Mitt Romney asks Rick Perry to disavow pastor; Perry says no

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney has a new message for those who attack his Mormon religion: back off.

On Tuesday, Romney, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, delivered the word to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who again refused to reject an endorsement from the evangelical pastor who said the former Massachusetts governor is "not a Christian" and is a member of a "cult" because he is Mormon.

"I would call upon Gov. Perry to repudiate the sentiment and the remarks made by that pastor," Romney said at a press conference in Lebanon, N.H., ahead of a presidential debate Tuesday night.

Perry, through a spokesman, refused to disavow the pastor, Robert Jeffress, who heads a 10,000-strong Baptist congregation in Dallas.

It's a significant escalation between the two rival campaigns on a highly charged, emotional issue that raises the specter of religious bigotry and brings into sharper focus the challenges Romney will have appealing to evangelical Christians, a bedrock of Republican support.

"Gov. Perry selected an individual to introduce him who then used religion as a basis for which he said he would endorse Gov. Perry and a reason to not support me, and Gov. Perry then said that introduction was just hit out of the park," Romney told supporters gathered at an event announcing an endorsement from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. "I just don't believe that that kind of divisiveness based on religion has a place in this country.

Jeffress, of First Baptist Church in Dallas, endorsed and introduced Perry on Friday ahead of a Washington speech. Jeffress contrasted Perry's religion with Romney's in his introduction, though he didn't mention Romney by name. When Perry took the stage, he said Jeffress "hit it out of the park."

Later, in comments to reporters, Jeffress went much further.

"Rick Perry's a Christian. He's an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ," Jeffress said. "Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity."

Some evangelical Christians believe Mormons are outside Christianity because they don't believe in the concept of a unified Trinity and because they rely on holy texts in addition to the Bible. For conservative Protestants, the Bible alone is the authoritative word of God and the innovations of Mormon teaching are heresy.

Perry was asked Friday evening if he believes Mormonism is a cult. He responded: "No."