Follow up from recent links sent to you via cartecayBC@googlegroups.com.
Edward D Lacey
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The city of Houston has managed to unite Baptists divided on other issues to speak with one voice on an application of their shared belief in religious freedom -- that the government should not subpoena sermons.
Baptists on both sides of a divide from the days of the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) urged Houston Mayor Annise Parker in a letter Thursday (Oct. 16) to concede that the city's subpoenas of sermons and other pastoral communications were wrong and will not be repeated. In a suit against the city, lawyers for Parker's administration have issued broad subpoenas to four pastors and a ministry leader who oppose the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, known as HERO among the homosexual-transgender ordinance's supporters.
City Attorney Dave Feldman, in another development, struck the word "sermons" from the subpoenas today (Oct. 17). But attorneys for the ministers maintained that nothing short of a complete withdrawal of the documents will suffice.
-- Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott urged Feldman in an Oct. 16 letter to withdraw the subpoenas. Abbott told Feldman, "Whether you intend it to be so or not, your action is a direct assault on the religious liberty guaranteed by the First Amendment," Abbott wrote. "The people of Houston and their religious leaders must be absolutely secure in the knowledge that their religious affairs are beyond the reach of the government. Nothing short of an immediate reversal by your office will provide that security."
-- Parker, a lesbian who fervently promoted passage of the ordinance, indicated Oct. 15 after receiving the first wave of criticism that the city would change its approach on the subpoenas, but Feldman and she also seemed to fail to appreciate the religious liberty concerns. According to The Wall Street Journal, a city spokeswoman said Parker agreed with concerns about the subpoenas, which she said were issued by pro bono lawyers for Houston. Neither Parker nor Feldman "were aware the subpoenas had been issued until yesterday," the spokeswoman said. "Both agree the original documents were overly broad. The city will move to narrow the scope during an upcoming court hearing. Feldman says the focus should be only on communications related to the HERO petition process." Parker, however, tweeted Oct. 14, the previous day: "If the 5 pastors used pulpits for politics, their sermons are fair game. Were instructions given on filling out anti-HERO petition?" At an Oct. 15 news conference, Feldman said the subpoenas had been inaccurately "construed" as an effort to infringe on religious freedom, according to the Southern Baptist TEXAN. "All of this hysteria about how we're trying to infringe -- all because of the used of the word 'sermon' -- is really ridiculous," Feldman said.
