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Will wonders never cease ?
Highball
Member Posts: 15,755
The American Revolution was lead in part off the pulpit..no wonder the attempt to throttle this type call to morals, ethics, and the Spirit of God.
LAW OF THE LAND
Pastors to IRS: You can't tell us what to preach
Ministers team up this weekend to defy tax code on talking politics
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=76293
Posted: September 26, 2008
By Drew Zahn
c 2008 WorldNetDaily
This weekend a select team of 33 pastors in 22 states will be preaching on politics in a direct challenge to a federal tax statute that forbids churches from interfering with political campaigns.
The pastors are participating in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" as part of an effort called the Pulpit Initiative developed by the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization of lawyers dedicated to defending religious liberty.
As WND reported earlier, ADF launched the Pulpit Initiative to challenge a 1954 amendment to the Internal Revenue Service code submitted by Democratic Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson that permitted the IRS to revoke a church's tax-exempt status if the preaching gets too political.
The ADF believes that pastors have a First Amendment right to speak on politics if they choose, and that by using its tax authority to limit pulpit content, it is the government, and not the preacher, who is violating the separation of church and state.
"Pastors have a right to speak about biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley on the group's website. "No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights."
The ADF reported to the New York Times that it selected 33 pastors who were fully aware of the risks and benefits of participating in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" from a list of hundreds of preachers who had volunteered. Their names, however, have not been released because of reported threats to disrupt their services.
Pastor Wiley Drake of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., who was cleared of wrongdoing earlier this year after complaints were filed over his personal endorsement of presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, has made it no secret he agrees with the ADF.
"We happen to believe in the separation of church and state," Drake says. "And we believe that prohibiting a pastor's sermon, either for or against a candidate, violates the (Constitution) of the United States."
Before 1954, churches freely evaluated the politicians of the day on moral issues without fear of retribution. Lyndon Johnson's amendment to the tax code, however, effectively censored sermons.
"As the U.S. Supreme Court has noted," said Stanley, "the power to tax involves the power to destroy. The real effect of the Johnson Amendment is that pastors are muzzled for fear of investigation by the IRS."
The ADF has promised it is ready to equip and defend the pastors selected for "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," even if that means going to court and challenging the tax code.
"We're reminding them that they have the right to openly discuss the positions of political candidates," ADF counsel Mike Johnson told WND, "and we're going to be there for them if there's a challenge."
To opponents who want to take to court the issue over such First Amendment restrictions, he added, "It's time to have that test."
Among those opponents is Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an organization that works to report churches for violations of the 1954 Johnson Amendment.
Speaking of the Pulpit Initiative, Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United told the New York Times, "They act like this is a massive act of civil disobedience, but this is not like sitting in at a lunch counter. This is trying to change the law to give certain conservative churches even more political clout."
ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley disagreed.
"ADF is not trying to get politics into the pulpit. . We need to get the government out of the pulpit," he said.
As the 33 pastors plan for this weekend's sermons, journalists have been eager to discover what they'll be preaching.
The New York Times asked Rev. Luke Emrich of New Life Church, in West Bend, Wis., which candidate he planned to endorse on Sunday.
"I would say endorsement is a strong word," he answered. "I'm planning to make a recommendation. I'm going to evaluate each candidate's positions in light of Scripture and make a recommendation to my congregation as to which candidate aligns more so."
The Los Angeles Times tracked down Rev. Gus Booth of Warroad Community Church in Minnesota, who already is the subject of a complaint filed with the IRS over a sermon in which he urged congregants to oppose Democrat senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton because of their positions on abortion.
"There is nobody who will ever tell me what I can and cannot say from behind my pulpit," Booth told the newspaper, "except the Spirit of God or the Word of God."
LAW OF THE LAND
Pastors to IRS: You can't tell us what to preach
Ministers team up this weekend to defy tax code on talking politics
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=76293
Posted: September 26, 2008
By Drew Zahn
c 2008 WorldNetDaily
This weekend a select team of 33 pastors in 22 states will be preaching on politics in a direct challenge to a federal tax statute that forbids churches from interfering with political campaigns.
The pastors are participating in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" as part of an effort called the Pulpit Initiative developed by the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization of lawyers dedicated to defending religious liberty.
As WND reported earlier, ADF launched the Pulpit Initiative to challenge a 1954 amendment to the Internal Revenue Service code submitted by Democratic Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson that permitted the IRS to revoke a church's tax-exempt status if the preaching gets too political.
The ADF believes that pastors have a First Amendment right to speak on politics if they choose, and that by using its tax authority to limit pulpit content, it is the government, and not the preacher, who is violating the separation of church and state.
"Pastors have a right to speak about biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley on the group's website. "No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights."
The ADF reported to the New York Times that it selected 33 pastors who were fully aware of the risks and benefits of participating in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" from a list of hundreds of preachers who had volunteered. Their names, however, have not been released because of reported threats to disrupt their services.
Pastor Wiley Drake of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., who was cleared of wrongdoing earlier this year after complaints were filed over his personal endorsement of presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, has made it no secret he agrees with the ADF.
"We happen to believe in the separation of church and state," Drake says. "And we believe that prohibiting a pastor's sermon, either for or against a candidate, violates the (Constitution) of the United States."
Before 1954, churches freely evaluated the politicians of the day on moral issues without fear of retribution. Lyndon Johnson's amendment to the tax code, however, effectively censored sermons.
"As the U.S. Supreme Court has noted," said Stanley, "the power to tax involves the power to destroy. The real effect of the Johnson Amendment is that pastors are muzzled for fear of investigation by the IRS."
The ADF has promised it is ready to equip and defend the pastors selected for "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," even if that means going to court and challenging the tax code.
"We're reminding them that they have the right to openly discuss the positions of political candidates," ADF counsel Mike Johnson told WND, "and we're going to be there for them if there's a challenge."
To opponents who want to take to court the issue over such First Amendment restrictions, he added, "It's time to have that test."
Among those opponents is Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an organization that works to report churches for violations of the 1954 Johnson Amendment.
Speaking of the Pulpit Initiative, Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United told the New York Times, "They act like this is a massive act of civil disobedience, but this is not like sitting in at a lunch counter. This is trying to change the law to give certain conservative churches even more political clout."
ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley disagreed.
"ADF is not trying to get politics into the pulpit. . We need to get the government out of the pulpit," he said.
As the 33 pastors plan for this weekend's sermons, journalists have been eager to discover what they'll be preaching.
The New York Times asked Rev. Luke Emrich of New Life Church, in West Bend, Wis., which candidate he planned to endorse on Sunday.
"I would say endorsement is a strong word," he answered. "I'm planning to make a recommendation. I'm going to evaluate each candidate's positions in light of Scripture and make a recommendation to my congregation as to which candidate aligns more so."
The Los Angeles Times tracked down Rev. Gus Booth of Warroad Community Church in Minnesota, who already is the subject of a complaint filed with the IRS over a sermon in which he urged congregants to oppose Democrat senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton because of their positions on abortion.
"There is nobody who will ever tell me what I can and cannot say from behind my pulpit," Booth told the newspaper, "except the Spirit of God or the Word of God."
Comments
The only reason these Pastors are being coerced into 'giving up their Constitutional Rights' is that they have lobbied for and received approval from the very government they object to for the ability to gather income from pre-tax dollars.
In accepting this status, that are forced to walk a line between preaching morals and, as noted in the C&P, promoting candidates directly. My wife's church subscribes to a newsletter that is distributed during election season that includes a clear delineation between who is good and who is bad, though no candidate is specifically endorsed. This violates the spirit, if not the letter of the conditions the church has accepted to garner its tax-free status, and is thus morally questionable in and of itself. (FWIW, we give after-tax dollars simply because I refuse to accept governmental influence over my charitable giving.)
My belief is that churches (and all charities for that matter) should be supported solely with after-tax dollars. This would eliminate any Federal influence on what is said, and would also get the Federal Government out of the business of dictating where our charitable dollars are best spent. Federal control of religion starts with having them approve the church in the first place.
These pastors would get my sympathy if they would stand for the first amendment on their own, and not with thier fingers in Uncle Sam's wallet. If they truly supported 'Give unto Caesar', Caesar would stay the hell out of thier sanctuary.
edit: HB, don't tell tr that I disagreed with you.[:)]
Brad Steele
Oh,......I forgot,.......it's a "black" church, and that would bring up that nasty old "R" word.
In a once great country where God is mocked, homosexuality is glorified and excepted, baby whales have more rights than baby humans, and integrity and honesty are looked upon as weakness, we are the minority Bert. 3%
Though I view these issues from a different perspective, Jeff, I share your anger/disgust/despair (not to put words to your feelings). Honor, integrity, honesty, and personal responsibility, all valued teachings of Christ, have been thrown out of our society with him. Though I do not believe, I do believe that we would be a much better country if the moral teachings of Jesus Christ were internalized by more of us.
It is because of this that I advocate getting government out of our churches.
Brad Steele
The American Revolution was lead in part off the pulpit..no wonder the attempt to throttle this type call to morals, ethics, and the Spirit of God.
I say this with all seriousness. Thank you for informing me of that fact. I never learned this in the past.
Called a 501 C-3 Church, I believe.
I would like to go to Church; I ask first if they are 501s'. Generally the front people don't even know..but most all seem to be, when you dig a bit.
A 501 is wholly OWNED by the government...and cannot preach the word of God.
They sold their soul to the Devil...all for the bucks.
"What is it that Gentlemen wish ? What would they have ? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery ? Forbid it Almighty God ! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH !!
Patrick Henry, speech given at St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Va.
Just the most famous example from the old days...Many Pastors supported the Revolution, and were not shy about preaching it.
Oh, I forgot. If everyone did that then there would be no taxes to run our country. Yeah, I know that much of those taxes are wasted, but that is not my point. If anyone (churches for example) ask for and receive "special" treatment regarding paying taxes, then they also have to accept the requirements that go along with getting those goodies. If they refuse to accept those goodies, then they are free to preach all they want and they know it and so does Highbail.