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On the morning of September 23, 2022, gun-toting FBI agents showed up at the home of Mark Houck, a pro-life father.
His entire family---his wife and seven children--- were awakened by the early morning pounding on the door of their home by FBI agents.
Houck, his wife, and his kids remember it well. They were traumatized as they saw their dad cuffed and hauled away by the agents.
What did he do?
Why did they arrest him?
Mark Houck is now taking a stand. Not only does he still oppose abortion, but now it's Mark Houck vs. the United States.
Be informed, not misled.
It all started when Mark Houck is a devout pro-life Catholic who regularly went to the local Planned Parenthood to quietly and legally stand and pray for the women coming to the abortion shop to take the life of their unwanted unborn child.
On this particular day, he took his oldest son along with him. A pro-abortion man standing nearby began taunting the then 12-year-old son---right in his face---demeaning the boy's father and their Christian beliefs.
Finally, Mark had enough and walked over to ask the man to leave his son alone. The man refused and continued, so Mark pushed him away from his son.
An abortion worker saw the incident. A lawsuit was filed against Mark. The case was dismissed.
However:
The Biden Department of Justice kicked in.
Houck was later charged by the Department of Justice with counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act after he shoved a pro-abortion volunteer escort who was harassing his young son outside an abortion clinic in Philadelphia.
This is from the people who champion "getting rid of bigotry wherever it is found."
The Apostle Paul called these events "persecution for the Gospel."
If convicted, he was facing up to 11 years in prison and a $350,000 fine.
Then, on Jan. 30, a jury acquitted Houck on all charges.
Houck and his family later prayed outside of the Philadelphia federal courthouse.
"I thank you, Lord. When two or more are gathered in your name, you are there in our midst. Your Spirit is here," he prayed.
Mark is moving on, but he and his family are living with the trauma of the FBI agents' early morning raid on their home.
Mark Houck and his wife, Ryan-Marie Houck, are now suing the federal Department of Justice over the DOJ’s treatment of their family, accusing the DOJ of a “faulty” investigation that led to an excessively forceful arrest and a “malicious and retaliatory prosecution” that has severely impacted their entire family.
Houck and his wife filed their lawsuits against the DOJ on Monday but did not formally announce the news until yesterday morning. Their complaints detail the trauma that the entire family suffered when they discovered armed FBI agents banging on their door early in the morning on Sept. 23, 2022.
Mark says the FBI agents "were all the way lined down my driveway. I had agents on my porch with long guns."
Houck’s suit describes this arrest as an “unnecessary and unlawful show of force,” accusing the agents of intentionally seeking to assault him and deprive him of his Fourth Amendment rights “by using excessive force to arrest him on non-violent charges when he had not threatened law enforcement, did not own a gun, and had offered to turn himself into authorities if indicted.”
Ryan-Marie Houck is seeking $3.25 million in damages for herself and for her children. Mark Houck seeks $1.1 million for malicious prosecution, retaliatory prosecution, false arrest, abuse of process, and assault.
Mark announced in August that he is running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.
“This lawsuit will send a strong message to the DOJ that the United States of America does not belong to [Attorney General] Merrick Garland or the FBI; it belongs to all Americans, despite our many disagreements on different issues,” said Shawn Carney, president of the pro-life organization 40 Days for Life, which is representing Houck. “We all believe that we should have the right to free speech and be protected from unlawful infringement by our own government.”
He added: “Mark and his wife have valid and critical claims against the government that raided their house and pointed guns at them and their screaming children. Mark, his wife, and their seven children have been devastated by this horrific event, which should never have happened if not for the bigotry of our compromised DOJ.”
The DOJ's bigotry toward biblical beliefs is fostering other anti-Christian responses.
A local Spokane, Washington, pastor has contacted me regarding his recent experience.
I received this email dated 11/7/2023:
Hi Gary!
I was at Spokane City Council last night and a bunch of aggressive well-organized anti-Israel, anti-police, Marxists took over city hall and shut down the Spokane City Council meeting (in the same mold as Chop/Chaz, BLM, and Antifa). I am typing a letter to all 7 council members to point out how aggressive they were to Bible-believing Christians, but feeble and permissive to these activists. While looking through my folder I realized I typed up something to the Pacific Justice Institute when this mess first started to explain it. Here it is in case it helps.
This is Pastor Jay McPherson's summary of what's happening in Spokane:
Our religious liberties seem to have been blatantly disregarded in Spokane. Our mayor came to a city-wide worship service (with Sean Feucht). The city council formally renounced her with Resolution 2023-0081 for associating with people who believe what the Bible teaches about sexuality. Paragraph 6 reads:
“WHEREAS video images of the public event show that minutes before calling Mayor Nadine Woodward on stage, Matt Shea listed the problems he believes the country is facing, specifically naming homosexual marriage and transgender issues;”
Is believing what the Bible clearly states worthy of renouncement? Transgender issues were not any big focus of the city-wide worship service, but biblical sexuality and identity are sincerely held convictions of most of us who were there. Have we come to a place where believing God’s word is used as evidence against somebody? Though I believe this resolution was a terrible injustice to Bible-believing Christians in our city, it has awakened many of us to the agenda this council has to silence us and control our speech. I cannot see how this wicked Resolution does not defy our rights listed in the 1st Amendment, Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech. Many Spokanites believe “transgender issues” are “a problem this country is facing”. Do we not belong in this city?
I feel this is a terrible injustice. If the mayor was "renounced" 4 - 3 for attending the same worship service I promoted to my local church where many of them attended, I am renounced for the same reasons. Clearly, transgenderism is a privileged and protected class while Bible-believing Christians are renounced. Please help!
Paul explained, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph.6:12).
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged, Be Bold. Be Prayerful.