TNPN’s ‘Stand in the Gap for Truth’ Rally on Constitution Day
Will Address Pressing Issues for Tennesseans and All Americans
Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz spoke passionately at a religious freedom rally in Iowa last month that drew more than 3,000 who were concerned about protecting First Amendment rights across the nation.
Now, the Tennessee Pastors Network (TNPN, www.tnpastors.net) is calling for an even greater gathering at its “Stand in the Gap for Truth” Rally on Sept. 17 in Nashville, where the senator’s father, Rafael Cruz, will be a featured speaker on religious freedoms—especially pressing as Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was ordered to jail last week for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, citing her religious convictions.
“Especially in the wake of the ordered jail time for Kim Davis, Tennesseans must stand up now more than ever for the religious freedoms for all,” said TNPN President Dale Walker. “The Tennessee Pastors Network will address issues that are crucial to Tennesseans and equip them to defend their own religious freedom at this rally, and additionally, the annual TNPN dinner and conference that evening for pastors and church leaders will empower and motivate clergy to stand for truth. These crucial events will aptly fall on Constitution Day. We’re preparing for multitudes to be present at what will be a historic gathering.”
Starting at 11 a.m. on Sept. 17, the rally will take place at the Legislative Plaza, 301 6th Ave N in Nashville. Pastors from across Tennessee who are part of TNPN will partner with state legislators to host the event that will engage Tennesseans to address the most talked-about issues of the day such as shifting marriage and family foundations, an unworkable immigration system, weak terrorism laws, failing education, nationalized health care, lack of religious freedom protections and the blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Rafael Cruz is a powerful example of the American dream. Born in Cuba, he lived and suffered under a cruel and oppressive dictator, began fighting against the regime as a teenager, and was imprisoned and tortured for his role in that fight.
He arrived in Texas on a student visa in 1957 with nothing but the clothes on his back and $100. Cruz landed a job as a dishwasher, making 50 cents an hour, and worked his way through the University of Texas, while learning English, and later built a small business.
Concerned with the negative impact of policies affecting the country, Cruz became engaged in conservative politics as a grassroots activist during the 1980 presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan.
While Cruz was raising his son in Houston, he would ask Ted, “When we faced oppression in Cuba, I had a place to flee to. If we lose our freedom here, where do we go?”
Today, Rafael Cruz is an ordained minister, sharing the Word of God in churches and at pastors’ conferences throughout the country, and is also president of Kingdom Translation Services. As he travels the country sharing his story and speaking on the biblical foundations of our nation, it is Cruz’s passion to encourage Christians in what can be done to return our nation to the principles that made America exceptional.
“Our upcoming rally is in direct response to many months of radical judicial and political decisions that have eliminated states’ rights and stripped Americans of their religious freedoms,” added TNPN Vice President Ben Graham. “The ‘Stand in the Gap for Truth’ event, with passionate speakers such as Rafael Cruz and others, will give Tennesseans a voice and equip them to call for change, which is desperately needed in our country.”
Following the “Stand in the Gap for Truth” Rally on Sept. 17 will be the Tennessee Pastors Network annual gathering, with dinner at 5 p.m. at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 621 Hartsville Pike in Lebanon, Tenn. (space is limited and registration is necessary; information is available at www.tnpastors.net/events or by emailing patriotpastorstn@gmail.com). The conference, which is free on a first-come basis, will begin at 7 p.m. at the church, and rally speakers will be present to give an in-depth account of what Tennesseans can do to protect and speak up for the Volunteer State.
Other top-name speakers at the rally will include:
- E.W. Jackson, president and founder of STAND (Staying True to America’s National Destiny), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Judeo-Christian values and bringing Americans together across racial and cultural lines. He is also the 2013 Republican Nominee for Lt. Governor of Virginia. After service with the U.S. Marines, Jackson was ordained a pastor in 1979 and consecrated a bishop in 1998. He is the author of “Ten Commandments to an Extraordinary Life” and is a senior fellow with the Family Research Council.
- Dr. Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and past president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s official entity assigned to address social, moral and ethical concerns. In 2005, Land was named as one of Time Magazine’s “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America.” He was the 2013 Watchman Award recipient from the Family Research Council for his leadership on moral and cultural issues. In 2014, he was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow of the ERLC’s Research Institute, and in 2015, was in the top 15 of Newsmax’s “Top 100 Christian Leaders in America.”
- Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), who serves District 47, in Coffee and part of Warren counties. He is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Army and the Tennessee Army National Guard and an eight-year veteran of state and local law enforcement. Matheny is a member of the House Health Committee, the House Insurance and Banking Committee and the House Health Subcommittee. He is chairman of the Coffee County Republican Party and a past chairman of the Davidson County Crimestoppers, as well as a member of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, National Rifle Association, Master Mason and Tullahoma Rotary.
- Sam Rohrer, former longtime legislator and president of the American Pastors Network (APN, www.americanpastorsnetwork.net
). The former candidate for Pennsylvania governor and U.S. Senate is the host of several APN radio programs, “Stand in the Gap Minute,” “Stand in the Gap Today” and “Stand in the Gap Weekend,” which are collectively heard on hundreds of stations throughout the country. APN is uniquely providing the structure and encouragement for pastors to speak biblical truth with a united voice into family, the church and civil government.
TNPN is a state chapter of APN, the largest national network dedicated to equipping pastors to be a voice for truth in the public square. For more information on the rally or the conference, visit www.tnpastors.net.
TNPN and APN offer pastors numerous online resources that help clergy choose sermon topics and find information for other church ministries. With some free and some paid resources, topics include abortion, apologetics, creation, the culture war, economics, education, the environment, history, homosexuality, Islam and marriage, along with many others.
The Tennessee Pastors Network encourages pastors to bring together biblical and constitutional principles in their sermons and provides resources to pastors throughout the state. For more information on TNPN, visit its Facebook page or call (931) 267-0816.
TNPN is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues, examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in the political process on a non-partisan basis.
The American Pastors Network is the largest, national network of pastors who believe in the authority of scripture; who boldly preach the whole counsel of God with a disciplined application of a biblical worldview to public policy; who are building a permanent infrastructure of biblically faithful pastors and lay leaders; and who are mobilizing congregations to participate in the political process on a non-partisan basis. For more information on APN, visit www.americanpastorsnetwork.net
The American Pastors Network is a Ministry Program Affiliate of Capstone Legacy Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian Public Community Foundation registered nationwide). APN’s daily short radio feature, “Stand in the Gap,” airs on more than 40 stations, and the American Family Radio Network airs the one-hour “Stand in the Gap Weekend” on 140 additional stations nationwide. A live one-hour program launched in 2015, “Stand in the Gap Today,” airs on several Pennsylvania radio stations.
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To interview Dale Walker from the Tennessee Pastors Network or a representative of the American Pastors Network, contact Deborah Hamilton at 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096, ext. 102, or Beth Harrison at 610-584-1096, ext. 104, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com.