There are those who say the pulpit and politics shouldn’t mix, but that opinion didn’t appear to predominate at Thursday’s Tea Party Rally at the Howard County Courthouse.

Intermixed with prayers for the nation were speeches declaiming the growth of big government. Alongside signs blasting the U.S. House for passing the “cap and trade” legislation were signs urging the nation’s leaders to accept God’s leadership.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” retired Chrysler worker and chaplain Dale Rogers prayed during the invocation, reciting 2 Corinthians 7:14.

Among the 300 to 400 people at the rally, those words struck an obvious chord.

From those whose T-shirts offered a blunt opinion on those who voted for President Barack Obama, to milder signs offering words from Franklin and Jefferson, there was consensus on that point.

“We want to put God back in government,” said Susie Rogers, Kokomo. “It’s nothing to do politically; we just don’t like the way the country’s going.”

While there was basic agreement on that message, the speakers on stage and the audience shared moments when indignation flared up.

Obama’s now-famous quote, given during a speech in Turkey, was recast by rally organizers on a large sign.

“We have a very large Christian population — we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values,” was Obama’s statement.

“This is NOT a Christian nation,” were the words attributed to the president on the rally sign.

Rally co-organizer Kenlyn Watson asked the crowd if they wanted to be like Canada, where, she said, “pastors are jailed because of hate crime legislation they passed.”

Pointing to the sign, she said the words were offensive.

“As a Christian, this offends me,” she said. “I’m completely infuriated by it.”

Matt Turner, head of Victory Christian Academy, said the nation’s leaders “have lost their way.”

“When you want to find the true intent of a subject, you go back to the beginning. And in the beginning, our leaders prayed to God and they asked for wisdom and courage to lead the nation. And the people prospered,” he said.

Turner offered thanks to all the veterans present, saying their sacrifices allowed Americans the right to peaceful assemblies.

But he said America won’t ever be defeated by foreign enemies if “spiritual warriors” at home win “the culture war.”

“We will only be defeated if we fail to win the battle against our cultural enemies at home,” he said, saying he expected attacks by the government, mainstream media and Hollywood will continue.

While the religious tone of the rally was palpable, limited-government advocate and author Eric Wyatt, and conservative local radio personality Peter Heck both offered assessments of the current political situation.

For Wyatt, the threat of a big government takeover can be laid at the doorstep of both Democrats and Republicans in Washington.

Instead, he said, politicians have been engaged for years setting up “fake crises,” with the aim of further subjugating citizens by “riding to the rescue.”

Wyatt said the Republicans “lost all moral authority” under President George W. Bush by supporting free spending and bailouts, and said they had no power to prevent Democrats from “mining populist gold.”

“Now they’re manufacturing another crisis, and saying you’re not an American if you don’t accept their liberty-robbing solution, cap-and-trade,” Wyatt said.

“The day will come,” he predicted, “when the massive spending scheme will collapse,” and the people will vent their fury over false promises unfulfilled.

But like speakers before and after him, Wyatt said the audience must consider themselves, and consider how hard they’ve personally worked to turn back the tide of government intervention.

“Our rights are not dependent on the bubble heads in Washington, or Indianapolis, or local bureaucrats,” he said.

“But many of us no longer pursue happiness; we want it handed to us,” he added.

• Scott Smith is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com