By: Roy Douglas Malonson
Recently, Dr. Ed Young, pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, made comments regarding “left wing progressives in office,” which is in reference to the Democratic party. These comments were made during one of his sermons, which is a part of The Church Awake series, in which people will learn about “how a church awake to biblical truth can overcome a woke culture.” He also made comments regarding the status of Houston and Harris County in regard to the increase in crime. Many people are upset with the comments made, especially the Democratic Party.
Dr. Young knew exactly what he was doing, despite the boundaries he’s crossed bringing politics into religion. The separation of church and state was established at the end of the 19th century and was created to simply keep religion and the government separate. However, for Ed Young, he wanted those lines to cross. He not only called out the democratic party, but his comment could influence those to vote for the opposite party candidates, which are republican. This isn’t the first time that Dr. Young has made political comments. In 2018, he called out democrats and said they were “some kind of religion that is basically godless” during a watch party.
This time, he said, “If Houston and Harris County is to survive, we have better throw those bums out of office, they are not doing their job we’ve called them to do.” If Ed Young was bold enough to call those in office “bums,” then he should have called them out by name. There are many people of color and democrats in general who hold office and they are part of the “bums” he’s referring to. Some of those key people he could be referring to include Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Chief of Police, Troy Finner, and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. It’s no secret that the “right wing” does not care for the “left wing,” and how republicans are doing everything to keep Texas red.
In addition to his rant, Dr. Young mentioned certain numbers that may or may not be true. Mayor Turned commented on Twitter stating, “Mayor Turner tweeted, “Houston is not the most dangerous city in America. That is factually not true, and people should not [say] it to gain some political benefit. Facts from the pulpit should still matter.”
Although Dr. Young should have kept his opinions to himself, he is not entirely wrong. There has been an increase in crime, and it seems as if there has not been much done to protect this great city. The people in control of the city picks and chooses what it wants to invest in, and their priorities that have been set in motion over the needs of the city. A ton of money has been spent on things like a dog park and bike trails, and yet, we still have a lot of crime issues. There is a huge amount of homeless people, our police departments are understaffed, more resources are needed back in the community, and so much more.
The timing of Dr. Young’s comments is not surprising as many candidates have begun gearing up for their campaign for the November 8, 2022, midterm election. The republicans are gearing up to take over. This is why it is important that we get out and vote! If you don’t vote, you are part of the problem.
