City Subpoenas Pastors' Sermons in Equal Rights Ordinance Case

Houston Chronicle ^ | October 14,2014 | Katherine Driessen

[lbryce]

Houston's embattled equal rights ordinance took another legal turn this week when it surfaced that city attorneys, in an unusual step, subpoenaed sermons given by local pastors who oppose the law and are tied to the conservative Christian activists that have sued the city. Opponents of the equal rights ordinance are hoping to force a repeal referendum when they get their day in court in January, claiming City Attorney David Feldman wrongly determined they had not gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. City attorneys issued subpoenas last month during the case's discovery phase, seeking, among other communications, "all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to HERO, the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession."

[lbryce]

Quite outrageous of these hypocritical sexual deviants to insist on invading other people's privacy when they went into a legal "sissy fit" when they claimed the law was invading their own dungeon of depravity.

[2ndDivisionVet]

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”

― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

[Dilbert San Diego]

Can I ask what controlling legal authority will compel churches to turn over sermons for inspection/approval by government officials??????

Is there something I am missing??? This seems like an obvious abuse of power, and something ripe for a court challenge of the right of government to review the content of a preacher’s sermon.

[Viennacon]

The gaystapo ruthlessly using soviet tactics.

[doc1019]

Considering that many pastors in the protestant world preach from the hip, good luck getting a copy of their sermons. The best most could do is give a list of Bible references.

[SoConPubbie]

This is where a pastor in good conscience refuses and goes to jail, if necessary.

Time to start calling their bluff.

[Army Air Corps]

Let me guess, the Houston Comical thinks that this action is wonderful.

[Bosco]

I would suggest sending them sermons. Lots of sermons. Lots and lots of sermons.

Type written, printed, handwritten sermons. Sermons written on small scraps of paper.

They want paper? Give them paper.

[MeshugeMikey]

I for one have never before heard of any Pastor’s Sermons being demanded by any government entity...since Jesus short sojourn here on earth

[generally]

What happened to separation of church and state that the left so loves to invoke?

If we’re going to start invading the privacy of churches, I’d suggest we start with Rev. Wright and all of the mosques in this country.

[Belteshazzar]

“Considering that many pastors in the protestant world preach from the hip ...”

Some don’t. But, sadly, you are for the most part right. And the Christian Church is a good deal weaker because many who are supposed to be shepherds and watchmen aren’t. Which is a good deal of the reason that the Muslims and the far left - such unlikely allies! - sense weakness in the culture, and weakness in the American soul. And, again, sadly, they are right.

On the other hand, they have have challenged something - Someone! - whom they cannot overcome.

[magna carta]

You should see all the e-mails I am getting from this city gov...oh I mean OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES (OIC).
City is also requiring that free speech in City parks be confined to a 10X 10 square complete with a lat/long. location. See here: http://www.stopthemagnet.com/blog/city-houston-first-amendment-advisory
* pay attention to the second e-mail pic...expand it.

and DIVERSITY : http://www.stopthemagnet.com/blog/city-houston-celebrates-diversity-refugee-fest-turkish-house

[Dilbert San Diego]

Someone once said you have to pick your battles, and have to ask yourself, is this hill worth dying on, or words to that effect.

This is a hill worth dying on, in my opinion. This is blatantly illegal and a blatant abuse of government power, to set up a situation in which government is going to be reviewing what preachers are preaching about.

I hope the ACLJ gets involved and gets a lawsuit going, all the while also having clergy refuse to comply with this. Let’s pick this battle.

If clergy lose the freedom to preach on whatever subject they wish to preach to their congregations, religious freedom takes a severe body blow.

[workerbee]

I thought Austin was the crazy place in Texas.

[moovova]

My reply would be...If you want to know what’s in the sermon, attend the 11 o’clock service.

[sport]

I would say to the Pastors , refuse to comply. To take to the Courts, though I no longer have any confidence in them. And if worse comes to worse, let the funerals begin. It is going to start sometime, it may as well be now.

[WVNan]

To my mind a pastor’s sermons, if written, would be the most private of private property, a creation made between a servant of God and the Lord. Of course if it’s not written then I suppose the inquisition could beat it out of him.

[doc1019]

My statement was meant to indicate that most spirit filled preachers, preach as they are lead by the Holy Spirit and not by something written down on paper. Usually they come to the pulpit with only an outline of talking points and let the Holy Sprite dictate were they go from there.

[Teotwawki]

Our church records the sermons so if anyone can’t make it to church one week, they can still go to the church website and get audio and video of any sermon they want. Anyone can access. It’s time for the churches to stand up and be bold. Speak he truth. Challenge any authority that would deny us that right.

[Controlling Legal Authority]

I certainly wouldn’t .