Pastors Discuss Political Endorsements At Sunday Services To Protest IRS Rules

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 30 Sep 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Thirty-three pastors from across the country on Sunday took part in a campaign organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a socially conservative legal consortium, to defy a federal law that prohibits not-for-profit, tax-exempt religious entities from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit, the Washington Post reports. By defying the ban on political endorsements, the ministers hope to ignite a legal battle with the Internal Revenue Service to argue the constitutionality of the ban in court and eventually have it thrown out, the Post reports. IRS is aware of the campaign, and the agency said it will "monitor the situation and take action as appropriate," according to the Post (Slevin, Washington Post, 9/29).

The Wall Street Journal reports that ADF -- an Arizona-based conservative group that opposes abortion rights and human embryonic stem cell research -- argues that the tax code law is unconstitutional. ADF has attempted to gain support of both conservative and liberal ministers, although most of the churches participating in the campaign are socially conservative congregations. Some critics have said that the campaign is a partisan attempt to bolster the candidacy of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). According to the Journal, some pastors taking part in the campaign explicitly made an endorsement, while others made recommendations but not clear endorsements (Sataline et al., Wall Street Journal, 9/29).

The campaign has received criticism from many opposing religious leaders who say the tax law is necessary to separate church and state. United Church of Christ minister Eric Williams, who opposes the campaign, in an open letter Saturday wrote, "The role of the church -- of congregation, synagogue, temple and mosque -- and of its religious leaders is to stand apart from government, to prophetically speak truth to power, and to encourage a national dialogue that transcends the divisiveness of electoral politics and preserves for every citizen our 'first liberty.'"

More than 180 opposing members of the clergy have signed a pledge from the Interfaith Alliance, a Washington-based group working to separate church and state, saying they will not endorse a political candidate on behalf of their house of worship. Rabbi Jack Moline, chair of the Interfaith Alliance, said clergy members can make a political endorsement outside the doors of their house of worship, but a "sanctuary should not be a place of political agitation on behalf of a candidate. On behalf of issues, yes. Of candidates, no" (Washington Post, 9/29).

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