During a Fourth of July celebration at the Rock Springs Church in Milner, Georgia, Ted Cruz lambasted the Supreme Court for its recent ruling on marriage equality.

Cruz hoped, however, that the court’s decision would prompt a massive backlash, in remarks posted by the conservative website Red Kudzu: “It is my hope that that marriage decision serves as a spark to start a fire that becomes a raging inferno and an awakening that sweeps this country as the body of Christ rise up to defend the values that have built America into this great nation that we are.”

He also noted that many Republican politicians responded to the decision by “publicly issuing critical statements and privately going in the backroom popping champagne and celebrating.”