WINTER PARK, Fla. -- Hundreds of Christian conservatives convened here Friday
for The Awakening, a two-day combination of strategy session,
prayer meeting and Tea Party
reunion aimed at jump-starting a religious revival they say will defeat the
"secular, socialist" White House incumbent, Barack Obama.
Even if that means electing "the lesser of two evils," as many here referred
to Mitt Romney. That's how Angelica Garnica, 33, of Orlando, described the
choice in November. Wearing a "Change It Back 2012" T-shirt, the publishing
company manager said Romney is "the only option we have," even if he "is not as
conservative as we would like."
Friday's gathering opened in the cavernous sanctuary of Calvary Assembly, a
mega-church in suburban Orlando that looks more like a convention center than a
house of worship. It included fiery preaching, the lifting of hands in worship
and a chorus of "amens" with a heavy Spanish accent showing conservatives'
concern at losing their huge and important voting bloc in this year's election.
A large, orange cross was lighted on the stage as people rose and sang
hallelujah with arms raised and eyes closed.
Though billed as a "federation of multi-racial, multi-ethnic and
multi-generational faith-based and policy organizations," the crowd was mostly
white. Still, here in Florida, a battleground state where more than one in five
are Hispanic, the focus on opening night was on a key demographic that
polls show leans strongly toward Obama. A panel of Hispanic
pastors talked about the need to unite Christian minorities and whites on the
basis of shared conservative values that include opposing abortion and gay
marriage and showing compassion to immigrants.
The meat of The Awakening comes Saturday in breakout sessions on hot-button
political issues. Among them: "winning the battle and messaging the masses"
against gay rights, "families under attack" from pornography and sexual
promiscuity, and panel discussions on abortion, immigration, Israel and women.
And there will be political hands-on sessions titled, "Pastors, Churches and
Political Activity: Re-energizing the Pulpit" and "Utilizing
C3s, C4s and PAC," references to the IRS codes that define
social and political
fundraising groups.
Scheduled speakers include Republican Florida congressmen Allen West and Jon
Mica. Also scheduled are Lou Engle, the controversial Kansas City evangelical
leader of The Call Ministries who has
praised Uganda for "courage" in pushing the death penalty for
gays who have AIDS or engage in homosexual sex, as well as Frank Gaffney, the
neo-conservative defense analyst whose Center for Security Policy is bankrolled
by Israel settlement supporter
Irving Moskowitz. Gaffney in 2008 said Obama sought "the
Jihadist vote."
Not showing up in person, despite weeks of being advertised: Republican
presidential contender Newt Gingrich and ex-candidate Herman Cain. Republican
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whose appearance was heavily promoted, appeared
from Washington by video. Rubio said earlier this week he has
no interest in being Romney's running mate.
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