#HoustonWeHaveAProblem Petition Surpasses 10,000 Supporters as Pressure Mounts for City of Houston to Drop Subpoenas

News Staff : Oct 20, 2014
Faith Driven Consumer

“Faith Driven Consumers and people of conscience across the nation—including leaders at the local, state and national levels—are joining the call for the mayor and city officials to unequivocally reverse course and end their harassment of five respected area pastors and ultimately Christians throughout Houston.”

(Raleigh, NC)—Faith Driven Consumer™, 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, has surpassed 10,000 signatures for its latest petition campaign, despite being initially blocked by Twitter. The petition—#HoustonWeHaveAProblem at HoustonProblem.com—asks that the City of Houston immediately “cease and desist all bullying and other offensive actions” against a group of pastors who are victims of aggressive harassment efforts at the hands of the city government.

Last week, dozens of media outlets reported that the City of Houston had demanded 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.”

“Thousands of concerned citizens are signing up in support of this important cause—harnessing the power of social media and keeping the pressure on Houston’s governmental leaders. Faith Driven Consumers and people of conscience across the nation—including leaders at the local, state and national levels—are joining the call for the mayor and city officials to unequivocally reverse course and end their harassment of five respected area pastors and ultimately Christians throughout Houston,” said Chris Stone, founder of Faith Driven Consumer. “We will continue to rally greater levels of grassroots support until tolerance and equality for people of faith are restored in the nation’s fourth largest city.”

Faith Driven Consumer serves as an advocate for more than 41 million consumers—one in every six American adults—who spend $2 trillion annually. The #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 express the desire that “the City of Houston, in its 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.