Below please find the full statement of support from Rev. Preus:
“My name is Rev. John Preus. I am the pastor of Trinity Lutheran
Church in Clinton, Iowa. We are a conservative congregation, and
I am
a conservative pastor. Our doctrine has not morphed over time,
and
neither have our positions on issues of morality with which our country
and culture are currently wrestling. As a pastor, it is not my
job to
endorse political candidates, and so I won't. It's my job to
preach
the word of God, and I do.
“But as an American and as a Christian, it is my job to support and
promote good government and faithful rulers. What a delight for
me it
has been to find a candidate like Ron Paul. He is a true blue
Republican who consistently articulates conservative stances on every
issue he faces.
“Some have suggested that perhaps he is weak on such issues as
homosexual marriage, or a federal amendment against abortion. But
this
is not so. Ron Paul
has not hidden his convictions that support life at conception and
fidelity between man and woman within marriage. He is quite open
about
what he believes. But he also understands, as I do, that if this
nation of ours will see a moral and political reversal, it must happen
in our families and communities, and not be dictated from the top of
some bureaucracy.
“It is our job as conservatives and as
Americans to effect such change, but we need the freedom to do
so. It
is, therefore, the job of our President to abide by our Constitution
and to defend our liberties so that such change can be effected by
those in a position to do so. That is why I support Ron Paul
for President proudly and with a clear conscience, knowing that if this
great land is to be restored to her first principles of Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness, the rule of law must be firmly
upheld.
Ron Paul will do this.”
Ron Paul
2012 Iowa Chairman Drew Ivers welcomed the endorsement, saying, “Rev.
Preus’s endorsement and those of others adds to an atmosphere conducive
to a strong top-three showing in the January caucuses.”
In
making the endorsement, Rev. Preus mentioned that he was not speaking
on behalf of Trinity Lutheran congregants, but rather he was doing so
“as an American, and as a Christian.”
Mike Heath, Iowa State Director for the Ron Paul 2012 campaign, is
visiting Christian churches across Iowa to do outreach and discuss Ron
Paul’s
candidacy. To date, Heath has visited 256 houses of worship
across the
state toward that end. Heath is an ordained Christian minister.
If ministering in Iowa, local pastors interested in discussing an
endorsement are invited to email the Iowa Director of Voter Outreach,
Meghann Walker, at
meghannw@ronpaul2012.com.