The Texas governor, whose biggest national moment yet may come at a prayer gathering in Houston next month, has described his political career as a religious calling, according to the Houston Chronicle:


Gov. Rick Perry in late May told a group of East Texas business leaders that he was "called to the ministry" at age 27, suggested that the governor's office was his pulpit and that God put him "in this place at this time to do his will."

According to a transcript of the private meeting, organized to raise funds for Perry's Aug. 6 "day of prayer and fasting" at Reliant Stadium, the governor stated that property rights, government regulation and a "legal system that's run amok" were threatening the American way of life and "it's time to just hand it over to God and say 'God, you're gonna have to fix this.' "

Perry spokesman Mark Miner could not verify an Internet transcript of the remarks, but said it contained nothing inconsistent with the governor's belief that "every Christian is called into ministry" whether serving as a church leader or in the workplace, and that "God provides opportunity throughout peoples' lives to do his will." Eric Bearse, a spokesman for "the Response," confirmed the meeting was a fundraiser for the Houston prayer event.