Religious Freedom at Stake–Pastors Fight Houston’s Bullying Mayor

The politically correct police are literally taking names and searching in church pews in Houston as its lesbian mayor is demanding that pastors turn over their sermons immediately. According to Fox News the city of Houston is targeting a group of ministers and demanding that they turn in any sermons that deal with gender identity, homosexuality or its gay mayor, Annise Parker.

This is not only the rise of anti-freedom of speech assault on the sanctity of the pulpit, but under the jackboot thuggery of its mayor the attack wants to elevate sermons to a “Hate Crime”. Ministers that do not adhere to the subpoenas could very well face contempt of court charges.

If anyone ever doubted that religious freedom was ever under attack by the rabid gay activists in America then take a close look at what is occurring in Houston. Fortunately for the Houston pastors, Alliance Defending Freedom or ADF, which is known for its specialization in religious liberty cases, is now representing several of them. A motion by the group has been filed in Harris County court to halt the subpoenas for being, “overbroad, unduly burdensome, harassing, and vexatious,” reported Fox News.

Christina Holcomb, ADF’s attorney, stressed in her statement, “The city council and its attorneys are engaging in an inquisition designed to stifle any critique of its actions.”

What is equally disconcerting about these constitutionally fallacious efforts by the city is they are attempting to make social and political commentary a crime, which it is not.
This action by the city fits in perfectly with an equally obnoxious, new non-discriminatory ordinance that allows men to use ladies rooms and for women to do the same. There has been strong opposition to the ordinance which was passed in June by the city council. A petition drive to rid the city of the ordinance has netted over 50,000 signatures, which is far greater than the 17,269 needed to place the measure on the ballot.

Just as the petition drive was gaining steam city officials tossed the petition out in August by citing signature irregularities. This action by the city set into motion a lawsuit by opponents of the bathroom bill. Attorneys for the city countered by issuing subpoenas to the pastors for copies of their sermons. Even though the pastors who were subpoenaed were not part of the lawsuit against the city of Houston, they were members of a group of 400 Houston area churches that were united against the “bathroom” ordinance.

The outrageous actions initiated against these ministers should send chills down the backs of any person of faith in America. It is important to note that the 400-plus group of religious leaders opposing the ordinance represented churches that ranged from Southern Baptists to non-denominational groups.

In a recent press conference the mayor feigned ignorance concerning her own city attorney’s demand that the targeted pastors comply to her anti-religious demands. But the ADF attorney appeared to suspect there was a more non-legal reason for her administration’s actions. Attorney Stanley believes that the city officials will want to open the sermons up to public scrutiny in order to shame them as anti-gay bigots, reported Fox News.

Tony Perkins, who is the head of the Family Research Council, goes even further and commented, “The state is breaching the wall of separation between church and state…and pastors need to step forward and challenge this across the country,” according to Fox News.

This is an obscene attack that the city of Houston and its lesbian mayor has unleashed against the religious community. It must be held up as an example of how infamous anti-religious actions will someday be the norm unless thousands of pastors challenge this assault right now in their own pulpits all across America.

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