Houston Mayor Ignites Fervor of Religious Right
wilkyjr printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Tue Oct 21, 2014 at 10:18:34 AM EST
The best take on Houston Mayor Annise Parker vs. the churches in her city is the story written by Marv Knox in the Baptist Standard.  The article can be found at www.baptiststandard.com/digital-edition/126-42/17084:editorial-ho uston-subpoena      The result of her legal attempt to solicit the sermons of local pastors has sent a shock wave felt around the nation.  The end result is that it has given a platform to groups who were on the fringe and mostly unknown to congregations.  Facebook posts and inter net searches bring up the comments from these Religious Right groups.   The local chapter of Americans United for Separation of church (which I am a member), nor the Baptist Joint Committee, ACLU or other First Amendment groups are not solicited for comment.  Readers might be disappointed at who is chosen by the media to represent the churches.
     The first winner here is Ted Cruz.  He is making the point that he is the grand champion of religious liberty.  Few note that Ted hosted a meeting beamed around the nation from Houston Baptist University.  At the meeting Ted said the next civil rights issue is the soliciting of money from the state for Christian schools.  His father, an ex-communist turned theocracy advocate, condemns pastors who do not endorse candidates from the pulpit as cowards.  Ted's own church, Second Baptist, was in court over the endorsing of candidates by the church.  Second's favorite member, Dan Patrick, is running for Lieutenant Governor and speaks at churches claiming there is no separation of church and state.
     The U.S. Pastor's Conference, which until lately, was a little known struggling group, has now received a national platform with guaranteed fundraising exposure.  David Welch, the leader of the group, is now a stable in the evening news.  The group has links to the John Birch Society, theocracy advocate James Kennedy, and of course, David Barton, the popular enemy of the separation of church and state.  I attended one of their meetings where Jon Hagee told us the way for your church to be blessed by God was to put the secular state of Israel in your budget.
     Grace Community Church is billing itself as the poor little group persecuted by the city.  Fact is the mega church has a history of secular campaign promotions.  The church used its stationary to promote a potential heir to the throne relinquished by Tom Delay because of Tom's legal problems.  At the USPC meeting I attended the church pastor bragged he was taking on Americans United in court because they limited his free speech.
     The Alliance Defense Fund is the publicity award winner in all this.  They are billing themselves as the new champions of the pastor's right to free speech.  The ADF is the organization promoting the platform that ministers endorse candidates from the pulpit and defy the government to say anything about it.  Churches are supposed to lose 501c3 status for doing such.  ADF champions the idea of ministers refusing to go along with tax codes.  The region has a history of people like Lester Roloff, the famous minister who refused to license his children's homes.  Lester is still held in high regard in South Texas with his sermons still broadcast over radio.  Lester was forced from the state for his institutions that beat young girls.
     Mike Huckabee is the new national spokesman for church/state.  Mike claims David Barton is the greatest historian of our generation.  Barton tells audiences ministers can be arrested for reading the book of Romans from the pulpit.  The Bartons and Huckabees take family vacations together.
     Local ministers believe that they could be arrested for refusing to preform a gay marriage.  The recent Idaho wedding chapel story has added fuel to this rumor.  I believe Knox is right in his article, the handing of the microphone over to these groups will cause religious liberty problems in the future.  A church member commented to me that it is ironic the people that advocate a theocracy are now the ones screaming "religious liberty."



Display:
It appears Huckabee and SBC President Ronnie Floyd will be hosting a Nov. meeting  in Houston.  Floyd drew the wrath of some in Arkansas when he went on air during a TV sermon and endorsed George W. Bush.

by wilkyjr on Thu Oct 23, 2014 at 11:53:57 AM EST

My, my. Look at those on the religious right conflate "holding their words to the light of day" with "suppressing their right of free speech." How exactly does being asked to repeat in public what you've said in private equate to being suppressed? And why, even after the mayor has withdrawn the request, assuring everyone that parsing words wasn't her intent, do the ostensibly aggrieved parties continue to howl?

Their real goal is to protect their status as a group with special, extra-Constitutional privileges.

by Panglos on Sun Oct 26, 2014 at 04:20:25 AM EST


Marv Knox's article on Houston Mayor Annise Parker's clash with the churches is a compelling read. It sheds light on the unintended consequences of the legal attempt, giving a platform to Religious Right groups.  mail-in ballot legislation While some may exploit the situation, the article highlights potential religious liberty challenges ahead. Thought-provoking and informative!

by isabelladom on Sat Aug 05, 2023 at 12:53:16 AM EST


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