Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill,

Scripture declares, “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just” (Psalm 7:9). For more than six years, beginning during the COVID 19 pandemic, Pastor Tony Spell and the congregation of Life Tabernacle Church have endured what we believe has been a sustained campaign of harassment, public humiliation, constant monitoring, intimidation, weapon brandishing, racial slurs, reckless driving, and threats, including documented threats of rape and murder directed at Pastor Spell’s wife and family. A pastor whose desire is to shepherd his congregation and fulfill what he believes is his God given calling has become the target of years of one sided conflict. Local reporting has documented these incidents across hundreds of services.

Our Founders established this constitutional republic to secure the blessings of liberty, including the free exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment and the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Government exists to preserve law and order and to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen, not to permit religious intolerance, unequal treatment, or the failure to investigate credible threats because of one’s faith.

The situation has now reached a breaking point. An individual allegedly issued graphic threats of sexual violence and murder against Pastor Spell’s wife, stating he would rape her in front of her husband and then murder the family. Faced with what he believed to be a credible and imminent threat after years of unresolved conflict and alleged failures by local authorities to provide effective protection, Pastor Spell acted to protect his family in accordance with the biblical duty of a husband and father to provide for and protect his household (1 Timothy 5:8). When the civil magistrate is aware of ongoing terror but does not restrain it, the private man has both a natural right and a scriptural duty to defend his own.

This matter deserves a full, fair, and independent investigation at the state level. If repeated reports of threats, harassment, intimidation, reckless driving, brandishing of weapons, racial harassment, or other criminal conduct directed at members of Life Tabernacle have been ignored, minimized, or inadequately investigated by local agencies, the public deserves answers and accountability. Government has no authority to apply the law selectively or to leave citizens, including pastors and their families, without equal protection.

I respectfully call upon Governor Jeff Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill, and the appropriate state and federal authorities to direct a thorough, independent review of all reports filed by Life Tabernacle Church members over the past six years, to examine any patterns of selective enforcement or inadequate response, to ensure immediate protective measures where credible threats exist, and to apply the law equally to every person without fear or favoritism.

Religious liberty is not a privilege granted by government. It is a constitutional right that government is obligated to protect. Equal justice under law is not optional. Enough is enough. Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, and let every citizen, regardless of religious conviction, receive the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by our Constitution. Let justice be done.