The Briefing: Evangelicals and their pastors rally to Cruz

Evangelicals coalesce around Cruz in Iowa
Evangelical voters in Iowa helped propel Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to victory over business mogul Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses Monday night, as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., finished a strong third, officially breaking into the top ranks of a crowded field for the GOP nomination for president.

Cruz, Clinton and ‘Undecided/ preferred by pastors
Ted Cruz is the favorite presidential candidate of Protestant pastors who lean Republican. Hillary Clinton leads among Democratic pastors. And Donald Trump is near the back of the pack. But “Undecided” is by far the most popular choice of America’s pastors according to a new telephone survey of senior pastors from LifeWay Research.

Illinois lawmakers fight for student privacy
State Representative Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) introduced the bi-partisan Pupil Physical Privacy Act (HB 4474), which if passed would require school boards to designate each student restroom, changing room, or overnight facility accessible by multiple students simultaneously. The bill defines “sex” as the physical condition of being male or female, as determined by an individual’s chromosomes and identified at birth by that individual’s anatomy.

Americans view sports gambling as moral, but illegal
Less than a week before the Super Bowl, a new study from LifeWay Research shows widespread belief that sports gambling is morally acceptable. Nearly two-thirds of Americans disagree that it’s morally wrong to bet on sports. Yet 49% think sports betting shouldn’t be legalized nationwide, while 40% say it should be. 11% of Americans aren’t sure.

Prison task force mirrors SBC resolution
The recommendations of the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections, a bipartisan congressional task force on reducing the federal prison population, have drawn praise from some evangelicals and parallel at several points the recommendations of a 2013 Southern Baptist Convention resolution on “America’s growing prison population.”

Sources: Facts & Trends, Illinois Family Institute, LifeWay Research, WORLD Magazine