Kayla Moore posts support from 50 pastors; 4 ask for their names to be removed

GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

Kayla Moore, wife of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, shared a letter on Facebook over the weekend indicating support from more than 50 Alabama pastors. Not all the pastors said they gave permission for their name to be be used on what appears to be a recycled letter from before the GOP primary, however.

Moore's wife Kayla posted the letter to her Facebook page Sunday after days of controversy surrounding her husband and allegations he had sexual contact with a 14-year-old in 1979 when he was 32-years-old. Three other women said Moore pursued them as teenagers. The letter was posted before a fifth woman, Beverly Young Nelson, came forward with additional charges Monday.

Moore denies the charges.

In their letter, the pastors said Moore was an "immovable rock in the culture wars," and has met attacks with a "rare unconquerable resolve."

"It's no wonder the Washington establishment has declared all-out war on his campaign," the letter notes before urging voters to cast their ballot for Moore, who faces Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 election.

After the letter was published on AL.com, Tijuanna Adetunji of the Fresh Anointing House of Worship in Montgomery, said she was not contacted about the letter and did not give permission for her name or that of her husband, Bishop Fred Adetunji, to be used.

"I was not asked about this story or allegations," Adetunji said.

The letter appears to be a version of one already posted on Moore's campaign website. That letter, posted prior to the primary, contains all the same wording as below but with three extra paragraphs at the top, including a sentence referencing the Aug. 15 vote.

Pastor Thad Endicott said he was not contacted about the most recent post from Kayla Moore.

"The list that has recently circulated was evidently copied and pasted from the August endorsements without checking to see if I still endorsed Moore," said Endicott.

Endicott, pastor at Heritage Baptist Church, asked that his name be removed from the Moore endorsement.

A pastor from middle Tennessee said he was never asked to sign the original letter.

Dr. George Grant of Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tenneessee told WSMV he hadn't had contact with Moore personally in a decade and hadn't spoken to the Senate nominee's campaign since before the election.

Grant said he has no desire to play a role in Alabama politics.

"Not my state. Not my issues," he told the news channel.

Moore's campaign did not respond to questions related to the letter or why it was posted with the date and identifying information removed. At least one of the pastors listed as supporting Moore is no longer at the church listed on the letter.

The text of the letter posted on Facebook and its signatures are below. Screenshots show the letter posted by Kayla Moore and the original from Roy Moore's website.

Dear friends and fellow Alabamians,

For decades, Roy Moore has been an immovable rock in the culture wars - a bold defender of the "little guy," a just judge to those who came before his court, a warrior for the unborn child, defender of the sanctity of marriage, and a champion for religious liberty. Judge Moore has stood in the gap for us, taken the brunt of the attack, and has done so with a rare, unconquerable resolve.

As a consequence of his unwavering faith in God and his immovable convictions for Biblical principles, he was ousted as Chief Justice in 2003. As a result, he continued his life pursuit by starting the Foundation for Moral Law, which litigates religious liberty cases around our Nation. After being re-elected again to Chief Justice in 2012, by an overwhelming majority, he took another round of persecution for our faith as he stood up for the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.

You can know a man by his enemies, and he's made plenty - from the radical organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU to the liberal media and a handful of establishment politicians from Washington. He has friends too, a lot of them. They live all across this great State, work hard all week, and fill our pews on Sunday. They know him as a father, a grandfather, a man who loves God's Word and knows much of it by heart, a man who cares for the people, a man who understands our Constitution in the tradition of our Founding Fathers, and a man who deeply loves America. It's no wonder the Washington establishment has declared all-out war on his campaign.

We are ready to join the fight and send a bold message to Washington: dishonesty, fear of man, and immorality are an affront to our convictions and our Savior and we won't put up with it any longer. We urge you to join us at the polls to cast your vote for Roy Moore.

In your service,
Dr. Tom Ford, III, Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama
Pastor Stan Cooke, Kimberly Church of God, Kimberly, Alabama
Pastor Jonathan Rodgers, Dothan, Alabama
Pastor Joseph Smith, Pine Air Baptist Church, Grand Bay Alabama
Dr. David E. Gonnella, Pastor, Theodore, Alabama
Pastor Mike Allison, Madison, Alabama
Dr. Terry Batton, Christian Renewal and Development Ministries, Eufaula, Alabama
Pastors Tim and Elizabeth Hanson, Smiths Station, Alabama
Pastor Mark Liddle, Dominion Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama
Pastor Steve Sanders, Victory Baptist Church, Millbrook, Alabama
Dr. Richard Fox, retired Baptist pastor
Dr. Randy Cooper, Pastor, Warrior, Alabama
William Green, Minister, Fresh Anointing House of Worship, Montgomery, Alabama
Maurice McCaney, Victory Christian Fellowship Church, Florence, Alabama
Pastor Jamie Holcomb, Young's Chapel, Piedmont, Alabama
Pastor Paul Elliott, Young's Chapel, Piedmont, Alabama
Pastor Rodney Gilmore, Covenant Christian, Gadsden, Alabama
Pastor Mark Gidley, Faith Worship Center, Gadsden, Alabama
Pastor Bill Snow, Edgewood Church, Anniston, Alabama
Pastor Michael Yates, Webster's Chapel, Gadsden, Alabama
Pastor Mark Holden, Webster's Chapel, Gadsden, Alabama
Pastor Joshua Copeland, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Anniston, Alabama
Pastor Bruce Jenkins, Young's Chapel, Piedmont, Alabama
Pastor Keith Bond, Young's Chapel, Piedmont, Alabama
Pastor Jim Lester, Fannin Road Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama
Pastor David Floyd, Marvyn Parkway Baptist Church, Opelika, Alabama
Pastor Bruce Word, Freedom Church, Gadsden, Alabama
Pastor Paul Hubbard, Lakeview Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama
Rev. Carl Head, Lakeview Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama
Pastor Duwayne Bridges, Jr., Fairfax First Christian Church, Valley, Alabama
Rev. Edwin Roberts, Adams Street Church of Christ, Enterprise, Alabama
Pastor John McCrummen, Open Door Baptist Church, Enterprise, Alabama
Rev. Mickey Counts, Open Door Baptist Church, Enterprise, Alabama
Rev. Alex Pagen, Open Door Baptist Church, Enterprise, Alabama
Pastor Glenn Brock, Eufaula, Alabama
Rev. Tim Head, Montgomery, Alabama
Pastor/Elder Ted Phillips, Christ Church, Odenville, Alabama
Tim Yarbrough, Elder, Trinity Free Presbyterian, Trinity, Alabama
Pastor Myron Mooney, Trinity Free Presbyterian, Trinity, Alabama
Jerry Frank, Elder, Trinity Free Presbyterian, Trinity, Alabama
Pastor Jim Nelson, Church of the Living God, Moulton, Alabama
Pastor Earl Wise, Millbrook, Alabama
Rick and Beverly Simpson, Summit Holiness Church, Alabama
Pastor Lane Simmons and Margie Dale Simmons, First Assembly of God, Greenville Alabama
Rev. Charles Morris, Pastor Grace Way Fellowship, Evergreen Alabama
Pastor David Whitney, Cornerstone Church
Dr. Peter and Roseann Waldron, St. Francis Anglican Church
Pastor Franklin and Mrs. Pamela Raddish, Capitol Hill Independent Baptist Ministries
Dr. Michael Peroutka, Institute on the Constitution
Reverend Bill Owens, Coalition of African American Pastors

(Note: Pastors who asked to have their names removed from the list aren't included above)

A Facebook post from Kayla Moore Sunday night includes signatures from more than 50 pastors. 

The original pastor's letter posted to Roy Moore's website.

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