I am completely and totally outraged at the actions of the Houston mayor, who is openly gay. For those of you who do not know, she has actually subpoenaed sermons from pastors (no joke) to check them for references to homosexuality, gender rights, and herself. She has threatened the pastors with contempt of court if they do not comply.
First of all, I believe she has forgotten the First Amendment which protects freedom of speech and freedom of religion. This is an unconstitutional action.
However, looking beyond this, there is a darker side to her actions. I believe she knows it is unconstitutional. I believe she knows there is no way this will stand up in court. So why do it?
I'm sure she realizes that sermons are not secret. They are public. They are spoken publicly to anyone who will listen- there is no "members only" policy at churches, there is no admission fee, there is no restriction to who can hear sermons. They are public domain. Besides that, most churches, mine included, podcast their sermons. Sermons can be listened to by anyone and everyone who cares to listen. The mayor and her cronies could simply subscribe to the podcasts and listen to them on their own time without the pastors even knowing it.
So why subpoena?
There can only be one reason for this action- to send a message to churches. Specifically pastors.
That message is- you'd better toe the line. We can and we will shut you up. That is the ONLY reason for this action. The mayor is not concerned with what was said. She's not looking with an objective eye seeing if churches are in compliance with the Johnson amendment which was intended to shut churches up by instituting 501(c)3 status. No, she is sending a message to churches- "We don't like you and we will shut you up."
This is what happens when agenda-driven people gain control of government- they begin using the full power of the state to go after their opponents. This is Chicago politics at its worst. I see Chairman Mao and Comrade Stalin nodding their approval here. It is no secret that the homosexual movement and Christianity are at odds. That's no front page news. So, when an openly gay mayor gains power, she goes after Christians. She goes after the heartbeat of Christianity- the sermon. She knows that her actions will not stand in court, but she doesn't care.
It's a shot across the bow to her opponents. She also knows that if it goes to court, she has more resources than churches do to fight this thing. She has an unlimited credit card, courtesy of the taxpayers, and she can hire as many lawyers as she wants, drag this out as long as she wants, and go as long as she wants. Even if she loses, she will have bankrupted the churches who do not have the nice benefit of a taxpayer-funded credit card. Attorney's fees and legal costs will bury the churches even if they win in court. So, even if she can't shut churches up, she can put a hurt on them financially making them unwilling to continue in their actions.
Like I said, this is Chicago politics at its finest. She could have found out what the pastors were preaching by simply showing up on a Sunday morning or listening to the podcasts. There was no need for a subpoena if all she wanted to know was what was being preached. No, the subpoena was an intimidation tactic, used by big government liberals, to send a clear message to pastors that Big Brother was watching.
Well, mayor of Houston, I have a message for YOU. There are a lot more of us than you, and we're tired of your sort. You can't shut the church up. Learn the lessons from history- mayors come and go, politicians come and go, governments come and go, but the Church always endures. Where are your heroes- Chairman Mao, Adolf Hitler, and Josef Stalin? Dead. Where is the Church? Still thriving.
Ms Mayor, Christianity was founded on persecution. Christianity's biggest heroes were people like Paul, Peter, and John who received much more persecution than you will ever give. They didn't care what the authorities said- they continued to practice their faith against extreme opposition and persecution. The governments that went after them are gone- their faith is still here. Ms Mayor, I've read the Bible. We win. So, we aren't afraid of you. Bring it on. Bring the full power of the state against us pastors. We will never give in or shut up. The more you persecute, the more we thrive. Learn that lesson from history as well.
The biggest victory, however, will be the fact that no matter what you do, we will never stop loving you. Just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asked God to forgive those who were killing Him, loving them to the very end, we will do the same. We do not hate you- no action you can take will make us do that. That is the supreme victory of the Church over you and your agenda-driven cronies: no matter what you do, you cannot make us stop loving you. You cannot make us stop praying for you. You cannot keep us from practicing the command of Jesus: "Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you."
The more you persecute, the greater our reward in heaven. Jesus told us, "Blessed are you when men revile you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12).
This is our message to you. We are not afraid and we are not laying down, and we will protest your actions because you are in violation of the Constitution of this country. We will seek your removal from office because you are a tyrant, not a mayor, who does not understand the fundamental rights God has given to each one of us. However, we will also pray for you- the Apostle Paul was once a persecutor of Christians. You could have the same story if God gets ahold of your heart too. Just know, Ms Mayor, that while we deplore your actions, we love you and pray for you.
Now, Christians, what are we going to do? First of all- pray. Pray for strength for the Houston-area pastors. Pray for strength for them to defy the subpoena, defy fines, and make the city put them in jail. That's what I would do in their situation. Second, be ready to go to Houston for rallies and protests- peaceful, that is. We are not thugs and we are not rabble-rousers. Third, encourage your pastor to preach in defiance of this new bullying fascism. This has gone far enough, and it has to stop NOW.
Christians make up the majority of this nation. It's time to make our voices heard.
First of all, I believe she has forgotten the First Amendment which protects freedom of speech and freedom of religion. This is an unconstitutional action.
However, looking beyond this, there is a darker side to her actions. I believe she knows it is unconstitutional. I believe she knows there is no way this will stand up in court. So why do it?
I'm sure she realizes that sermons are not secret. They are public. They are spoken publicly to anyone who will listen- there is no "members only" policy at churches, there is no admission fee, there is no restriction to who can hear sermons. They are public domain. Besides that, most churches, mine included, podcast their sermons. Sermons can be listened to by anyone and everyone who cares to listen. The mayor and her cronies could simply subscribe to the podcasts and listen to them on their own time without the pastors even knowing it.
So why subpoena?
There can only be one reason for this action- to send a message to churches. Specifically pastors.
That message is- you'd better toe the line. We can and we will shut you up. That is the ONLY reason for this action. The mayor is not concerned with what was said. She's not looking with an objective eye seeing if churches are in compliance with the Johnson amendment which was intended to shut churches up by instituting 501(c)3 status. No, she is sending a message to churches- "We don't like you and we will shut you up."
This is what happens when agenda-driven people gain control of government- they begin using the full power of the state to go after their opponents. This is Chicago politics at its worst. I see Chairman Mao and Comrade Stalin nodding their approval here. It is no secret that the homosexual movement and Christianity are at odds. That's no front page news. So, when an openly gay mayor gains power, she goes after Christians. She goes after the heartbeat of Christianity- the sermon. She knows that her actions will not stand in court, but she doesn't care.
It's a shot across the bow to her opponents. She also knows that if it goes to court, she has more resources than churches do to fight this thing. She has an unlimited credit card, courtesy of the taxpayers, and she can hire as many lawyers as she wants, drag this out as long as she wants, and go as long as she wants. Even if she loses, she will have bankrupted the churches who do not have the nice benefit of a taxpayer-funded credit card. Attorney's fees and legal costs will bury the churches even if they win in court. So, even if she can't shut churches up, she can put a hurt on them financially making them unwilling to continue in their actions.
Like I said, this is Chicago politics at its finest. She could have found out what the pastors were preaching by simply showing up on a Sunday morning or listening to the podcasts. There was no need for a subpoena if all she wanted to know was what was being preached. No, the subpoena was an intimidation tactic, used by big government liberals, to send a clear message to pastors that Big Brother was watching.
Well, mayor of Houston, I have a message for YOU. There are a lot more of us than you, and we're tired of your sort. You can't shut the church up. Learn the lessons from history- mayors come and go, politicians come and go, governments come and go, but the Church always endures. Where are your heroes- Chairman Mao, Adolf Hitler, and Josef Stalin? Dead. Where is the Church? Still thriving.
Ms Mayor, Christianity was founded on persecution. Christianity's biggest heroes were people like Paul, Peter, and John who received much more persecution than you will ever give. They didn't care what the authorities said- they continued to practice their faith against extreme opposition and persecution. The governments that went after them are gone- their faith is still here. Ms Mayor, I've read the Bible. We win. So, we aren't afraid of you. Bring it on. Bring the full power of the state against us pastors. We will never give in or shut up. The more you persecute, the more we thrive. Learn that lesson from history as well.
The biggest victory, however, will be the fact that no matter what you do, we will never stop loving you. Just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asked God to forgive those who were killing Him, loving them to the very end, we will do the same. We do not hate you- no action you can take will make us do that. That is the supreme victory of the Church over you and your agenda-driven cronies: no matter what you do, you cannot make us stop loving you. You cannot make us stop praying for you. You cannot keep us from practicing the command of Jesus: "Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you."
The more you persecute, the greater our reward in heaven. Jesus told us, "Blessed are you when men revile you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12).
This is our message to you. We are not afraid and we are not laying down, and we will protest your actions because you are in violation of the Constitution of this country. We will seek your removal from office because you are a tyrant, not a mayor, who does not understand the fundamental rights God has given to each one of us. However, we will also pray for you- the Apostle Paul was once a persecutor of Christians. You could have the same story if God gets ahold of your heart too. Just know, Ms Mayor, that while we deplore your actions, we love you and pray for you.
Now, Christians, what are we going to do? First of all- pray. Pray for strength for the Houston-area pastors. Pray for strength for them to defy the subpoena, defy fines, and make the city put them in jail. That's what I would do in their situation. Second, be ready to go to Houston for rallies and protests- peaceful, that is. We are not thugs and we are not rabble-rousers. Third, encourage your pastor to preach in defiance of this new bullying fascism. This has gone far enough, and it has to stop NOW.
Christians make up the majority of this nation. It's time to make our voices heard.
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