Houston and Homosexuality Part II: In Praise of Squeaky Wheels

Update
Yesterday I posted on Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s subpoena of pastor’s sermons and communications, an extraordinary move by any standards. In response to a lawsuit filed by petitioners whose signatures had been invalidated by the Houston City Council, a number of local pastors received court orders to turn over all records of any sermons they recently preached on the topics of homosexuality, transsexualism, and the Mayor herself.

But wheels far squeakier than me were talking as well. Coast to coast objections to a city government scrutinizing sermon materials were expressed via Fox News, The National Review, The Wall Street Journal, and the Huffington Post. State Senator Ted Cruz cried foul, as did Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who called the City Council subpoenas “aggressive and invasive”, showing “no regard” for First Amendment protections.

So Now What?
Earlier the Mayor had defended her city’s actions, calling the pastor’s sermons “fair game.” Not now. In a press conference yesterday, in light of the firestorm of criticism she was receiving, Ms. Parker claimed to have been initially unaware of the subpoena’s wording, blaming the pro-bono attorneys who drafted them, and admitting that their demands were “overly broad.”

The entire matter was now, she claimed, under review, so stay tuned. This is an ongoing plot with the potential of a mini-series.

It’s uncertain as of this writing whether the subpoenas will be withdrawn or simply modified, just as it’s uncertain who or what to believe. Would the Mayor’s attorneys really draft subpoenas without running them past the Mayor herself? If she was unaware of their wording, is she absolved of responsibility for their content, or does the buck stop with her? Did she initially believe, as she said she did, that sermons were fair game for official review, but then had a change of heart?

Who knows? What we do know is that there’s the smell of something awfully rotten in the state of Texas, but OK, no one has the right to speculate on the Mayor’s truthfulness, and judgment really should be suspended until more facts are clear.

But one fact does seem clear: If Houston pastors and Christians hadn’t raised a significant stink about this abuse of power (a stink which wafted its way to some pretty influential nostrils whose objections couldn’t be ignored) then there’s good reason to believe it would have gone unchecked. Christians spoke up over an injustice, and the injustice is seemingly on its way to some form of correction.

Politically Active or Politically Passive?
So the takeaway questions is, Are we called to resist political wrongdoing, or does the faith require we turn the other cheek?

Several scriptures and examples come to mind, I know. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, so true righteousness is never attained by social action. Yet responsible social action has merit, evidenced in the abolitionist movement, the Civil Rights Movement, or the European underground resisting Hitler, causes which, I’m proud to say, countless Christians participated in.

On a smaller level, Paul set both example and precedent when he opposed a Roman official’s unjust action towards him. When he was called for examination at Jerusalem, a riot having broken out over his presence and teachings, a Chief Captain ordered him to be interrogated by whipping. Romans citizens were exempt from this brutal form of questioning; Paul, a Roman born man, had legitimate cause to protest. And he did, pointing out his citizenship and the rights that went with it. (Acts 22: 25-26)

The reasons for going and doing likewise are not just self-serving. If Houston’s Christian community hadn’t protested, a precedent would have been allowed which no doubt would have been repeated, in other states at other times, the result being the crippling of the Church’s ability to teach the full counsel of God, disciple properly, and promote sound doctrine. The wheels involved, God bless them, weren’t just squeaky, they were right. And I strongly believe they deserve our gratitude and applause.

Yesterday I mentioned the ongoing pressure, and outright sanctions, churches will face in the future if they don’t toe the cultural line on sexuality. It’s inevitable; a coming attraction we don’t relish but have to face. But so long as we can avert it, we should, so that when genuine persecution hits the church, it won’t be because we negligently allowed it.

And that, to my thinking, is what this teachable moment’s all about.