Baptist Press hits a lick at the 'Phoenix Pastor Jailed' story

A few days ago I wrote on the case of a Phoenix pastor who was jailed for having a church on his property:

Don't get suckered by the 'Pastor Jailed for Holding Bible Study' case

Baptist Press has now picked up the story and includes six paragraphs about it under their "Culture Digest" feature:

CULTURE DIGEST: Pastor jailed, fined for home church; city says it's a zoning issue

The article is not signed and does a decent job of representing both sides of the matter. 

It has always been somewhat of a mystery to me how our journalistic sages at Baptist Press decide what to cover, what not to cover, and how to cover. 

I don't dispute that this particular story is interesting and relevant, for several reasons: 

1. An agressive, highly visible and communicative pastor is in jail and partly because of his holding a church on his property. 

2. Churches are subject to certain laws and statutes, and rightly so. Zoning laws are relevant and have sometimes been misused in this area. Baptist Press could provide some depth here but doesn't. Perhaps they lack the interest or personnel.   

3. A high-profile lawyer is on the case. Has John Whitehead and The Rutherford Institute a close enough relationship to get our denominational press to put a neutral piece up about his latest ecclesiastical cause celebre case? Perhaps Todd Starnes, who wrote about it for Fox and who used to be at BP, made a phone call. I daresay that if Whitehead wasn't involved BP wouldn't be touching this one.

Seems to me that this case, which doesn't involve an SBC church or minister, is a matter of interest to Southern Baptists only if sufficient context and background is provided, which Baptist Press doesn't do.

If this is part of a culture war sort of thing, then we should be helped to  understand more about it, how it affects us, how it reflects some cultural trend or reality. 

Baptist Press should either do a real story on this or leave it alone.

Don't get suckered by the 'Pastor jailed for holding Bible study' case

Conservative Christians provide a thriving market for stories like the one making the rounds here recently about the Phoenix pastor jailed for holding a Bible study in his home.

Shocking! Right here in America, you say? How so?

Here is Fox News on it: Arizona Pastor Arrested, Jailed for Holding Bible Study in Home; His Wife Says It 'Defies Logic'


The beleaguered pastor is pictured in a grave pose with the caption, "Imprisoned for preaching."  Bunyanesque.

Here is the Christian Post article: Lawyer of Jailed Pastor in Home Bible Study Case Speaks Out

Our formerly own Todd Starnes has a Fox piece on it: Man Facing Jail For Hosting Home Bible Study. 


Lawyer for the pastor, John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute, compared the situation to what might happen in Iran. 

When I began to see this case tossed about on the blogs, I recognized that something was not quite right. In a former life, I worked as a faceless bureaucrat in the area of zoning administration. Although it has been quite some time since those days, I retain a working familiarity with such things.

Almost all communities restrict the placement of churches and other places of worship. This is perfectly constitutional, almost never nefarious, and is consistent with the same laws that restrict businesses suchs as abattoirs and cement plants to certain areas. Suburban Mike and Molly don't want to wake up one morning and look out their bedroom window to see that a poultry processing plant has popped up fifty feet away; hence, zoning laws are everywhere in America (except Houston where it's too hot and humid to live anyway).

The devil can certainly be in the details on church zoning matters.  Communities cannot use the zoning codes to eliminate churches. Not surprisingly, there is a body of litigation on such things. Also not surprisingly, there is more to the Phoenix case.

Michael Salman Is Not in Jail for Having Bible Studies in His Home, this from the Phoenix New Times (where 'religious' is mysteriously spelled 'religulous').

The same outlet has a piece, Michael Salman wants to build a church in his backyard. His neighbors aren't buying it, which notes that the pastor "...was planning to build a church right there in his backyard. He talked about not just Sunday services, but weeknight Bible studies, a workout room and basketball court, even a Christian day care center."

Hmmm, church on steroids, in your quiet neighborhood. Seems that there is a bit more than just having a few friends over occasionally for Bible study and enchiladas.

The city authorities, recognizing that a tsunami of uninformed Christian indignation was coming, issued a fact sheet and time line: Phoenix Officials Release 'Fact Sheet' in Jailed Pastor's Home Bible Study Case.

Whaddayaknow, the devil is in the details of this case.

This might just as legitimately be a story about telling the truth. Salman told the city he was building a garage in his back yard and later obtained a permit for a "game room." Church? What church?

This might be a story about a pastor who acts as if he is above properly enacted, perfectly reasonable laws which lower forms of American citizenry must obey but not some varieties of Christians. Salman denies his "game room" is a church despite having regular meetings of dozens and dozens of people who sit in rows of chairs facing a dais, despite his publicly describing and filing for tax status as a church, and despite offerings being received.

This might be a story about a failure to be above reproach.

This might be a story about not being a good neighbor.

There might be a story here about making money on sensationalist news, or on obtaining face time for a high profile religious liberty case.

There might even be a story about the effect of some aspects of the zoning codes on places of assembly.

Who knows? There might be an overzealous bureaucrat or two lurking about.

But what there doesn't seem to be here is a story about an oppressed Christian.

Don't get suckered into this one.

You're welcome.