Be prepared to hear that "the end of civilization is coming, it is a violation of the separation of church and state, or it makes the US into a religious fundamentalist government." That's the least of the hateful rhetoric that will come your way. Take heart. People have know for years which way their preacher was going to vote, what issues he believes are important - even though he could not tell you.
- Normally what is said, "We do not advise who to vote for, We continually endeavor to have a prophetic note in our preaching that addresses the various social issues….We leave it to each parishioner to evaluate the candidates and to make their own personal decision about who they will vote for." If the issues are artfully presented the who of which candidate the Church supports is crystal clear.
Our roots are committed to people's freedoms, liberty and justice for all. Our population is a majority - how does it seem fair for a minority to withhold this civil right while they form tax free political action committees to use this right, and work against the interests of Christians.
Prior to 50 years ago there was no issue of being able to endorse a candidate, neither was the US a fundamentalist country. Free speech from the pulpit does not mean that the church runs the state. Restoration of the equality of freedom of speech does not remove the separation of church and state.
September 28th, 2008 marks the restoration of speech equality for the church. All of the dire predictions of "the sky is falling" ilk have proved to be nothing more than the rhetorical rantings of the apostate left on a fear mongering mission.
People for the American Way "right wing watch" says, "Tax-exempt status was created to support charitable, religious, and educational undertakings – not partisan warfare." One only needs to look at the donate button on their site to realize the irony.
AU is revving up their campaign predicting "politicizing churches," and calling free speech from the pulpit "church electioneering!"
You will be hearing more of the same from these groups - Stay the course.
Earlier in 2008 American united broohaha was Saddleback Presidential Forum - "Since Hannity is unable to understand why Lynn had a problem with this event at an evangelical mega-church, I'd like to refer him to two recent newspaper columnists who have done a fine job of explaining why this forum was inappropriate. (Surely Hannity can find someone to read the essays to him.)" The sky did not fall because a pastor asked questions of what are the candidates world views. And the population of the US was not harmed by that knowledge.
The church will remain unchanged by allowing candidates to be endorsed at the pulpit. Most churches are happy that candidate names are not dropped on the pulpit, they hired the pastors. So there will not be a rush to endorse candidates. issues are still important and will still be talked about in church.
Now it is alway hyperbole to claim the sky is not going to fall; But the fact remains, the churches have over for 150 years enjoyed freedom of speech without IRS oversite. There is no need for IRS oversite of the use of free speech. The people in the church should have a say as to what they want the pastor to talk about.
Blog Scan
- ADF Alerts
- Lynn v. Sekulow: IRS regulation of church speech
Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has this article on BeliefNet: Bullies in the Pulpit Challenge Law. He writes: "It seems to me that all this posturing is just one more effort by the so-called "Religious Right" to gain more clout. It is about its incessant effort to tell how Americans should act from the moment of conception until the moment of death (which you guys also want to define, by the way)."
Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice offers this counterpoint: "Big Brother" Has Got to Go. He writes: "Barry, we both agree that our constitutional tradition continues to recognize the freedom to speak from the pulpit about the moral issues of the day. We obviously disagree, however, on whether "Big Brother" government surveillance, investigation, and punishment of churches due to the content of their speech should be stopped once and for all. The thought of Washington bureaucrats sifting through sermon recordings should be unsettling for all people of faith."
- Wissup
- Local Pastor Recommends McCain/Palin from Pulpit - West Bend
Though clearly not as high-profile as AP and Wall Street Journal, I was given the opportunity as a local blogger to lend a conservative viewpoint to this event. The report you are about to read is true. No names were changed, as all are innocent. - WBCA
- The Christ in Prophecy Journal
- Courage for Canadian Churches
Did you know that churches and Christian organizations in Canada are not allowed to say anything against homosexuality from their pulpits and periodicals?
It's true. And not just Canada, but Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom also have similar laws. These are not countries ruled by dictatorships, but countries very similar to the United States in its freedoms of speech, religion and democratic processes. These countries are now ruled by the PC (political correctness) police.
America may not be far behind in restricting what is said from the pulpit, for such intimidation to the pulpit is indeed alive and well in the United States. For example, to mix the pulpit and elections hasn't been allowed in the United States since ...
- Reviewing on the brain
- Warroad pastor endorses McCain from pulpit (Grand Forks Herald)
Members of the congregation at Warroad (Minn.) Community Church listened intently Sunday morning as Rev. Gus Booth told them they not only should vote for John McCain in November, but they also should campaign for him. Booth is one of several clergy across the country to endorse a candidate from behind the pulpit on what was declared "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" by the Alliance Defense Fund. ...
- Tax Girl
- Pulpit Freedom Sunday Gets Little Noice
Remember that big stink that pastors promised to make in response to the IRS crackdown on political speech in church? It already happened. And you probably missed it - even if you were in church.
- The Moderate Voice
- Today is "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"
The Alliance Defense Fund tapped 33 pastors in 22 states to make explicit recommendations about political candidates from the pulpit today.
- Tax Prof
- Thirty Churches to Endorse Presidential Candidate From Pulpit Today
Americans United for Separation of Church and State opposes Pulpit Freedom Sunday and plans to report participating churches to the IRS.
- NPR
- Pulpit Politics
Ever heard of something called the "Pulpit Initiative?" If you spent part of your Sunday with your buns glued to a pew, you just might have. Let's back up. A group of ministers have come together to challenge the IRS regulation that prohibits pastors from making political endorsements from the pulpit* (it's actually a much broader rule the bans tax-exempt organizations, like churches but including a variety of others, from involvement in political campaigns).
- The Rural Blog
- Group challenges ban on pulpit endorsements
Any pastor who makes political endorsements from the pulpit risks losing their church's tax-exempt status, but a conservative legal group is looking for pastors who will endorse candidates anyway. The Alliance Defense Fund argues that the 54-year-old ban in federal law violates churches' First Amendment freedom of religion. It is recruiting pastors to break the ban by preaching explicitly political sermons on Sept. 28, with plans to mount a legal challenge to the expected investigation by the Internal Revenue Service.
- Say Anything
- Thirty Churches To Challenge IRS By Endorsing Candidate From The Pulpit
These churches are playing a dangerous political game, I think. They want their right to free speech, but they should be careful what they wish for as they could end up losing their cushy tax exempt status as well.
- Man of Depravity
- Pulpit Endorsement: ADF and the Pulpit Initiative
On Sunday September 28th, 2008 (2 days ago), 33 pastors from around the country endorsed one Presidential candidate or the other during their message or sermon during a Sunday morning service. This whole idea is organized under the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) as a "Pulpit Initiative". HERE is a good news video about the story. One pastor who was a part of this organized effort said, "If we [pastors] can tell you what to do in the bedroom, we can certainly tell you what to do in the voting booth."
- Wisconsin Law Blog
- Protesting pastors back candidates from the pulpit
WEST BEND, Wis. (AP) _ Pastor Luke Emrich prepared his sermon this week knowing his remarks could invite an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. But that was the whole point, so Emrich forged ahead with his message: Thou shalt vote according to the Scriptures.
- Balloon Juice
- Pastors to Endorse McCain From Pulpit
And they risk losing their IRS exemptions:
- Dallas News
- Martin Marty on `Pulpit Freedom Sunday'
Less noticed than its law-breaking advocates hoped it would be, given the economic turmoil of the week, dozens of churches defied federal regulations and used their pulpits yesterday to challenge IRS regulations, which insist that tax exempt organizations dare not spend a "substantial part of [their] activities in carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation." When this line was added to the tax code, the intention was not to target religious organizations but to deny tax-exemption to "sham" or "front" organizations which used religion to propagate a particular agenda.
- America Election 2008
- The Pulpit & the IRS
In 1936, near the end of the election campaign, a Roman Catholic priest gave a nationwide radio address endorsing Franklin Delano Roosevelt for re-election. "In this critical hour, I urge you to use every effort at your command among your relatives, friends and acquaintances in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt," concluded Msgr. John A. Ryan. The broadcast was paid for by the Democratic National Committee and much of the talk was in response to another Catholic priest, Father Charles Coughlin, who had been denouncing FDR.
- Talk Wisdom
- Pulpit Freedom Sunday on Sept 28th
Hooray for ADF (Alliance Defense Fund)!! IT'S CERTAINLY ABOUT TIME that this unconstitutional ban against churches was scrapped!!
- Get Religion
- Parsing the Pulpit Freedom stories
So, "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" has come and gone and we have some initial mainstream press reports.
So far, the event seems to have been a mixed bag — much as I predicted last week. Let's walk through several pieces of the Los Angeles Times report, starting at the top:
- freep
- Ministers plan pulpit protest over endorsement law
On Sunday, 33 ministers around the country plan to break the law, endorsing presidential candidates during their sermons despite IRS rules prohibiting such endorsements for tax-exempt non-profits.
Then they'll mail their sermons to the IRS and wait for the taxman to arrive, hoping to force a legal fight over a 1954 federal ban on endorsements by nonprofits, including churches.