Special to Catholic Online: Answers to Prayer in Houston--Pastor Subpoenas are Dropped

Mayor Parker's withdrawal of the pastor subpoenas was good for the city of Houston, good for the churches involved in the conflict and way beyond it, and good for the country.

We can learn several critical lessons from the Houston episode. First, that churches must respond immediately to threats like this one. Christians must be vigilant, informed, and prepared to go to the source of the problem without hesitation. Seventy years ago, the famous Protestant pastor and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, observed about the German church crisis that the people of God were too slow in their response to the Nazi threat. As a consequence, they lost their window in time when they could have stopped an unfolding tragedy. By the time they attempted to act, it was too late. We'll do well to follow the instructions of our Lord when He told the sleeping disciples, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." (Matthew 26:41a) - Rev Rob Schenck

WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - (Note from Deacon Keith Fournier. I have had the privilege of calling Rev Rob Schenck, the President of the National Clergy Council - and his brother, Fr Paul Schenck - my dear friends for several decades. They are also two of my personal heroes.

I have stood by their side as a lawyer, defending them from the brunt of a hostile State in their heroic self sacrifice for the fundamental human rights issues of our age. I have stood with them as a Christian brother, in solidarity with them as they speak - by both word and deed - a prophetic and timely message for this hour.

I have stood with them as a fellow ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as together, we raise our voice and engage in what my Church calls spiritual ecumenism and social action - as properly understood. I have been a member of the National Clergy Council since my own ordination almost twenty years ago. It stands as a promising and prophetic sign of the mandate we all share as Christians in this new missionary age of Christianity. It was also ahead of its time in its bold witness.

Increasingly, all churches and Christian communities are beginning to understand the way in which we must carry this mission together in this urgent hour. We do so because we share a common baptism and understand together all the obligations which flow from that. My readers are aware of my deep concerns over what occurred in Houston, Texas.

I believe that actions like those taken by these dear Christian ministers open the heavens and pave the way for our continued work together in an urgent hour in history. Reverend Rob Schenck's leadership of this effort, as well as his ongoing leadership of the National Clergy Council, evidences the statesman-like, faith-filled manner of response which we should all emulate.

We are in an ongoing struggle for a future of true freedom and human flourishing in a collapsing western culture. There is so much more work to be done. I am happy to bring this update to the readers of Catholic Online.)

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Answers to Prayer in Houston--Pastor Subpoenas are Dropped
Rev. Rob Schenck, D.Min.
President, The National Clergy Council

When the city of Houston issued subpoenas demanding that five local pastors turn over to their sermon notes, emails, and even their personal diaries, it precipitated a national crisis. Pastoral communications of any kind are privileged and sacrosanct. The bond of trust between the priest and penitent, the pulpit and the pew, the preacher and congregants is of the highest order and must be guarded against intrusion, especially by the state.

What happened in Houston was an egregious violation of the First Amendment and, more importantly, the Seal of Confession; it could not be tolerated. That's why the National Clergy Council joined with the Christian Defense Coalition and the League for the Protection of Christian Pastors to organize an emergency pastoral delegation to go to Houston to appeal to the mayor and demand she withdraw the subpoenas.

To our seven member delegation, representing almost as many denominations as we had participants, this was not a political matter. It was, instead, an ethical, moral, and even a theological crisis. There are well-established boundaries around church and state. In the case of Houston, the state, in the form of a municipal government, reached beyond its boundary lines and "invaded" territory that belongs only to the churches.

Our group's mission was to challenge this encroachment from the standpoint that it is churches that must inform the state on where its boundaries lie, not the other way around. We did that first in prayer, on our knees, at the front doors of Houston City Hall. Then we respectfully asked for a face-to-face meeting with the mayor and her top-level staff. Much to our surprise, our request was granted.

While the contents of the hour-long conference with the mayor must remain confidential, I can characterize it as mutually civil, respectful, and even, at times, warm. At its conclusion, our request remained the same: For the city to remove the subpoenas immediately and without qualification. The next morning Mayor Parker did precisely that, announcing at a news conference she was ordering the city's legal department to drop the offending orders. She cited the discussion we had with her as a main reason behind her decision.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz called this outcome a "tremendous victory" for religious freedom and "an answer to prayer." I agree. The Houston pastor subpoenas were instruments of fear and intimidation. For now, those instruments have been neutralized. The underlying conflict in Houston--over a gay rights ordinance--remains in place and is itself serious. That's a battle for the Houston citizenry and we pray for good outcomes for that as well. As far as our delegation's mission, it was a success, for which with give thanks to God.

We can learn several critical lessons from the Houston episode. First, that churches must respond immediately to threats like this one. Christians must be vigilant, informed, and prepared to go to the source of the problem without hesitation. Seventy years ago, the famous Protestant pastor and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, observed about the German church crisis that the people of God were too slow in their response to the Nazi threat.

As a consequence, they lost their window in time when they could have stopped an unfolding tragedy. By the time they attempted to act, it was too late. We'll do well to follow the instructions of our Lord when He told the sleeping disciples, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." (Matthew 26:41a)

Second, we can rely on the power of faith to resolve conflict. Sometimes we resort too quickly to earthly methods when being led by the Spirit is always the better path. Our delegation spoke to the mayor by the authority of Holy Scripture, Christian moral tradition, and only after concerted prayer.

The results were impressive. We watched as the mayor, who had a reputation of belligerence, relaxed and received both the message we brought and the way in which we delivered it. To a man, every one of the seven pastors in our delegation saw this as the work of the Holy Spirit in Mayor Parker's heart and mind.

Third, we can work out serious differences in a gentle and respectful tone. "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:6) Speaking with conviction is different from speaking with contempt. People often confuse the two.

We saw in the first moments of talking with Mayor Parker that graciously appealing to her would get us much further than dismissively making demands on her. At the same time, we never compromised our principles nor the terms of settlement. We spoke the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and it won the day.

Mayor Parker's withdrawal of the pastor subpoenas was good for the city of Houston, good for the churches involved in the conflict and way beyond it, and good for the country. We trust it was also good for the witness of the Gospel of Christ because the process was done with a consciousness of God's love for all, including for the mayor and the members of her administration.

We prayed that they would see Christ in us. Following our meeting she said to reporters about us, "They came without political agendas, without hate in their hearts." That, too, was an answer to our prayers--for ourselves.

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Rev. Schenck is president of the National Clergy Council, a network of pastors and denominational leaders who work together to bring Christian moral principles into the conversation and debate surrounding national policy, and currently serves as the chairman of the Evangelical Church Alliance. He is the first chaplain appointed by the Capitol Hill Executive Service Club, the oldest continuous private association allowed to meet in the United States Capitol.

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