The countdown is under way to the Sept. 28 “Pulpit Freedom Sunday,” in which pastors are being encouraged to flout IRS rules against preaching about candidates:
The Alliance Defense Fund announced the initiative last May as a way to challenge IRS rules that date to 1954. ADF spokesman Greg Scott said the organization contacted “pastors, priests and rabbis from every major denomination,” and knows of 33 clergy in 23 states who intend to take part on Sunday.
At least one clergyman who was contacted joined in filing a complaint against the initiative with the IRS.
“We’re basically aiming to get these rules declared unconstitutional so that pastors have the right to speak freely from the pulpit without fear of punishment,” said Dale Schowengerdt, legal counsel for the ADF.
He said his group is not telling pastors what to say, or whether to endorse specific candidates, but stands ready to support them if complaints are filed against them.
Personally, I wouldn’t. There is nothing now to prevent pastors from preaching about issues without fear of losing tax-exempt status … and my own view is that if you want the freedom to endorse candidates, you can do so easily by giving up that 501(c)3 status. That’s the problem with government benefits …. including tax exemption …. they always come with strings attached.
(FYI, the quotes are from a Religion News Service story, but it’s not available without subscription.)
Here’s another tidbit to chew on:
Over half of Americans believe churches that publicly endorse candidates for public office should lose their tax exemption, a recent study shows.
According to LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, 38 percent of all surveyed Americans said they strongly agree with that statement and 14 percent said they somewhat agree. Meanwhile, 25 percent strongly disagree with churches losing their tax-exempt status and 17 percent somewhat disagree.
Results from the survey, conducted in June 2008 on more than 1,200 adults, were released days before pastors across the country are scheduled to preach from their pulpits this coming Sunday about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office.
