IS THE INVOCATION AT BROWNSVILLE CITY COMMISSION MEETINGS "INCLUSIVE" AS MANDATED BY THE SUPREME COURT?

 

Pastor Brad Burke Blessing City Commission Meeting

John Adams, our second president cleared up the role of religion in U.S. government:

"The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reiterates and reaffirms that notion by forbidding Congress from making any "law respecting an establishment of religion."

Simply put, Americans are free to worship as they wish or not.

Yet, what about the practice of governmental entities opening their meetings or sessions with prayer to a god or deity as is currently practiced at Brownsville's City Commission?

Well, in 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it was not a violation of the First Amendment for government bodies, such as a city commission, to open their meetings with prayer as long as a "good faith effort at inclusion" had been made.

Inclusion?

"Inclusion," in this increasingly diverse country, might mean more than simply allowing various Christian pastors to lead the invocation or "invoke a deity" at Brownsville's city commission meetings.

Inclusion within Brownsville might mean more than simply using Catholic priests or other mainstream Christian clergy.  

What about Mormon elders or ministers from Jehovah's Witnesses or Seventh-Day Adventists and Jewish rabbis? Are they not allowed to "invoke a deity" for the City Commission?

Oh, yes, the deity?  Which deity makes the cut?

Jesus Christ, Jehovah or Elohim?

What about Allah, Buddha, Brahma, Vishnu or Siva?

Is our city practicing "inclusion" if those Gods and belief systems are not involved?

Pastor Brad Burke, pictured above, sometimes described as a chaplin, typically handles the invocation before Brownsville City Commission meetings or introduces another religious leader for that purpose.

We're not sure if Burke's role is official or voluntary, but he's said also to lead a service on Monday nights at 7PM at the Faith Church on Los Ebanos Boulevard, but, reportedly, is seeking his own church to lead.

The building at International and E. Washington Street Pastor Brad Burke hopes to purchase to establish "The Embassy of the Spirit."  Burke is asking for donations to help make the purchase.

Burke states that God showed him "a vision in 2005 when He sent me to Brownsville. The vision showed me starting a church here.  Then He spoke to me in the spirit saying, 'Do it all bilingual and Call it the "Embassy of The Spirit,' bringing two cultures to God."

Burke's plan is to purchase the building pictured above at International Boulevard and East Washington Street to establish his church and is accepting donations for that purpose.

But, while Burke navigates his future in this community, Brownsville's City Commission may want to consider if their current arrangement for invoking a deity's involvement in commission meetings is really inclusive as the Supreme Court ruling mentioned above mandates.

If so, why does Burke, a specific pastor from a very specific Christian denomination and church, control that process?