Posted on 03/03/2008 3:37:11 AM PST by kingattax
After attending the early-morning service Sunday at Lakewood Church with his daughter, Chelsea, Bill Clinton rallied Hillary Clinton supporters at Mason Park Gazebo.
Pastor Joel Osteen introduced them from the pulpit to cheers from the crowd gathered in the former basketball arena. Neither Clinton addressed the congregation.
Osteen said Lakewood members have prayed for the former president and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is in the middle of a bruising battle to capture Texas votes in Tuesday's primary in her bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
"We just appreciate you serving the country," Osteen said.
He said leaders at the mega-church don't tell members whom they should vote for, saying there were many fine candidates. But he encouraged the crowd to vote.
"This Tuesday is an exciting time for the state of Texas," Osteen said.
Later, Clinton campaigned for his wife at a "Solutions for America" event at Mason Park Gazebo, 541 S. 75th St.
A mostly Hispanic crowd weathered rain as Clinton urged them to support his wife during Tuesday's primary. A mariachi band played as several Houston dignitaries stood behind him in support.
Clinton acknowledged that Hillary Clinton's campaign is undergoing "a massive struggle," but he said support of volunteers will help turn the tide.
"We have 100,000 volunteers just in Texas. When I was at the University of Texas last night, 8,500 people came and 4,300 of them signed up to volunteer afterward."
Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia attended the event, saying Hillary Clinton is more qualified than Obama to bring real change.
"Hope doesn't pay for $3-plus gasoline bills," she said, referring to surging fuel prices.
Another supporter, state Sen. Mario Gallegos, touted Clinton's health care plan.
"Health care is on the table," said the lawmaker, who was gravely ill until receiving a liver transplant last year.
My respect for Joel Osteen just went down a notch or two. Pathetic.
An image that I can’t get out of my mind is the one of Clinton packing the large bible under his arm when the Monica story broke in the news. The Clintons use religion as merely another prop in their long running play for the public...I think it is time for their play to end.
Politicians have no business politicking in church, whether Republican or Rat. Shame on the pastors and congregations that let them do it.
You didn't, you couldn't, you wouldn't..
So is Lakewood Church going to lose it’s tax-exempt status?
One of the legacies of the Clinton administration is the aggressive pursuit of churches that express political views or favor any political candidates from the pulpit.
During the Clinton years, churches that disseminated Voter Guides were threatened with the loss of their tax status, and many were prosecuted.
Remember the Baptist Tabernacle? I think it was in Illinois. The IRS confiscated the building and all their assets for back taxes that were assessed when the congregation lost its tax-exempt status RETROACTIVELY to the day the IRS deemed that they became politically active enough to lose it.
The IRS even went after donors who claimed tax exemptions for donating to the church.
Even James Dobson and Focus on the family became the subject of vigorous IRS investigation.
Of course, that only ever happened to conservative churches and conservative causes.
“Reverends” Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson NEVER saw their tax exempt status threatened, regardless of their flagrant abuses of the law or their stealing of church funds to support their flamboyant lifestyles, including girlfriends and “love babies”.
People have short memories.
Oy Vey!
Seem to recall in the Bible it sez man cannot serve both God and satan at the same time.
Power corrupts.
And absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
This man is apparantly leading many astray by his associations and endorsements.
And he will have to pay for that eventually. He will be made to answer to those serious charges.
Mason Park, 2 events were discussed in this report, and it’s no longer the Summit.
And blonde-haired, air-headed, spoiled brat heiress “celebrities” upon release on bail after their arrests, facing hard jail time.
Why? Because he welcomed the Clintons in his church; a place where ALL should be welcomed? He didn't stump for them in his pulpit. I'm no Clinton fan, but I would welcome them into my church, hoping they'd leave better people.
The difference would be if WJC was allowed to TEACH and speak from the pulpit. THAT is another matter. That is what a lot of other churches have done.
You have to love when the drive-by media makes a big stink when these pagans like Bill, Hillary, and Barry go to church.
Why is it Democrats get to stump at church’s all the time without the threat of tax exempt status being pulled?
More proof that Osteen is not a Christian but a charlatan.
Joel will do anything to sell his books.
Good thing you said "Clintons" or I would have assumed you were talking about Osteen, which you would have also had to add money to the reasons for the act.
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