Houston pastors voice opposition to controversial LGBT ordinance

Clergy encourage Houstonians to vote "No" on Proposition 1

HOUSTON—With early voting less than two weeks away about 200 pastors gathered at Second Baptist Church in Houston to demonstrate their united opposition to the city’s controversial Proposition 1 and call on their congregations and all Houstonians to vote “No” on the ordinance that threatens religious liberties and “the sacredness of a man being a man and a woman being a woman.”

“We are not here in judgment. We are not here in condemnation. We are not here with any spirit except, we hope, with the Spirit of our Lord,” Ed Young, pastor of Second Baptist Church, told the gathering Oct. 7. “We live in a pluralistic America. Yet this [ordinance] crosses a line that is absolutely deadly to the generations that are alive now and that will come.”

For over a year pastors and civic leaders have fought to repeal the Equal Rights Ordinance, a law championed by Mayor Annise Parker and passed by the city council in May 2014 that gives civil rights status to LGBT individuals in Houston. Court battles led to a Texas Supreme Court decision in July ordering Parker and city council to place the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Seven pastors of different races and denominations emphasized the biblical, legal and logical reasons for opposing the ordinance. Some reminded the gathering of the darker nature of the struggle.

“A year ago exactly this week I was supposed to turn in all my sermons,” said Hernan Castano, who pastors the Spanish-language congregation Rios De Aceite Church, recalling the subpoenaing of sermons by city attorneys in response to a lawsuit filed against the city over the ordinance.

Khanh Huynh, pastor of Vietnamese Baptist Church, recounted his flight from communist Vietnam, noting that today pastors in that country must submit their sermons for review by officials before they can be preached.

Gregg Matte, pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church, addressed the issue of “gender identity” as it is defined in the ordinance. The law mandates biological males who identify as female must be allowed to use women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and other spaces considered private.

Being male or female is not established by choice but predetermine by biology. The two are necessarily unique, he said.

“Because of this distinction we all feel a need for personal privacy,” said Matte.

That need for privacy is recognized and protected every time a bathroom with doors and locks is built. The establishment of human rights for transgender individuals is not the goal of Proposition 1. Instead, Matte said, “The goal of Proposition 1 is to normalize gender confusion.”

Other SBTC pastors in attendance were Nathan Lino of Northeast Houston Baptist Church, Barry Jeffrie of Humble Area’s First Baptist Church and Marcos Ramos of First Baptist Church Gelena Park. Although their churches sit outside the Houston city limits, many of their members live in Houston and the pastors are encouraging them to vote against Proposition 1.

Early voting in Houston runs Oct. 19-30. The election is Nov. 3.

TEXAN Correspondent
Bonnie Pritchett
Most Read

Cooperative effort among state disaster relief teams assists ranchers affected by Panhandle wildfires

CANADIAN—A massive cooperative effort among Southern Baptist Disaster Relief state teams, including Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief, rushed 1,031 large round bales of hay in early March to areas devastated by recent Panhandle wildfires. …

Stay informed on the news that matters most.

Stay connected to quality news affecting the lives of southern baptists in Texas and worldwide. Get Texan news delivered straight to your home and digital device.