The New York Times is proud of creating a little, minor media problem for Cruz by reporting he changed his “tone” talking to some gay folks at a fundraiser in New York.

We need to have better measures of a candidate than this.  Christian conservatives have been repeatedly betrayed and have responded by trying ever hard to determine the real heart of the candidate, hoping for a secular messiah in the White House.

But this is a strategy doomed to repeated failure.  Politics can have a profound affect on culture, but it does so through political strategies.  We are to blame for the fact that with ten times the numbers of gay people, we are in a position of such profound weakness.

What we need to do is to decide on a legislative agenda that is really potentially passable and find a champion who is willing to fight for it.  And then donate time and treasure to elect him.  Trying to find a candidate who will prove his heart by shunning gay people is not only un-Christian, it is a recipe for political failure at a time when the future of Christianity in the U.S. is at risk.

This is why I keep focusing my attention on the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act. It isn’t perfect, but it is directed at least at the core problem: our people are being stripped of their livelihoods and publicly shamed by the progressive mob.  MARFA at least attempts to make sure the government doesn’t join the mob with its much larger club.

Unlike a constitutional amendment, if we elect a Republican Congress and President in 2016, it could be passed. We could have a real, first substantial victory and not just a debate about the values in politicians’ hearts.

Maggie Gallagher is a senior fellow at American Principles in Action.