Politicians in Houston, Texas, have apparently adopted Kremlin tactics in dealing with dissent. The city of Houston has issued subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor. And those ministers who fail to comply could be held in contempt of court.
This all began when the City Council passed an ordinance allowing, among other things, men to use women’s rest rooms and vice versa. The action was part of the city’s “non-discrimination ordinance.”
Opponents of the ordinance launched a petition drive that gathered over 50,000 signatures, far more than the under 18,000 signatures needed to put the ordinance to a public vote. The city threw out the petition. A lawsuit was filed by opponents of the ordinance and the city responded by issuing subpoenas to the pastors.
The pastors are being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF attorney, Christina Holcomb, said, “The city’s subpoena of sermons and other pastoral communications is both needless and unprecedented. The city council and its attorneys are engaging in an inquisition designed to stifle any critique of its actions.
“Political and social commentary is not a crime,” Holcomb said. “It is protected by the First Amendment.”
The pastors, who were not part of the lawsuit, were part of a coalition of some 400 Houston-area churches that opposed the ordinance. The churches represent a number of faith groups – from Southern Baptist to non-denominational. The mayor will not say why she wants to examine the pastors’ sermons.
The ADF speculates that the mayor intends to hold the pastors up to public scrutiny and ridicule and attempt to label them as anti-gay bigots.
According to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, among those slapped with a subpoena is Steve Riggle, the senior pastor of Grace Community Church, who was ordered to produce all speeches and sermons related to Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality and gender identity. The mega-church pastor was also ordered to hand over “all communications with members of your congregation” regarding the non-discrimination law.
Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, said pastors around the nation should rally around the Houston ministers. “The state is breaching the wall of separation between church and state,” Perkins said. “Pastors need to step forward and challenge this across the country. I’d like to see literally thousands of pastors after they read this story begin to challenge government authorities – to dare them to come into their churches and demand their sermons.”
It is not shocking that some politician would attempt to violate the constitutional rights of citizens. It is shocking that such an action has occurred in Texas.
The pastors will, of course, refuse to comply, as they should. There has been low level intimidation and persecution of Christians in America for some time. The bar has now been raised and the Church should refuse to comply and should refuse to cooperate.
The mayor and her minions need to be reminded that Houston is not Moscow and that the City Council is not the Kremlin. The voters should do what the citizens of the former USSR could not do — they should remove these disgraceful people from office as soon as legally possible. This is, so far, America and this behavior is unacceptable and repugnant.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Sharpsburg, GA and the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South.]Politicians in Houston, Texas, have apparently adopted Kremlin tactics in dealing with dissent. The city of Houston has issued subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor. And those ministers who fail to comply could be held in contempt of court.This all began when the City Council passed an ordinance allowing, among other things, men to use women’s rest rooms and vice versa. The action was part of the city’s “non-discrimination ordinance.”
Opponents of the ordinance launched a petition drive that gathered over 50,000 signatures, far more than the under 18,000 signatures needed to put the ordinance to a public vote. The city threw out the petition. A lawsuit was filed by opponents of the ordinance and the city responded by issuing subpoenas to the pastors.
The pastors are being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF attorney, Christina Holcomb, said, “The city’s subpoena of sermons and other pastoral communications is both needless and unprecedented. The city council and its attorneys are engaging in an inquisition designed to stifle any critique of its actions.
“Political and social commentary is not a crime,” Holcomb said. “It is protected by the First Amendment.”
The pastors, who were not part of the lawsuit, were part of a coalition of some 400 Houston-area churches that opposed the ordinance. The churches represent a number of faith groups – from Southern Baptist to non-denominational. The mayor will not say why she wants to examine the pastors’ sermons.
The ADF speculates that the mayor intends to hold the pastors up to public scrutiny and ridicule and attempt to label them as anti-gay bigots.
According to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, among those slapped with a subpoena is Steve Riggle, the senior pastor of Grace Community Church, who was ordered to produce all speeches and sermons related to Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality and gender identity. The mega-church pastor was also ordered to hand over “all communications with members of your congregation” regarding the non-discrimination law.
Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, said pastors around the nation should rally around the Houston ministers. “The state is breaching the wall of separation between church and state,” Perkins said. “Pastors need to step forward and challenge this across the country. I’d like to see literally thousands of pastors after they read this story begin to challenge government authorities – to dare them to come into their churches and demand their sermons.”
It is not shocking that some politician would attempt to violate the constitutional rights of citizens. It is shocking that such an action has occurred in Texas.
The pastors will, of course, refuse to comply, as they should. There has been low level intimidation and persecution of Christians in America for some time. The bar has now been raised and the Church should refuse to comply and should refuse to cooperate.
The mayor and her minions need to be reminded that Houston is not Moscow and that the City Council is not the Kremlin. The voters should do what the citizens of the former USSR could not do — they should remove these disgraceful people from office as soon as legally possible. This is, so far, America and this behavior is unacceptable and repugnant.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Sharpsburg, GA and the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South.]
