MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — A group of pastors from different denominations gathered at the Alabama Supreme Court to call for the reinstatement of Chief Justice Roy Moore.
A group of pastors from different denominations gathered at the Alabama Supreme Court Thursday morning to call for the reinstatement of Chief Justice Roy Moore. Tom Ford, of the Sanctity of Marriage organization, also spoke at the press conference.
Moore was suspended by the Judicial Inquiry Commission earlier this month. The complaint issued by the JIC lists a number of charges against Moore including failure to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and failing to uphold the law.
The JIC cited the federal court ruling in a case which declared a state same sex marriage ban unconstitutional.
The complaint centered on Moore’s January 2016 administrative order instructing probate judges to uphold state law by not issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples until the Alabama Supreme Court had ruled on the implications of that case.
The group of pastors who gathered to support Moore say they believe he is in the right on moral and legal grounds.
“Judge Moore’s ruling is based on sound judicial principals. Granted they may be debatable, but he’s come down on one side of the matter. This has not gone to the U.S. Supreme Court on his precise ruling so at this point he has strong legal grounds for his position,” said Dr. John Killian, Pastor of Maytown Baptist Church and past President of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
Troy Towns, Senior Vice-Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, says he is also an ordained minister and that the gathering was spiritually motivated, not politically motivated.
He called on pastors to get involved in the debate.
“Pastors you’d better get involved in the political process because if you don’t it’s coming after you,” said Towns.
“They go to church every Sunday and they’re sitting in our pews and they’re saying I’m alright with gay marriage. I’m alright with somebody having a sex change and I’m sitting here thinking I’ve watched them grow up in the church and you want to know why? Because we’ve got too many punks in the pulpit. Ya’ll can I just be straight up with you? We’ve just got too many punks in the pulpit,” said Towns. “They have been intimidated by the spirit of Goliath and so we’re having church, but we’re not having any impact.”
