LCMS Ping
Posted on 10/18/2014 6:48:58 AM PDT by chajin
HOUSTON (RNS) Recently, Houston city attorneys, acting on behalf of Mayor Annise Parker and the City Council, issued subpoenas to five area pastors requiring they hand over copies of all communication with members of their congregations about a gay rights ordinance. The subpoena asks for communications from the pastors related to the mayor, the ordinance, and “gender equality” issues.
What are pastors to do when coerced by a government entity like the city of Houston? It seems to me that there are a two possible responses: one from a Christian pastor, who serves in Christ’s kingdom, and another from a citizen of the kingdom of this world...
(Excerpt) Read more at religionnews.com ...
I think that the liberals over reached big time on this one.
I’m glad to see this story starting to get some national coverage.
All of us should be outraged at using the power of the state to intimidate or silence religious faith leaders who speak out about homosexuality.
I am a Jew who has listened for years to a Rabbi, whose sermons could have been summed up in two words - “Bush sucks.” If he has the right, so do these pastors.
If this is allowed to proceed, it is frightening.
If your Rabbi does not preach “Obama sucks double” he is a fool and a heretic Jew.
Here I stand, I can do nothing else.
But the silence is deafening from other supposed”pro family” churches.
That Rabbi has retired. His successor is very careful to keep politics off the pulpit.
Parker should be removed from office over this. It is way over the line.
I don’t know for sure, but, wonder if a certain arrogance on the part of a liberal homosexual mayor, Parker, led to this.
An arrogance brought about by being militant on homosexual issues, and a feeling that she can do whatever the hell she wants, because she is liberal and pushing the homosexual agenda.
A feeling that other people’s rights don’t matter, because they are enemies of the homosexual agenda.
A feeling that she cannot be going beyond the powers of her office, because she is on the “right side of history” by pushing homosexuality.
Just a thought.
Houston is still doing this, they just dropped the word “sermon”
Is someone going to stop her? I guess we shall see.
I thought that groups of pastors were saying they would not comply with the order. We’ll see if she ups the ante and has them held in contempt of court and arrests them.
How many “Christians” greedy for other people’s money voted for and are responsible for this woman’s being in office. Total insanity.
If that fascist muff diver was for real she would have gone after the mosques as well.
She probably will do that.
OOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo! That's hitting home.
I agree with you.
Pastors often go with the flow but avoid some areas like the plague.
I would think that pastors with a large congregation of black people OUGHT to preach against sex outside of marriage, having babies outside of wedlock and having multiple children with multiple fathers.
THAT breeds "daddy-less" boys who never learn to deal with:
1. adult male authority
2. adult male WHITE authority.
Those are recipes for the POKEY.
I have a friend in Texas who asked the local black preacher that same question. He answered honestly: If he did that he would have an empty church.
He goes with the flow.
Two-thirds of the county, those 2/3 being black, former cotton pickers, are on the dole. They are GENERATIONAL welfare folk.
I left of the "s" for "folk" to make it sound "authentic." :o)
She won’t, but she is not stopping her attempt to go after these churches.
We had one of those here in my area, and the Christians did not vote for although I am sure many dead people, home bound, and nursing home residents did...without their knowledge.
LCMS Ping
If preachers are really teaching God’s Word, not man’s opinions or religious theory, there will be no need to discuss politics in the pulpit. Believers who are led by the Spirit and have the mind of Christ, should have little difficulty in the voting booth, or with any of the issues of the day.
This situation in Houston should be a wake up call for Believers everywhere. Vote like your freedom depends on it - it does. How many people of faith skipped voting in the mayor’s race? There were only 160,000ish votes cast in total, with the mayor getting 60%. Houston has over 2 million residents. The largest Baptist and Methodist churches in the US are in Houston. Lakewood alone pulls 40,000 a week! Where were the people of faith when it counted?
BTW - Render unto Caesar... is not just about taxes. Christians have the responsibility to vote with the Spirit’s guidance, and pray for all people in authority.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (see also Romans 13) — If we want that last part, we better be doing the praying and voting.
And I know I am probably preaching to the choir on this forum, but it amazes me how many people of faith seem to sit out elections, or forget God’s Word when it comes to politics.
United we stand or together we fall.
Leni (Missouri Synod)
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