Senator and politically incorrect pastor address liberty rally and take on Planned Parenthood, LGBT rights and anything against conservative ideals

With the crowd frothed into a frenzy of righteous choler against the erosion of religious freedom and American exceptionalism by craven liberal politicians and their media lackeys, Ted Cruz summoned a star name to round off the rally: his father.

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Rafael Cruz’s week began badly, with an extensive New York Times report claiming he exaggerated stories about fighting for liberty in the Cuban resistance in the 1950s.

It ended with rapturous applause from an audience of conservative Christians during and after a brief speech-cum-sermon in which the 76-year-old urged his fellow pastors to see the US supreme court’s legalisation of same-sex marriage as an opportunity to inspire passive evangelicals into political action.

“Let me tell you, I am so encouraged because I think the decision of 26 June has acted as a catalyst to wake up the sleeping giant,” he said, pacing left and right along centre stage as he addressed about 2,500 people. “Yes, there are more of us than there are of them; the problem is that the ‘us’ have been asleep at the wheel.

“Prayer is only half the equation,” he said, citing a reference to “ambassadors for Christ” in 2 Corinthians. “That means we’re God’s representatives here on Earth, we’re God’s hands, we’re God’s feet, we’re God’s mouthpiece.”

The elder Cruz is also an energetic proponent of his son’s political ambitions, whether speaking at his side, as at Saturday’s Rally for Religious Liberty, or on his own, often to church groups in key states such as Iowa, scene of the first Republican presidential caucus in February.

On another campaign, in another election cycle, Rafael Cruz might be more millstone than asset. But the crowd at Bob Jones University did not seem to care for the journalism of the New York Times, or that Cruz senior has recently said that LGBT activists will try to “legalise pedophilia”, that it is “appalling” that Houston has a gay mayor, and that he has opined that President Obama is an “outright Marxist” who should go “back to Kenya”.

A plain-speaking, politically incorrect pastor with a powerful personal tale who happens to be his father is a handy weapon for a White House hopeful trying to woo evangelicals who feel besieged and belittled by cultural change. In this context, Rafael’s freewheeling candour is a useful complement to Ted’s controlled and calculated self-portrayal as the anti-politics politician.

And Rafael, as a once troubled immigrant who found religion – at least the way the family tells it – embodies two irresistible themes: the American dream and the grace of God.

It is a blessing to be the child of an immigrant who fled oppression … it lets you know how precious our liberties are Ted Cruz on his father, Rafael

Beneath “Ted Cruz 2016” banners that were virtually the only references to his campaign, the candidate opened with moments of silence and prayer in honour of those who died in the Paris attacks on Friday, citing the assaults as evidence of Christianity under siege on an afternoon that pivoted from the butchers of Isis to the bakers who refuse to make cakes for gay weddings.

Later on Saturday, he spoke for nearly an hour, lambasting Planned Parenthood and the liberal media to cheers and standing ovations, then segueing into his father’s story.

“Fifty-eight years ago my dad fled Cuba. He’d been imprisoned, he’d been tortured, they’d broken his nose and shattered his teeth,” he said.

“It is an incredible blessing to be the child of an immigrant who fled oppression because it lets you know how precious, how valuable, our liberties are.”

Then came the call and Rafael appeared in the spotlight like a baseball closer charging on to the diamond from the bullpen.

Like Iowa, South Carolina is an important early voting state replete with conservative Christians. The venue was notable: Bob Jones University only dropped its ban on interracial dating in 2000 after intense national scrutiny following a visit from then presidential candidate George W Bush.

Its current student handbook calls homosexuality a “sexual perversion” and says that “on and off campus, physical contact between unmarried men and women is not allowed” and that men and women should not be alone together in classrooms.

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Students must not watch films on campus and are forbidden from going to cinemas during term time. Nor may they play video games rated as suitable for those aged over 10, watch TV programmes rated beyond PG or read potentially “ungodly” periodicals including Esquire, People, Men’s Fitness and ESPN the Magazine. The university’s internet network uses a filter to “restrict access to Biblically offensive material”.

Women must wear “modest” clothes; male first- and second-year students must shave every day. Everyone is asked not to dye their hair or shop at Abercrombie & Fitch. Also, “because of the sensual nature of many of its forms, dancing is not permitted”.

After the dating policy controversy, the institution was out of favour as a presidential campaign stop for years. But one of Cruz’s rivals, Ben Carson, also addressed a crowd at a town hall meeting on its campus on Friday. He attracted about twice as many people as Cruz, who held another “religious liberty” rally in Iowa in August.

Cruz asserted that 54 million evangelicals did not vote in the 2012 election and that persuading 10 million of them to cast ballots in next year’s general election could make a vital difference. In his effort to win the GOP nomination, Cruz is assiduously courting influential Christian conservatives, from well-known figures and ordinary people embroiled in causes célèbres who joined him on stage to local influencers. He said that his campaign wants to build a coalition of pastors in all 46 South Carolina counties.

Norman Kayton had travelled more than 150 miles from Georgia with his wife and friends to see Cruz.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘I’m Jewish but I see him as being a very inclusive kind of person that could really unite this country,’ said Norman Kayton, with his wife, Ellen. Photograph: Tom Dart/The Guardian

“I was more of a Marco Rubio fan before I came here,” the retiree said, a red “Cruz 2016” sticker on his jacket. “I haven’t seen Marco Rubio up close and personal like this but I love the moral leadership this man’s providing. He could change the course of this country in a very positive direction.

“I’m Jewish but I see him as being a very inclusive kind of person that could really unite this country.”

He was also impressed by Rafael Cruz: “I grew up with a lot of Cubans in Miami. I love the Cuban people. I love their story and his especially. He came from nothing.

“My father came from Poland that way with nothing, I can relate to it, and the fact that he’s offered so much great guidance to his children tells us a lot about his morals.”

Malcolm Evans and his friend Al Ellison, both retired, agreed.

“I think it’s a wonderful heritage,” Evans said. After seeing Carson the day before, he planned to pray for guidance about who to support. In a year in which same-sex marriage was just one of several signs that religion is under attack, he said, the election will be vital to America’s future.

“Otherwise we’re going to see a lot of judgment from God.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Malcolm Evans, right, with friend Al Ellison, says he plans to pray on whether to support Ted Cruz or Ben Carson. Photograph: Tom Dart/The Guardian

The Cruz campaign’s high-stakes calculation is that there are plenty of others who agree with the son’s policies and like his father’s story and style – and that their religious values will dictate their political decisions.

“America is a centre-right nation built on Judeo-Christian values. It’s who we were in 1776 and it’s who we are today,” Ted Cruz said, reassuring his audience they are not outmoded extremists but part of a marginalised majority.

Rafael Cruz ended his address with a prophecy that evoked the Great Awakening.

“What happened in the 1700s was a dual revival, spiritual and political revival all tied into one, and I believe that’s what’s going to happen in America again,” he said. “To God be the glory!”