Foundation for Moral Law offers to defend Houston pastors
Contact: Martha Till, 334-262-1245
MONTGOMERY, Ala., October 20, 2014 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Kayla Moore, President of the Montgomery-based
Foundation for Moral Law, denounced the attempt by lesbian Houston, Texas Mayor Annise D. Parker to subpoena sermons and sermon notes as a "blatant assault on religious liberty and a government attempt to control and censor the pulpit."
Houston Mayor Parker has attempted to secure an ordinance allowing cross-gender persons to use either male or female public restrooms as they choose, a move that caused concern among many parents of small children and others. Citizens tried to force a referendum on the ordinance, but the Mayor's forces tried to invalidate their petition by claiming some of its signatures were invalid. Many area pastors spoke out against the Mayor's action, and the Mayor responded by issuing subpoenas for the sermons and sermon notes of these pastors.
On 15 October Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott issued a letter to the Houston City Attorney asserting that the subpoenas are an illegal abuse of power and urged the City to back down from these subpoenas. On 20 October the Foundation wrote to Atty. Gen. Abbott commending him for standing against the subpoenas and offering the Foundation's legal expertise and assistance if the matter proceeds further.
Ms. Moore stated, "Like Lois Lerner of the Internal Revenue Service, Mayor Parker has abused the power of her office to intimidate and suppress churches and pastors from speaking out on a serious moral issue. The Foundation stands with the Attorney General of Texas in resisting this unconstitutional power play and in defending the right of Houston pastors to speak out on matters of moral concern."
