Well, this is disturbing. Joe Carter reports:
This summer Houston Mayor Annise Parker championed a so-called Equal Rights Ordinance which, among other changes, would force businesses to allow transgender residents to use whatever restroom they want, regardless of their biological sex.
In response, a citizen initiative was launched to have the council either repeal the bill or place it on the ballot for voters to decide. The mayor and city attorney defied the law and rejected the certification, so the initiative filed a lawsuit. In return, the city’s attorneys subpoenaed a number of area pastors.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the city demanded to see what these pastors were preaching from the pulpit and wanted to examine their communications with their church members and others concerning the city council’s actions….
“The city’s subpoena of sermons and other pastoral communications is both needless and unprecedented,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Christiana Holcomb. “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.”
Texas law makes it clear that the discovery process in a legal proceeding “may not be used as a fishing expedition.” Houston’s city attorneys are certainly aware of this fact, so why are they seeking the sermons and communications of pastors who aren’t even involved in the lawsuit?
Read the rest here.
Look on the bright side - maybe they'll read the sermons and get inspired by them to attend church.
Posted by: John Moore | October 14, 2014 at 06:40 PM
The surprising thing is that this happened in Houston and not Austin.
I wonder if it has anything to do with wanting to get rid of tax exempt status for churches by catching them making political statements. There's a lot of people out there who would like to deny churches tax exempt status.
Posted by: Sam Harper | October 14, 2014 at 06:55 PM
I read this just a few minutes ago via another news agency. It both angers and chills me. The increasing totalitarianism against Christianity continues to grow at an alarming rate.
While I doubt it'll do much good it will do, I just sent an e-mail the Houston Mayor and City Council expressing my dismay.
Posted by: Clayton Wilfer | October 14, 2014 at 08:59 PM
"Section 6. That there exists a public emergency requiring that this Ordinance be passed finally on the date of its introduction as requested in writing by the Mayor"
Passed the 28th of May, took effect the 30th.
I wonder what the public emergency was, and what the normal process for ordinances is in Houston that it was necessary to invoke a public emergency for rapid implementation of the ordinance.
Posted by: Robert | October 15, 2014 at 06:21 AM
Maybe it was a bathroom emergency.
Posted by: Sam Harper | October 15, 2014 at 07:46 AM
@Sam Harper Perhaps it is coming to Austin.
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2014/08/28/austin-city-council-votes-to-discuss-gender-friendly-bathrooms-and-bans-talking-on
Posted by: Don | October 15, 2014 at 01:22 PM
Great point, John Moore: in fact, eMatters brings up the brilliant suggestion on the WK blog that all of the pastors should perform and submit a sermon on Romans 1 for the liberal fascists in Houston.
I'm waiting for all of the a-theists to come out and condemn this action based on he "separation of church and state." Not holding my breath, however.
Posted by: WorldGoneCrazy | October 15, 2014 at 04:54 PM
Perhaps every Bible-preaching pastor in the nation should forward their sermon manuscripts to the mayor.
Posted by: Greg Lawhorn | October 16, 2014 at 07:32 AM