#HoustonWeHaveAProblem Petition Launches at HoustonProblem.com, Demands City of Houston Immediately Cease Bullying Actions Against Pastors

Houston Mayor Annise Parker.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker. Photo courtesy of Zblume (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
RALEIGH, N.C. – Faith Driven Consumerâ„¢, the group that emerged on the national stage last year with its #IStandWithPhil campaign that played a leading role in Phil Robertson’s return to Duck Dynasty, continues to serve as an advocate for more than 41 million consumers who spend $2 trillion annually. Today, the group is launching a major petition campaign #HoustonWeHaveAProblem – using the website  HoustonProblem.com – demanding that the City of Houston immediately “cease and desist all bullying and other offensive actions” against a group of pastors who are victims of an aggressive harassment effort at the hands of the city government. The city is demanding that a group of pastors turn over any sermons – including personal correspondence such as emails – “dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor” as  reported by Fox News.

“Pastors are a critical part of the very fabric of American society. They have been iconic champions of major moral issues such as American Independence, abolishing slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor laws, and civil rights. Now, a group of pastors who have continued this tradition are being bullied by the strong-arm tactics of the government of America’s fourth-largest city-simply for preaching out of the same book that Houston’s officials took their oath of office on,” said Chris Stone, Founder of Faith Driven Consumer. “Today, we are launching the  #HoustonWeHaveAProblem petition drive at  HoustonProblem.com because we know that untold millions of Americans are or will be outraged by this. We are asking people of conscience to sign up, stand with pastors everywhere and show the city of Houston that we will not tolerate intolerance.”

Faith Driven Consumer’s new #HoustonWeHaveAProblem petition campaign reminds everyone that “pastors have been at the very center of American society since even before our founding as a nation, and they remain an integral part of the lives of untold of millions of Americans today,” that “our First Amendment protects freedom of speech and religion” and that “we…live in a society that values equality, including the notion that everyone has the right to publicly express deeply held beliefs without fear of persecution or reprisal.” Signers at HoustonProblem.com desire that “the City of Houston, in their quest to provide protection for LGBT citizens, to equally and explicitly acknowledge and ensure the equal rights of people of faith to live and express openly their deeply held religious beliefs.”

Read the full petition at  HoustonProblem.com.