Pastors in Alaska and across the nation are now free to openly endorse political candidates from the pulpit following a groundbreaking decision by the Internal Revenue Service that vastly expands free speech in houses of worship.
In what many are hailing as a victory for the First Amendment, the IRS agreed on July 7 to a historic settlement with two Texas churches and a Christian broadcasting organization, which argued that the 1954 Johnson Amendment violates freedom of religion and speech by threatening to pull tax-exempt status from nonprofits that participate or intervene in political campaigns on behalf of or against specific candidates.
The new settlement affirms that a house of worship does not, in fact, “participate” or “intervene” in political campaigns by simply communicating to members of the congregation.
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The settlement rejects previous interpretations of the Johnson Amendment, which were used to silence faith communities from speaking about political candidates during religious services.
The former interpretation often served to silence pastors from speaking out against candidates who contradict or oppose longstanding church teaching. Likewise, it severely limited speech that endorsed candidates who upheld a church’s religious belief on key morals issues like homosexual marriage, gender confusion and abortion.
Whether the IRS settlement will embolden local pastors to speak out on specific candidates remains to be seen, but the federal government has given this type of speech a green light.
8 Comments
For president of the USA, how about a Rand Paul in 2028?
I mean at least to get our national debt under control.
The IRS should have no say in what happens in any church. But then churches should not fall under 501-c3 anyway.
THINK FOR A MINUTE! Roman’s 13 GOVERNMENT WAS INSTITUTED BY GOD! Rulers are not a terror to Good conduct! If you do wrong be afraid! This is the purpose of government! GODS WRATH ON THE EVIL DOER!
IRS has finally stated what has always been true! The church can and must participate in the inner political workings of our society!
Our founders new this and gave biblically based instructions for keeping the country on track. John Adam’s declared ” the constitutional Republic will work, only for a moral people”!
PULPITS ACROSS AMERICA IS WHERE MUCH OF THE UNDERMINING OF OUR COUNTRY HAS OCCURRED! ALL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATED, WHILE THE CHURCH PRETENDS THEY HAVE NO ROLL!
IN FACT THEY ARE THE FRONT LINE!!!
REVOLUTION,REFORMATION, REVIVAL
pray……………PREPARE………..PROCEED!!
Dave Maxwell for Governor
Most churches were afraid. They’ve had the right to speak about candidates, for years now.
Most normal God fearing church’s, will tell you to vote for a candidate, that’s wants to save lives not kill baby’s in the womb.
Something I have noticed with just about every church, they all preach seeking power in something outside of yourself as an individual. To find connection in a idol that represents God instead of connecting with God from within, directly,
So with that being said, it would not be unusual for them to tell you how to vote instead of instead giving you the tools to think critically and make decisions for yourself. Religious sheep and political sheep have more in common than they think, yet they keep fighting with each other in a battle of who is right and wrong.
It is all very amusing to watch from above though. I can see now why the devil plays the game that it does with the minds of the lessers.
I think churches should freely teach about issues coming up in elections. However, I worry about those Pastors or Elders who will think this means you can browbeat the congregations into voting how they tell you to. It can lead to people being alienated from the congregation and expelled in shame. That will never be what God wants. You give people the pro’s and con’s on any issue, teach about the morality regarding the issue then let them vote according to their conscience.
I find it very interesting that over the course of many decades the IRS never threatened independent black churches who commonly allowed political candidates to stump from their pulpits and who always predictably endorsed the liberal slate of Democratic candidates. Of course if you were a main line Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant church you would have been threatened with losing your tax exempt status for endorsing a political candidate being there was the perceived danger candidates other than liberal Democratic candidates might be endorsed. This double standard has existed for 60 years. Don’t you think just one main line church would have challenged that double standard? Or were they too concerned about raising the specter of reverse discrimination or that “independent” black churches were nothing more than shills for the Democratic Party? We did not need to wait for this recent decision, any bold pastor or bishop merely needed to stand up and say we demand the same rights, the same freedoms enjoyed by black churches – enough of the double standard! Yet oddly that never happened. Why? Perhaps they feared the wrath of the Democratic machine that dominated congress and national politics for nearly 50 consecutive years – from the 1930’s to the 1980’s. Yes, fear and intimidation was used to muzzle mainline Christian churches. The message from the Democratic Party – get in line or we’ll destroy you.