The silencing of the pulpit: How the tables have turned.

By:  Justin Gourley

We live in an interesting time and an interesting country, would you agree? Whether you are super conservative or a progressive liberal, you must admit we live in a time that we have never seen before in recent history. These times are uncertain and peculiar. We have a disease with a 50% (at least) mortality rate that is being brought into our nation, ISIS is threatening us and knocking on our door, lone-wolf terrorists are popping up in different states, racial upheaval; so on and so forth. This country is groaning...what’s next?

I recently learned that Annise Parker, the first openly lesbian Mayor of Houston, TX, has issued a subpoena for all Houston Pastors' sermons that contain the subject of homosexuality and/or gender identity.  Really?...I mean, when I first heard this, I thought I was in a dream, living in communist Russia. 

A little about me. I am a conservative Christian. However, don’t think of me as your typical bible-thumping, overweight white guy who stands on a corner telling everyone they’re going to hell without telling them the good in Christ. That isn’t me. Unfortunately, too many people these days are exposed to that type of Christianity.  That version is just wrong and creates hatred for the church. I don't believe that the King James version of the Bible is the only thing you can read. I don’t believe that women are supposed to take a backseat or only wear dresses. And I certainly don’t believe in walking around judging everyone that I come in contact with. In fact, for those reasons, I don’t even want you to call me a Christian.  That label has been distorted by hypocrites.  I am a follower of Jesus Christ and what His word teaches.

With that being said, for the purpose of this post, I’m going to attempt to take a completely neutral, unbiased position on the subject of this Houston Mayor and what surrounds it. I will not be using the Bible to make any points of why this is right or wrong. If I may, I’m going to take the liberty of assuming you probably know my stance on this.

In the 1950’s, to admit you were homosexual meant that you were probably going to be an outcast and ridiculed at the least. If you were homosexual, you certainly didn’t want anyone to know it. In the late 1800’s and prior, it probably meant suicide to admit your persuasion. From the 1970’s and on, the idea of homosexuality has moved from being rejected to being somewhat excepted.  To present day where our society praises the behavior.  For Christians, it’s the exact opposite.  It has started to take bravery to announce your faith. 

Some people would argue the reason for that is that we as a people and a nation are now smarter and more sophisticated from that of the days of Noah. I would argue that we are the opposite. In our present day, to admit you are a true bible believing follower of Jesus means that you will probably be called a bigot and be rejected. This is what I mean by saying the tables have turned. On the subject of the mayor issuing a subpoena for all sermons preached in the city; folks...that’s communism. Your position or my position on the subject of homosexuality is totally irrelevant at this point. That is modern communism.

Political pressure on the church, regardless of the office it originates from, can't be tolerated.  How can pastors exercise their God given, inalienable right to free speech and right of conscience if political entities are just around the corner issuing decries and threatening your congregation with fear tactics.  With a crowbar, atheists and secularists have wedged the idea of separation of church and state into judicial precedent.  Yet now, with the wind to their back, they set their aim at attacking the church.  

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“What about the first amendment?” “What about the right to say what we believe is true?” That's what I hear many Christians saying now. Wait.  Isn’t that what the homosexual community was saying before they could legally marry? You see, this works both ways. First, the homosexual community were speaking out, wanting their rights to marry. Now that they are able to do so, progressives are trying to silence the church and though intimidation, silence their belief. Before homosexuals hard the legal recognition from the state or federal government to marry, some were quick to call Christians bigots because they didn’t want to see gay marriage legalized. Now that they're able to do so, their are some who now want to see the Christian community with no rights.

You know what this proves to me? This proves to me that most people, no matter what “side” they’re on, aren’t really fighting for right and wrong. They're fighting for only what they want and what will benefit themselves at the expense of anyone who tries to stop them. Personal gain and greed is turning America into a real life Gotham.  

I know that I said I would not throw the Bible in this post, but I’m going to break my promise :) I want to leave you with this. Jesus’ disciples once asked Him what the absolute greatest commandment is. He didn’t say not to lie or not to steal or don’t be homosexual...no. He said, “love your neighbor as yourself”. Could we agree that that, in itself,  is a good thing? If we truly believed that and kept that at the forefront of our mind and actually cared about other people. I think we would see a lot of our issues as a nation start to improve; slowly but surely.