald Trump would make a great president of
the United States. … Most Americans know we are in a mess, and as they look at
Donald Trump they believe he is the one leader who can reverse the downward
death spiral of this nation we love so dearly.”
The endorsements come in time for the Iowa caucuses Monday (Feb.
1), the first major test of candidates with voters.
Trump called Falwell’s endorsement “powerful” and praised
Falwell as “a high-quality person.”
Falwell gave Trump a particularly warm introduction last
week at Liberty, which has hosted several presidential candidates, including
Democrat Bernie Sanders, in past months. Cruz had kicked off his campaign at
the Lynchburg, Va., campus.
The brash Trump, a Presbyterian not known for his
spirituality, has been trying to burnish his religious credentials lately.
On Sunday (Jan. 24), he attended a Presbyterian service and
heard a sermon about humility.
Source: Christian Headlines
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