honored and humbled I am to be standing with so many
patriot air in this room
1-12
and with so many heroes who have gathered to tell us their tale
of
1-16
courage our nation was founded with a bloody revolution and yet
with God's
1-24
providential blessing America prevent there was a
second revolution a
1-35
revolution more important than the revolution fought with guns
and may
1-41
announce the far more important revolution was the revolution of
ideas
1-46
for millennia man had been told that our rights come from kings
and queens handed
1-57
down like crumbs our country began with a fundamentally
different proposition
2-03
that our rights do not come from government they come from
Almighty God
2-15
there is a reason why in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
the
2-19
very first protection in the very first amendment of the Bill of
Rights is the
2-26
freedom of religion if we cannot worship God if we cannot live
according to our
2-32
faith in our dictates all other liberties fade away and you know
I have
2-38
to say these threats have been growing they had been growing for
decades but
2-43
never have the threats been greater to religious liberty than
they are right
2-48
now and here today so it is my hope that all of us gathered here
today all of the
2-54
home parties all of the churches that are watching
online that believers
2-58
across this country will come to know and love these ordinary
men and women
3-05
who are living their lives they didn't ask
for conflict they didn't ask for
3-09
confrontation and the government came after them and said shoes
between your
3-15
faith and obedience to government power and they said I file
follow a higher
3-20
power and that is gone all night
3-26
and so in telling these stories I want to start with one that
many of you know
3-31
are ready
3-32
chicken videoGuard
3-45
thank you for telling your store let me ask you why
did you first begin hosting
3-56
weddings in the church that the two of you we love
weddings business love to do
4-05
the flowers and we had a restaurant and we had everything all in
one location
4-12
beautiful event's when you first found out you were being
sued how did that
4-21
impact the 2003 holy bout was devastated I knew that the girls
house ever be the
4-30
same these two men who wanted to get married that there
there were other
4-33
facilities where they could do that is that correct
cars but they wanted it in
4-38
your church for you to celebrate their you let me ask you what a
cynic but a
4-50
skeptical person what a secular person might say which is why
didn't you just
4-55
get in why didn't you just agree to allow the same
sex wedding will be
5-01
celebrated in the house we could not celebrate us and we cannot
take part in
5-07
what we believe is this
5-12
for 18 months and then earlier this month you close the business
altogether
5-21
tell us about what that means to you to close this business
hosting weddings
5-26
that you loved so much
5-29
this was my passion this is our passion we had worked for
thirteen and a half
5-36
years to build this business
5-39
tell me about the public reaction we had a lot of supporters
and we we cherish
5-49
those interesting part about it is that many of those supporters
don't want to
5-54
support is publicly they didn't want to be seen supporting us
well and I know a
6-00
lot of ugliness and vitriol was directed at the two of you
because a hater and a
6-06
bigot just overnight you become something you don't
recognize yourself
6-13
sure tells us that God has ordered our steps and I will tell you
I'm convinced
6-21
you have gone down this journey you have endured the pain you've
endured the
6-28
attacks were the hatred precisely where you are here today for
such a time as
6-38
this
6-59
religious freedom now that is very disheartening I just did not
anticipate
7-07
that my career within the search terms
7-23
stage of the freedoms that we enjoy two years later to be told
that because I
7-33
hold you really gets to the fullness of God when you
stand up for his truth is
7-46
word my worst day
7-58
kids have seen that there's a real costs are serving
the Lord
8-08
why would I as a business owner want to bring this on my company
if anything I
8-14
would stay as far away from that is possible the very thing that
caused me
8-18
to get my job
8-19
ultimately has cost me my job
8-30
definitely understand freedom in a different way before
another world but
8-40
when it happens to you and it will happen to you when they come
to take
8-44
that away
8-45
takes on a whole new meaning
8-53
business
9-15
to our definition of freedom in the united states
of america is changing
9-27
right before I believe that those very freedoms at risk and our
beloved United
9-34
States of America today ladies and gentlemen please welcome
our heroes to
9-40
the stage
9-49
we have burgers florists shirt maker military man and
a fireman everyday
10-00
people these are not people that majored in culture war at the
seminary they're
10-05
not united states senators want to start with you
she cochran if I could given
10-10
all of the merit badges you've earned all the way
through life right you
10-14
clearly must have been derelict in your duty you must have done
something wrong
10-17
in your job to cause you to be fire except that wasn't the case
about three
10-23
and a half years ago I was conducting a min small group Bible
study at my church
10-27
called the quest for authentic manhood in the book that dealt
with sexual
10-31
challenges that Christian men have and spoke of biblical
marriage and Biblical
10-36
sexuality and that's what caused the trouble that led to
initially met
10-40
thirty-day suspension without pay and subsequent termination
from employment
10-44
with the city of Atlanta nothing wrong with his record at all to
the point that
10-51
he is appointed to one of the highest post you can
be as a fireman he's
10-55
working literally for the president of the united states and for
expressing his
11-01
christian viewpoint in print in his own private time his
own private time you
11-10
lose everything else that's me bring you into the conversation
next it's just
11-16
flowers especially because you've sold them to this client so
many times what's
11-22
what's different about this time in men and women when Rob came
in and asked me
11-32
to talk about his witty and I put my hands
on his and i said im sorry I
can't
11-38
do your wedding because of my relationship with Jesus Christ as
much
11-42
as I love her off I couldn't sell it reaches witty he asked her
the one thing
11-47
from her and she could not provide another story here in our
panel that I
11-53
know a lot of you are familiar with Aaron Melissa Klein Melissa
want you to
11-57
share with the audience what it was like interacting with fellow
believers and
12-02
the support that you got
12-03
from the community or in some cases to support that you did not
get we've had a
12-07
lot of emails saying you know we support you we are praying for
you we had lots
12-14
of people that would come in and they do like you know we're
just so proud of you
12-18
guys are so glad you know that you're standing up for your faith
and then
12-22
they'd want to order stuff we want to support you and then I'd
go to put
12-26
always put my sticker on the box since we kicked by Morrison it
was black
12-31
sticker with no panic writing and at some point ladies and
gentlemen we're
12-44
going to make a decision
12-45
whom do we fear more than one they can take the jobs away or
destroyed the body
12-50
or the one who can destroy the body and cast the sole into Hell
whom do we share
13-00
conversation because you're the person on this panel who has 14
anybody that
13-10
was our main message didn't matter what their belief system was
or who they were
13-15
it was really the message that if someone presents a message to
me that
13-18
conflicts with my beliefs which contradicts with the Word of God
for me
13-24
it's just that's the line which is something that I can't print
in the
13-27
judge I think he got it right because he looked at the history
of our company and
13-31
we had rejected messages from different groups across the
board
13-35
conflicted with my faith this isn't about discrimination this is
about
13-39
whether someone anyone regardless of what they may be doing in
their private
13-43
lives or whether they go to church or not can walk into your
place of business
13-46
or in your home your private property or intellectual property
and demanded you
13-51
do things with it that violate your conscience bringing sergeant
monkeys we
13-55
conclude our conversation here this evening you are willing to
lay down your
13-59
life for the people that disagree with you right from the start
you called me
14-05
today and I would drop everything and I will go anywhere this
country needs me
14-10
and I'll put my life down for you whether your gate straight
young or old
14-16
we will do that
14-26
military right now you can not come back from a deployment open
lesbian commander
14-43
she wants me back into a corner once to know my views on
marriage I will tell
14-56
you this AM backed into a corner between a major on my Maker I
know where I'm
15-03
going
15-14
10 plus years we've been fighting overseas the real war
for america was
15-20
happening right you I would just encourage you all just you know
stan
15-27
forgotten be strong because you will see him moving your life
like you've never
15-31
seen him before so if we lose our freedoms you lose your freedom
it's time
15-40
to stand and fight to choose between living out their faith in
keeping their
15-51
job but if you ever faced with the choice of living out your
faith are
15-57
keeping your job living out your faith is always the right
choice
16-01
directly to the youth to the kids there in this room don't ever
substitute for
16-12
truth they have to go together love in truth go together so
speak truth and
16-17
love and don't give up on their ladies and gentlemen tonight's
heroes give them
16-23
a round of applause
16-33
this campaign it is our first freedom all our other freedoms
derive from this
16-44
we can't have god-given rights if we can have our God now there
is someone in
16-52
this audience at the highest levels of government and two of our
three branches
16-58
is already shown he will fight for these rights ladies and
gentlemen senator Ted
17-03
Cruz
17-13
across this country
17-21
listen to those stories these heroes have boldly resisted the
state
17-28
encroaching on their first amendment rights they have fought
back against the
17-34
washington elites war on faith you listen to these
incredible Braves
17-43
stories up here and you wonder is the next victim of persecution
your pastor
17-47
standing at the pulpit on Sunday morning is it the grade school
that your little
17-52
girls go to is it the charity where you volunteer your time and
a crisis
18-00
pregnancy center we have descended from an attack on life to
marriage and now
18-08
her marriage to religious liberty we gather today here in the
heartland of
18-13
America to take a stand against religious bigotry and
intolerance and
18-21
for those brave heroes who have lost their livelihood and their
positions of
18-27
Honor I standing for faith this rally is a chance to stand for
freedom and for
18-37
the idea that rights don't come from black-robed lawyers or from
politicians
18-41
in Washington they come from God
18-49
it is this understanding it is this revelation that has made
America an
18-54
exceptional nation and indeed the exceptional nation in the
history of the
18-59
world in this country right now they're roughly 90 million
evangelical
19-10
Christians in the last election fifty-four million evangelical
stayed
19-17
home
19-17
54 million you wonder why we have a federal government that
comes after our
19-26
free speech rights that comes after a religious liberty that
comes after light
19-30
that comes after marriage that comes after our values it is
because 54
19-35
million evangelical Christian stayed home while I'm here to tell
you we will
19-40
stay home no longer
19-55
we will not be silent we will not take court rulings as a
mandate to forget our
20-02
faith while Washington elites tried to force their values upon
us
20-14
and I give you my solemn word if I'm elected president on my
first day in
20-22
office I will instruct the Department of Justice and the IRS and
every federal
20-29
agency in washington that the persecution of religious
liberty and
20-35
today
20-45
a nation willing to subject itself to the tyranny of man
standard is not
20-54
worthy to be called a free nation as horrific as the persecution
is growing
21-02
here at home
21-02
Christians across the globe are facing torture and murder are
facing
21-11
imprisonment and what I'd like to do now is recognized one more
hero wife a
21-19
pastorPastor Saeed Abedini view here know the
story a passenger
21-29
side is an American citizen and his wife two beautiful children
pastor side
21-38
travel to around and was sentenced to eight years in prison for
the crime of
21-47
preaching the gospel tell us about pesticide
21-52
heart-breaking misses embrace over three year he won't
back down on his faith in
22-00
Jesus Christ he's been tortured and beaten it was news from
prison to prison
22-05
because he's not only not tonight has faith that he's shared his
face with it
22-11
was in prison
22-17
how is his health holding up how is he doing he's not doing very
well I wish I
22-23
could say he was one of the worst person in the world of
beatings he endured the
22-30
first month was horrible he was put in solitary he's been put in
and out of
22-35
solitary three or four times now and they've never treated it
doctor says
22-41
that he needs surgery and he's he's he was hospitalized last
year but Iranian
22-48
government refuses to treat him in part of their tortures to
allow him to suffer
22-53
in his pain someone shared up here that when their test faith
was tested
22-59
actually grew stronger that's how I feel my face with God that
actually when I
23-05
hit rock bottom I discover crisis in a more intimate way and
found him you know
23-10
why I could never question God's goodness of actually discovered
it every
23-14
one of us here we are lifting you up in prayer we are standing
with you
23-28
I'd like to say something very very clearly President Obama
bring pastor
23-40
side home
23-53
heroes to come back to the stage and I want to close this
portion of the
24-02
program and prayer and let me say to the folks who are at home
to the folks who
24-08
are watching online stream to the folks who are watching in-home
groups are
24-12
church groups I would encourage you to please come sign our
national petition
24-19
in defense of religious liberty at set-piece after website Ted
Cruz dot org
24-24
Ted Cruz . or or you can text the word liberty to the
number for 1444 father
24-36
God we come to you today on our knees celebrating your glory
celebrating the
24-47
courage and face of these heroes and father God we come here
today claiming
24-54
the promises a prescription Jesus told us bless it are those who
are persecuted
25-05
for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven we
claim that promise
25-13
tonight father God Galatians 6.2 tells us bear one another's
burdens and so
25-21
fulfill the law of Christ these heroes
25-27
I'm not standing alone there standing
25-32
surrounded by hedges of protection with prayer warriors and
intercessors in this
25-40
room across the state across this nation across the world
25-46
the body of Christ to standing together and we thank you for
this great nation
25-51
in which we live with the religious right
25-54
liberty that each of us is guaranteed under our constitution and
we pray that
25-59
you awaken the body of Christ across this nation that believers
and lovers of
26-04
liberty that we stand together to reclaim this nation we thank
you and we
26-14
pray in Jesus name