Rick Santorum Mixes Football and Faith on the Campaign Trail Chris Schneider/AP Photo EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.- Rick Santorum began a serious testimonial of his belief in God on a lighter note at a evangelical megachurch saying he really doesn't have a dog in the hunt when it comes to tonight's Super Bowl. "I'm from Pittsburgh, I'm a Steelers fan, sorry," Santorum said at the beginning of a question and answer session with the church's pastor Troy Dobbs. So I don't really care. I do find it hard to root for Tom Brady, that's all I have to say. The answer got cheers and laughs from the large audience of about 3,500 congregants at Grace Church, in Eden Prairie, Minn., located about 30 minutes outside Minneapolis. The pastor quickly replied, "Go Vikings, right?," referring to the local Minnesota Vikings who are not playing tonight. The New York Giants face off against the New England Patriots in an East Coast showdown tonight. The last time they faced off was during the last primary cycle in 2008. Then the forum quickly moved to the serious when the pastor asked him what Jesus Christ means to him. Santorum told the audience when he first came to the United States Senate he became involved in bible study and before he came to Congress he wasn't the religious man he is now. He called Jesus Christ his "savior, he's my guide, he's my role model. He's my teacher. "He hasn't always and I admit this freely," Santorum said. He was not always my friend and my savior and the center of my life, but it was through my marriage with my wife who is an amazing woman...and when I came to the United States Senate, Christ became the center of my life. He said it's why he's currently on the "journey" he is on, including running for president. The former Pennsylvania senator said "prayer has an effect" on the men and women working on Capitol Hill. "There are people who do in a sense mission work on Capitol Hill and His presence is very much there," Santorum said. There are people there who fall onto their needs and ask for His guidance...and you are lifting them up. The last question the pastor asked him was how the congregation could pray for him. Santorum related it back to football by giving a sports and warrior analogy. When you are out in the arena...when you are out there fighting...you get hit and yeah you hit back, you take your swings and it's all expected, everything that comes at you. Even things you think are unfair. You are in the arena, it happens," Santorum said before answering that it's the families of the candidates that really need to be prayed for, on both sides of the aisle. "It's the spectators, it's the folks that watch that love you they get hit too," Santorum said to shouts of "Amen," " And they don" t have the armor, they don't have the people praying for them and that's what hurts so I ask you not just for me, but for all those in public life in this rather tough and messy world we live in, pray for those who are the loved ones of the people in the arena, pray for my wife and the wives, the children, the loved ones of those out there." It was then that the pastor asked the packed church to pray for Santorum and his family. The crowd of thousands rose to their feet, reached out their hands and began to pray.