HOUSTON — Texas Gov. Rick Perry led about 30,000 people in prayer here on Saturday, triggering a debate over how his leading role in a religious event would affect his expected bid for the Republican presidential nomination. After months of controversy over his promotion of the event, dubbed “The Response: A call to prayer for a nation in crisis,” Perry took the stage only briefly, reading from scripture and steering clear of politics in his remarks.

“(God’s) agenda is not a political agenda, his agenda is a salvation agenda,” Perry told the crowd, which greeted him with a standing ovation. “He is a wise, wise guy, and he is wise enough to not be affiliated with any political party.”