Local informants say Scarborough's headlong dive into hardball politics has deeply split the congregation. Many long-time members left the church and began worshipping elsewhere. Reportedly, attendance at Sunday school has dropped by half. Its favored candidates enjoyed power for a short time but were ousted by the voters. The church subsequently found itself embroiled in a financial scandal.
Membership is down.
It would seem that Rev. Scarborough's experiment in fusing church and state did great harm to both institutions in Pearland. And therein lies the lesson. Some houses of worship today are itching to jump into politics. They have been seduced by the claims of men like Pat Robertson and James Dobson that the salvation of America can be achieved through the ballot box. All are irreligious.