Pence, GOP leaders get pastors' 'rebuke' for RFRA fix

A pastor who stood behind Gov. Mike Pence last month when he signed the "religious freedom" bill stood in the heart of the Statehouse on Monday and publicly rebuked Pence for the "betrayal" of signing the "fix" that quelled the national backlash.

The Rev. Ron Johnson Jr., standing with 19 other clergy who are part of his Indiana Pastors Alliance, told a cheering crowd of more than 150 people that Pence and other Republican leaders had failed to "stand for biblical truth." In bending to pressure from business, media and gay rights activists, Johnson said, they were guilty of a "cowardly capitulation."

"You failed us," Johnson said. "And in doing so, you betrayed the trust of millions of Hoosiers who elected you to protect the liberties we hold so dear."

The rally in the atrium of the Statehouse coincided with the delivery of an open letter from the pastors alliance to the governor and state lawmakers. The letter said the RFRA "fix" had actually "opened a door of repression upon the community" and quoted the Bible in saying that civil authorities must be rebuked "when God's people are put in an oppressive place."

The rebuke is just the latest ripple effect from the storm surrounding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Johnson and other evangelical leaders initially hoped would protect businesses and organizations from being legally required to provide services for gay and lesbian weddings. Some of them, including Johnson, appeared with Pence in a photo from the bill-signing ceremony.

Soon, though, the law's passage prompted a national uproar. Critics said it would legalize discrimination and threatened to wage boycotts or to take business from the state. Quickly, lawmakers passed new legislation — a "fix" — they said would prevent the law from being used to discriminate.

Johnson and others noted Monday that he and conservative legislative leaders were left out of the process of drafting the fix. He said the state's Republican leadership had "sold out the religious liberties of Christians to momentarily quell the cries of special interest groups and alleviate the financial fears of big business."

His words echoed through the Statehouse and were within easy earshot of the governor's office. But Pence did not step out to visit the rally, which was staged and attended by people who have been part of his political base. His critics expressed dismay that political leaders who had their trust before had, as put by the Rev. Carl Kelley, an associate pastor at Phillips Temple CME Church, "folded like a cheap suit."

Kelley, a self-described tea party member, said Pence would do well to remember the lesson of former Sen. Richard Lugar, who was ousted in the 2012 Republican primary by a challenge from his right after his critics said he had lost touch with his base.

"Unless you find a way to fix this fix," Kelley said of Pence, in addressing the crowd, "you're next."

Late Monday afternoon, Pence's office issued a statement about the rally. It said the governor "respects the rights of every Hoosier to express their opinion in public debate. The governor supports religious liberty in Indiana, and he is grateful for the support and prayers he continues to receive from people of faith from across the state."

Criticism, in the letter and at the rally, also was pointedly directed at House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, whom Johnson characterized as the driving force behind the "fix" that effectively said the RFRA could not be used to dilute local ordinances that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Among faith groups, views of same sex marriage and the "religious freedom" law are hardly monolithic. Several Christian denominations came out in support of the "fix" to RFRA.

Long said people have the right to their own opinions, but he is convinced that religious freedom has been enhanced by the legislature's actions. "I'm a proud Christian," he said, "and I think that we did the right thing to make clear that we didn't support using RFRA to discriminate."

Bosma said of the pastors' rebuke: "My faith says to turn the other cheek. ... I concentrated on doing what was best for the state of Indiana."

Hanging on the fringe of the sometimes raucous rally were a handful of gay rights activists sporting American flags with rainbow stripes and signs saying "Indy Welcomes All."

One of them, LGBT activist Kim Saylor, walked in front of the rostrum wearing a rainbow flag like a cape. She interrupted Johnson's remarks and asked the pastor for a hug. He stepped around the podium and put his arms around Saylor, giving her a kiss on the cheek. They told each other they loved each other, and the audience applauded.

It was a rare moment of coming together for the two sides at the Statehouse, where same sex marriage and religious freedom have kept things contentious for two years running.

Saylor, who lives in Indianapolis, is bisexual and plans to marry a woman at the city's gay pride festival in June. She said some of the RFRA supporters attending the rally came up to her afterward and spoke with her cordially. "I told them I'm a praying girl myself," she said.

Raised Catholic, she said she understands the traditional religious views of marriage but said she would prefer that the traditionalists make more of an effort to see her side of things.

"Most of the people I know that are gay are the best, most kind, most loving — and you could say God-fearing — people if you didn't say that they couldn't believe in God because they're gay."

Tolerance, though, is what Johnson and the pastors say they are seeking from gay rights activists. They say people who object to same sex marriage based on their religious beliefs are being "criminalized" by what Johnson called the "gay mafia."

"They are not content to practice tolerance, demanding instead that people of faith celebrate a lifestyle which is expressly forbidden by God in the scriptures," Johnson said at the rally, using language similar to that used in the letter.

"When Christian business owners refuse to participate in homosexual weddings, something most Christians consider to be a mockery of the sacred institution of marriage, they are not extended tolerance. Instead, to the contrary, they are vilified, threatened, attacked and fined into submission."

Star reporter Tony Cook contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Robert King at (317) 444-6089. Follow him on Twitter: @RbtKing.