Clergy Respond to Houston Sermon Subpoenas

One week after the city of Houston issued subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or the city’s openly lesbian mayor, Annise Parker, clergy are responding.

After calling church sermons “fair game” for subpoena, Parker walked back from city efforts to force pastors to either turn over sermons related to a transgender ordinance or be charged with contempt.

“It may be an innocent fact-finding mission, it may be an attempt to intimidate,” explained Dr. Stephen P. Wende, Senior Pastor of Houston’s First Methodist Church about the subpoenas. “As Christians, members of the body of Christ and of First Methodist Houston, we will treat all people with dignity and respect, and that is never in question.”

“We have and will stand on the wisdom of God’s word,” Wende continued. “That means all of us will be accountable to his word and the choices we make. If anybody wants to know anything the pastors of this church are preaching, come to church.”

Criticism of Parker has come from across the political spectrum, with Dr. C. Welton Gaddy of the liberal Interfaith Alliance authoring an open letter to both the Houston mayor and city attorney.

“My understanding is that the sermons that reportedly were subpoenaed take a very different perspective than mine. However, I will work as hard to defend the freedom of speech from the pulpit for those with whom I disagree, as I will to defend the rights of the LGBT community,” Gaddy wrote. “As long as a sermon is not inciting violence, the government has no business getting involved in the content of ministers’ sermons.”

After significant pushback, Parker revised the city’s request stating that the subpoenas now seek “all speeches or presentations related to HERO [the transgender ordinance] or the Petition” the pastors delivered, revised, approved or have on hand, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle. The changes were dismissed as “solves nothing” by Alliance Defending Freedom and as a ‘head-fake’ by Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council.

“We are recipients of a long heritage of boys whose blood was shed for the freedoms we have today. They have not died in vain. If the pulpit is not free, then freedom has been lost,” wrote First Baptist Church of Katy, Texas, Pastor Randy White. “There is no middle ground on this one, no benefit of the doubt, no possible misunderstanding. I will not be silent. Send me to jail, confiscate my goods, or take my life, but I will not be silent. And, I am sure, I will not be alone.”

Pastor Gregg Matte of Houston’s First Baptist Church in an interview with the Christian Examiner predicted the subpoenas would eventually be withdrawn, but that this issue brings to the forefront what Americans believe about religious liberties.

“Are we willing to stand for our religious freedoms, or not?” Matt asked. “Pastors don’t want to be preparing their sermons each week wondering if the government approves. We left England to get away from religious oppression. And when we are challenged like this, our religious liberty is at stake.”