At
first I thought a post I saw regarding this matter was a joke but it appears to
be true. The city of Houston is
demanding that pastors turn over sermons and other communication related to a
city legal matter that is called the “bathroom bill.” I’ve attached a link to this post which
provides additional details regarding this story.
Part of
me thinks: I wish people at City Hall wanted to go over my sermons. I’d be
mildly excited at such a development.
But
another part of me thinks about these questions: Does the city government of
Houston believe it has the authority to control what a pastor says at the
church? What leads them to believe they
have the authority to control what a pastor says at the church? Is this how
governments begin to exercise control over churches?
I know
this is fairly obvious to point out and there are many potential situations in
which this would be much easier said than done, however, I’ll say it, anyhow: A pastor is called by God and the first
priority of the pastor is to be obedient to God. This involves—among other
things—lovingly, honestly, responsibly preaching and teaching the truth of God’s
word.
If
being obedient to God gets the pastor in trouble with the government—and I do
not say this with bravado, I say it with deep concern and seriousness—then the
pastor must be willing to deal with those consequences.
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