The school district and the housing authority of Birmingham, Alabama, separately voted this week to sever ties with the largest church in the state after its pastor “liked” social media posts by Turning Point USA founder and President Charlie Kirk.
The Birmingham Board of Education voted Tuesday night to end its leases with the Church of the Highlands after Pastor Chris Hodges, a member of the Evangelicals for Trump Coalition, liked multiple social media posts by Mr. Kirk, whose nonprofit organization promotes conservative ideals on college campuses, AL.com reported.
The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District [HABD] Board of Commissioners cast a similar vote Monday, stating that Mr. Hodges’ values were “not in line with those of HABD residents.”
The Church of the Highlands had previously paid an average of $12,000 a month each to rent Parker High School and Woodlawn High School for Sunday worship services, AL.com reported.
The church also provided free COVID-19 testing at its Christ Health Clinic for Birmingham public housing residents, and it gave free mentoring and health and social services to public housing residents all over the city, AL.com reported.
The board said Monday that Church of the Highlands volunteers and clinic workers would no longer be permitted to work at public housing communities.
“HABD greatly appreciates the many resources provided for our residents by [Church of the Highlands] staff and volunteers over the years,” HABD officials said. “Severing this partnership does not diminish the great work and support from COTH, which has made a difference in the lives of countless residents.”
Among the posts “liked” by Mr. Hodges was a photo of Mr. Kirk donating blood above the sentence, “We all must do our part to defeat China Virus,” AL.com reported. Another post reportedly “liked” by the pastor showed former President Barack Obama playing golf beneath a quote from Michelle Obama urging people to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.
The pastor apologized for his social media activity last week, saying he had come to a new understanding about race relations after talking with the local community in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd, whose police-custody death in Minneapolis sparked unrest across the country.
“I realize that I have hurt people that I love deeply because I ‘liked’ multiple insensitive social media posts,” Mr. Hodges said in a statement. “Each one was a mistake. I own it. I’m sorry. I’ve learned so much in the past few days about racial disparities in America. I wish I could sit down and have a conversation with everyone impacted or hurt by my actions.
“I have realized I can’t thoughtlessly scroll through social media and click ‘like’ on a post while not fully understanding all that post represents,” he continued. “After taking the time to review and reflect, I can tell you those social media posts that I ‘liked’ do not reflect, in any way, my true feelings or beliefs. I now realize they were hurtful and divisive, and I sincerely apologize.”
Meanwhile, the decision by Birmingham officials caught the attention of President Trump’s son.
“They’re canceling the pastor of the largest (and most racially diverse) church in Alabama just because he liked some of @charliekirk11’s posts. Absolutely insane,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Tuesday.
Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement Wednesday calling the move by Birmingham officials “an attack on both religious liberty and freedom of speech.”
“This cannot happen in America, and certainly should never happen in Alabama. Birmingham will not become Berkeley,” Mr. Sessions wrote, AL.com reported. “The First Amendment guarantees to every American the right to freely express their religious beliefs. Too often, this right has been ignored. This grave error must end.”
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