Houston Mayor Annise Parker
In a chilling example of just how far homosexual activists are willing to go to force people to accept their lifestyle, the city of Houston, which has an openly lesbian mayor, has subpoenaed pastors demanding that they turn over any sermon dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or the mayor. Anyone who fails to comply could be held in contempt of court.
“The city’s subpoena of sermons and other pastoral communications is both needless and unprecedented,” Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorney Christina Holcomb said in a statement. “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. It is protected by the First Amendment.”
ADF, a nationally-known law firm specializing in religious liberty cases, is representing five Houston pastors who filed a motion in Harris County court to stop the subpoenas. The motion argues that they are “overbroad, unduly burdensome, harassing, and vexatious” and would have a profoundly negative effect on free speech and the electoral process if they are allowed to move forward.
According to the ADF, city officials are upset over a lawsuit filed after the city council rejected valid petitions to repeal a law that allows members of the opposite sex to use each others restrooms. Known as the “bathroom bill”, it was passed by the Council in June and sparked a citizen initiative demanding that it be repealed or placed on the ballot for voters to decide. The public submitted more than 50,000 signatures, which was three times the legally required number of valid signatures, which the city secretary certified as sufficient. However, the mayor and city attorney rejected the certification.
This prompted a lawsuit by the initiative supporters. The city’s attorneys reacted by issuing subpoenas to a number of area pastors, demanding to see what they preach from the pulpit and to examine their communications with church members and others concerning the city council’s actions, the ADF explains.
“City council members are supposed to be public servants, not ‘Big Brother’ overlords who will tolerate no dissent or challenge,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. “In this case, they have embarked upon a witch-hunt, and we are asking the court to put a stop to it.”
Fox News’ Todd Starnes spoke with one pastor, Steve Riggle of Grace Community Church, who was ordered to produce all speeches and sermons related to Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality and gender identity. He was also told to hand over “all communications with members of your congregation” regarding the non-discrimination law.
“This is an attempt to chill pastors from speaking to the cultural issues of the day,” Riggle told Fox. “The mayor would like to silence our voice. She’s a bully.”
Another pastor, Rev. Dave Welch, executive director of the Texas Pastor Council, also received a subpoena and is refusing to be intimidated by the mayor.
“We’re not afraid of this bully,” he told Starnes. “We’re not intimidated at all. . . . We are not going to yield our First Amendment rights. This is absolutely a complete abuse of authority.”
As for Mayor Parker, she is refusing to explain why she wants to inspect their sermons. When Starnes called City Hall for a comment, he was a given a “terse” reply from Janice Evans, the mayor’s director of communications.
“We don’t comment on litigation” Evans told him.
However, Stanley suspects the mayor is gunning to publicly shame the ministers by holding up their sermons for public scrutiny so they can “out” the pastors as anti-gay bigots.
The whole affair is now gaining national attention – and outrage – as the public learns about the heavy-handed tactics of this mayor who is blatantly defying the separation of church and state.
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 told Starnes. “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.”
The actions of the Houston mayor are “obscene”, Perkins said, and the equivalent of a “shot across the bow of the church.”
In his book, God Less America, Starnes predicts that government will one day try to silence American pastors under the guise of “tolerance and diversity.”
“Sadly, that day arrived sooner than even I expected,” Starnes writes. “Now is the time for pastors and people of faith to take a stand. We must rise up and reject this despicable strong-arm attack on religious liberty. We cannot allow ministers to be intimidated by government thugs.”
If the mayor of Houston gets away with it, who will be next?
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