LaHaye said a person’s philosophy defines who they are and the decisions will make. As the U.S. is embroiled in debates about issues that could have a significant impact on the social and economic structure of the country, LaHaye said it is time for pastors to spur their congregations on to have a voice in shaping the culture.

Speaking to nearly 500 people at the luncheon, LaHaye said, “It’s people like you and me that made a difference in this country.”

He said it was ministers like those of the Presbyterian Church, whose influence King George referred to as the Presbyterian War, who added fuel to the fire in the drive for independence from England. That influence extended to the creation of the American Republic and its founding documents.

It is that kind of sway today’s ministers must have on the culture in order to stem the tide of humanistic influences in America, LaHaye argued. Urging church members to be civic-minded by voting for principled leaders could have a considerable impact, and, he added, those principles include “voting for people who are opposed to murdering the unborn.”

LaHaye said people of principle include those like the pastors of California who disregarded charges of homophobia and hate-mongering to speak out in support of Proposition 8 defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

LaHaye said, “Being so silent you don’t say anything controversial is passé.” Standing firm on the Word of God is essential in fulfilling this mandate, he said. Do not be tempted to give in to novel ideas or reinterpretations of Scripture because “the wisdom of man is foolishness.”

“The ministers of America are the future of America,” LaHaye told the audience. He continued to say the primary call of believers is to share the gospel of salvation but he fears for the future of that privilege in America if humanist and socialist ideas gain sway.

LaHaye was one of seven people who signed the Moral Majority into existence in 1979. Of those seven, only LaHaye and Charles Stanley are still alive. He said it is time for a new resurgence of Christian influence in America.