Culture war propaganda

Did you hear the one about the preacher that was jailed for holding a bible study session in his home? To fully appreciate the story, let me set the scene for you. It is a peaceful Sunday morning. The birds are chirping. Kids are out playing. Suddenly. there is a screech of tires in the driveway and the slamming of car doors. An army of police in riot gear burst through the door, grab the bible from the preacher's hands, and roughly handcuff the bewildered man.

Fox News, the last bastion for truth, justice, and the American way, was quick to cover the story. This case shows how religion, especially Christianity, is under attack by a government overrun with secularists, atheists, and even an Islamist or two.

The controversy erupted in 2009 when nearly a dozen police officers raided the Salman’s home and a 2,000 square foot building in their backyard. The family had moved their Bible study into the building after the group outgrew their living room.

Pastor Michael Salman, brave and resolute in the face of persecution, tells supporters to keep the faith.

“We believe that people should not be prohibiting other people from having Bible studies in their homes,” Salman said outside the jail. “We believe what they are doing is wrong. It’s private property. It’s our home.”

Salman embraced some of his Bible study members before offering final remarks.

“At the very end, after all is said and done, God will ultimately have glory in this,” he said. “We do this for the glory of the Lord.”

Someone off camera could be heard remarking, “I love you, pastor.”

Religious liberty is the new buzzword. We have Catholic bishops holding prayer vigils and calling the president as bad as Hitler and Stalin. There are lawsuits galore over alleged violations of free speech and exercise of religion on public property. Mega-church pastors are demanding the right to endorse political candidates from the pulpit and preach hatred about a laundry list of enemies. Public schools are under fire for not allowing creationism to be taught in science classes and not teaching that America was created as a Christian nation. Any organization with a religious charter is demanding the right to ignore laws that violate their "conscience" and make money without paying any taxes.

Religious liberty is a narrative that has more to do with power and money than with religion. It is deeply cynical. What else can you call people who already have special privileges and want more? These are people who claim to be persecuted every time society does not bend and bow to their every whim.

Consider the case of the preacher in Arizona supposedly persecuted for holding bible study in his home. When he purchased the property, it was zoned for residential use only. Michael Salman petitioned for tax-exempt status for his home and property as a church. This petition was granted in 2008 and he has exercised this privilege of not paying property taxes ever since. He then built a 2000 square foot "game room" behind the residence, which did not conform to building codes for structures open to the public.

Here is the gist of the case from the Arizona Republic:

The city's conflict with Salman began even before he and his wife decided to build the game room onto their home, when concerns about the use of the property were beginning to emerge. Salman's addition was approved by the city with the caveat that the property not house a business or church, among other uses.

The reason: Specific zoning and safety requirements would otherwise apply. Such concerns include adequate parking, emergency exits, Fire Department access and other measures intended to protect the safety of large numbers of people who might congregate there.

When city officials discovered Salman was using the game room as a sanctuary, prosecutors initiated a civil action against the Harvest Community Church, resulting in a fine of about $180,000, Carreon-Ainsa said.

In other words, Michael Salman lied about the intended use of the "game room" and ignored building requirements to protect public safety. He wanted the right to ignore laws he found inconvenient. He also ignored the rights of his neighbors to have a say in zoning variations in their neighborhood. In effect, he failed even the most narrow definition of loving your neighbor as yourself.

Fox News and other culture war propaganda outlets neglected one other little detail. Why did the police arrive in large numbers and wearing protective gear to serve a civil warrant? Pastor Salman has a history of violence.

Salman was sentenced to six years in prison in 1993 for shooting into an occupied home in Phoenix a year earlier. The victim told the judge that she felt one of the bullets from Salman's gun go through her hair and barely miss her head, according to court documents.

A witness in that case told prosecutors that Salman had used a gun to threaten a man in a Paradise Valley mall one month before he was indicted in the shooting, that Salman had participated in other drive-by shootings and that he carried a gun in a concealed holster.

It does make you wonder how someone with so little regard for others can possibly teach others to be humble, merciful, compassionate, forgiving, and loving in the broadest sense of the word. Perhaps he has changed. After all, the Apostle Paul was a genocidal maniac before his conversion on the road to Damascus.

But all is fair in political love and culture war. Just ask Tony Perkins.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council said the attack against Salman should serve as a wake-up call to Christians across the nation.

“Any time religious freedom or the freedom of speech is infringed upon, Americans should be concerned,” Perkins told Fox News Radio. “We are seeing jurisdictions using zoning ordinances to crack down the exercise of religious freedom.”

Tony Perkins and other culture warriors are truly magnificent cynics. They never miss an opportunity to spin events to shape public opinion regardless of the facts. Facts be damned. Lies are just a necessary evil towards a glorious end.

Michael Salman was not "attacked." He either lied to obtain a building permit or violated the terms of that permit. He broke the law. He got caught. Turning him into a victim and folk hero is profoundly cynical. It is not surprising that people are losing confidence in organized religion and younger generations are turning away from faith.

There is another word beyond cynical to describe culture war gambits. Blasphemy. Using the name of God to gain power, privilege, or money shows no reverence for the sacred. It is pathetic witness instead of prophetic witness. One would do well to remember what Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day for doing (Luke 11: 39-43).

Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you — be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

In other words, they paid lip service to God while serving themselves.