Rafael Cruz, a pastor who's also the father of Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican presidential hopeful, said during a rally outside the Tennessee Capitol the "devil" has gone too far with same-sex marriage, and Christians are now likely to rouse themselves and fight.
"The devil overplayed his hand" the elder Cruz said, referring to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on "gay" marriage, the Associated Press reported.
And now, Christians are likely to band together and battle for a legal return to traditional marriage, he said.
"We've been silent too long," he said, AP reported. "Religious persecution ends in January 2017."
Cruz made the remarks during a rally of support for Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who spent five days in jail after refusing a judge's order to issue wedding certificates to gay couples.
"What we saw in Kentucky with Kim Davis is tyranny," Cruz said.
Dozens of Tennessee legislators were at this same event, with some promising to introduce a bill to defend the state Constitution's definition of marriage as between a man and woman.