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    33 Preachers Defy the IRS Yesterday and Preach Politics

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    “This is something we’ve committed the resources to,” said ADF senior legal counsel Erik Stanley. “What we want to do is have a reasonable constitutional addressing of the issues. For 54 years, the Internal Revenue Service has studiously avoided any court confrontation over their ability to regulate a pastor’s sermon.”

    The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said his organization will monitor who takes part.

    “Taking part in this reckless stunt is a one-way ticket to loss of tax exemption,” he said “Pastors who violate the law can expect their churches to be reported to the IRS the first thing Monday morning.”

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    You can read the whole article here...

    My question… what are these people thinking?!


    The Washing Times reports that thirty-three preachers across the country say they will defy tax laws Sunday by endorsing specific political candidates from the pulpit and preaching about their moral qualifications.

    They are part of a campaign called Pulpit Freedom Sunday, organized by the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a group of Christian lawyers who work for socially conservative causes.

    The Pulpit Freedom Campaign has amassed the pastors to cooperate in a mass violation of a 1954 law that bars religious organizations and nonprofit groups that accept tax-deductible contributions from endorsing specific candidates. The ADF thinks the law is unconstitutional and lined up churches earlier this year willing to commit civil disobedience for a test case headed for the Supreme Court.

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    1. Peter Hamm on Mon, September 29, 2008

      I still won’t do it, regardless of whether I’m allowed to. Gets too close to the leaven of the pharisees and of Herod for me…

    2. Eric on Mon, September 29, 2008

      As pastors we should encourage our congregants to be good Christians and good Americans. One way to be a good American (besides being a good Christian) is to vote.


      However, I think that endorsing a specific candidate or party is crossing the line based on two reasons:


      ONE. (1)  We are churches not political entities. And as pastors we are called to preach the Word and to endorse God, not a political party. I think using the pulpit to endorse a candidate or a political party is a wrong use of the pulpit. This does not mean we don’t encourage right thinking on issues such as abortion, marriage,  lifestyle, etc. Those issues, while obvious parts of political agendas, can be presented in light of the gospel and not the voting booth. (I obviously understand how one can affect the other but I think readers will get my point.)


      TWO (2) . We are 501(c)3 non-profits. We don’t pay taxes and we don’t engage in political agendas.  Call it a trade off. We have freely given up the right to use our non-profit, untaxed money to endorse candidates in order to not be taxed ourselves. That is part of being a non-profit. If we want to have the right to use our organizations to endorse a candidate, we need to earn that right by paying taxes.


      IN CLOSING, if churches want to endorse a candidate, I think they should rescind their 501(c)3 status and then by all means, they should follow their hearts to become part of the political machine. That is our right as tax-paying Americans.

    3. Pastor Chris on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Any preacher who can’t give people the insight they need to vote the convictions of their church without naming names is not a very good preacher. 


      And on the other hand, the IRS has both ignored pastors who have flaunted the law and harassed pastors who have not endorsed candidates but who have spoken forcefully against the administration.  So I agree that clarification of law and procedure is in order.

    4. Eric on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Chris,


      Well said!

    5. fishon on Mon, September 29, 2008

      I for one am not against a pastor speaking from the pulpit about the a candidate to vote for, based on biblical principles. And up until 1954 we could legally, and many did, promote a particular candidate. If it was legal today, I most likely would not do it. I have come to this conclusion over the last eight years.


      I voted for George both times. And I encouraged my congregation to vote with biblical principles in mind, and I preached on those principles, and I suspect that most of the congregation voted for Bush.


      I am sooo glad that I did not name names as to who would be the best choice. Why? Because I do not have to answer the questions from my folks as to why I gave them such bad advice. The only thing I have to answer for is preaching biblical principles, of which I make no apology and know I stand on solid ground.


      Preaching biblical principles and letting the folks make up their minds seems to me the best way to go. To tell people who they should vote for is a “crap shoot,” at best.


      Again, if I had been advising from the pulpit, I would have recommended Bush, for many reasons. Thank goodness, I don’t have to explain why I gave bad advice.


      Oh, if a preacher does give advice on the subject, I support his right to do it.


      fishon

    6. Eric Joppa on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Let me pose a question…


      I will not, nor will my pastor, endorse a candidate from the pulpit. However, my pastor has recently been talking which initiatives we should vote for, specifically prop. 8 (in CA, this is the proposition to uphold the earlier vote of prop 22 in 1998, classifying marriage as between one man and one woman, which was overturned by the supreme court in the spring).


      I agree with his stance 100%. And will vote that way, but I had made that decision on my own and did not need to be told that I should follow my convictions regarding same-sex marriage. I am having a problem with him preaching about it from the pulpit, and I am not sure I should.


      Is it wrong to speak out about how to vote at all? I kind of think it is a waste of God’s time to do so. The time we have in the pulpit is not more than 1 hour a week (if you go that long) at the most. Should we be wasting it talking about an election, or law that won’t really effect eternity anyway?  (we all must realize that the world is going to keep getting worse until Jesus comes back and makes a new one)


      Or should we us it that way, and talk about who or what to vote for? Shouldn’t we have decisions that we make for ourselves?


      Any thoughts?


      -E

    7. fishon on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Eric,


      Let me ask you this.


      Do think that your pastor should address an initiative that the public would vote on, such as lowering the drinking age to 15 years old?


      Do you think that your pastor should address an initiative that proposed to make all forms of prostitution legal?


      Do you think that you pastor should address an initiative that proposes to lower the age of sexual consent to age 12?


      Do you think your pastor should address an initiative that proposes assisted suicide?


      YOU SAID: Shouldn’t we have decisions that we make for ourselves?


      ———Eric, when you go into that voting booth you are making the decision for yourself. The pastor is not in their with you.


            I believe in the case of a pastor talking about MORAL AND ETHICAL issues, from the pulpit, is a way for you to gather more information [hopefully biblical] to make a vote based on bible principles. I happen to believe that God will hold us accountable for our vote. So I want all the biblical information I can get.


      fishon

    8. Bruce on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Their Churches should lose their tax exemption, plain and simple.


      Politics of any kind have no business being preached from the pulpit or advanced through any form of literature, including so-called non-partisan voting guides.

    9. Leonard on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Sometimes the pulpit is just for speaking out against or for issues.  I would hesitate to say who someone should vote for, but I would say much has been gained by pastors preaching form the pulpit boldly what some today would call political issues.

    10. Tom on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Great - that is 33 churches that didn’t have the opportunity to hear the gospel, or were given any encouragement to be more like Jesus.  They got the opinion of a man who should have pointed them to God’s word…


      By the way, just what text from scripture would you have to twist to preach about either John McCain or B, Obama.

    11. fishon on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Hey Bruce,


      I take it that you [so as to be consistent] also believe that all the churches who have allowed candidates to speak from the pulpit on any given Sunday should lose their tax exempt status also? I guess you’d have to start with Obama’s former Church. Oops, I just noticed that Martin Luther King’s old church, Ebenezer Baptist Church has lose their tax exemption also. Obama spoke there Jan. 20th. Danged if I haven’t found more, but will just let it go.


      Man, I hate to think about all those churches who should have lost their tax exemption when Rev. Jessie and Rev. Al were making their run for President. If you stay consistent, that mean a lot of churches should have been in deep trouble.


      Did you feel the same way when those guys were speaking on a given Sunday from a pulpit? Or is this just…?


      fishon

    12. Bruce on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Wow Fishon,


      Talk about trying to pidgeon-hole me….....I must be some inconsistent, Democrat lover, eh?


      All Churches, All Pastors. If they are tax exempt then they need to stay out of partisan politics. If they are not tax exempt then they are free to do what they want. If you take the exemption….......play by the rules.


      Now….....just for the record….....I am not in favor of tax exemption for Churches as it is commonly used today. Way too much gray area….....way too much wiggle room. Make Churches start paying taxes and make church offerings no longer tax deductible…......then maybe we’ll see what is “real” ministry and what is just a money making racket. (and far too much stuff done in the name of Jesus is just a money making, revenue raising racket)


      Tax exemption is not a tenet of the Christian faith. So make the ground level and let the preachers say what they want


      Perhaps the Churches could then put in their Church ads “We are a Politicking Church, Proudly Proclaiming the Good News that The Republicans Save.” or “Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary of Defending the Faith once Delivered to Democrats.”

    13. fishon on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Bruce,


      I must be some inconsistent, Democrat lover, eh?


      ——-Not being prophetic, but I am guessing you are. Minded you, friend, just guessing. I would not bet my right arm, but I would guess you did not strike you mark for any Bush’s, or Reagan.


      ——-I do agree with playing by the rules, as you state. And I am guessing that the Supreme Court will say if those 33 churches are playing by the rules or not. I won’t hold my breath till then. 


      (and far too much stuff done in the name of Jesus is just a money making, revenue raising racket)


      ——-Yep, I agree.


      Tax exemption is not a tenet of the Christian faith.


      ——-Give unto Casear, and Casear says churches don’t have to pay taxes. When Casear says pay, we will have to pay. Your beef should be with Casear.


      Time for bed, Bruce. I had a stressful time Steelhead fishing this evening—dodging rattlesnakes—the crawling kind.


      fishon

    14. Bruce on Mon, September 29, 2008

      Reagan-Yes.


      Never put a check mark by a Bush.


      Last 2- Gore and Kerry. Obama will make it three in a row.


      One reason I changed parties was due to all the Republican politicking that went on in Church (of which I was guilty for many years)

    15. deaubery on Tue, September 30, 2008

      as a man think so is he, obama thinks its alright to kill steal and destroy, can we seperate the man from his thinking.

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