PULPIT FREEDOM SUNDAY

This Sunday, September 26, 2010, is Pulpit Freedom Sunday. It's a movement that started in 2008 with less than 36 pastors participating, continued in 2009 with 84 pastors participating; and this year there will be at least 100, perhaps several hundred, pastors involved. These brave men and women will speak out from their pulpits on the political candidates and issues for the upcoming November 2nd elections, in direct violation of federal tax regulations; and they will record, videotape and print manuscripts which will then be sent to the Internal Revenue Service. I looked up the tax regulations at Pew Forum; it says that clergy cannot speak about a political candidate from the pulpit; they can speak about a political candidate outside the pulpit, but not so that any member of their congregation can impute (discern) their preference. They can have a political candidate speak to their church, as long as they have the opposing candidate speak also, and as long as the church does not give any money to the candidates. Prior to 1954, clergy were not thusly restricted. They could, and did, speak about any candidate or issue they wished. Texas, at that time, had a Senator in Washington DC, Lyndon Johnson, who was the target of critical comments from Christian leaders about his conduct in Washington. Senator Johnson proposed, and got passed thru Congress, a law that prohibits any speech from a church pulpit for or against any political candidate. The penalty is loss of tax-exempt status and/or a fine.

World Net Daily reports about Pastor Mark Holick of Wichita, KS, who was targeted by the IRS for "engaging in political activities". He received a warning from the IRS to not put his Christian beliefs on the sign at his church. Can you believe that? A church is told not to put their beliefs on their sign. What were the dastardly messages? One was a notice that Kathleen Sebelius (then Governor of Kansas, now Secretary of Health and Human Services) had accepted $100,000 from abortion doctor George Tiller. The other sign quoted Obama saying he didn't want his daughters punished with a baby. Nothing more insidious than that. And nothing but the truth. Another pastor, H.Wayne Wiliams of South Dakota was targeted for voicing his preference for a gubernatoral candidate. A Minnesota pastor was investigated by the IRS for addressing the moral qualifications of the political candidates in 2008. Pastor Gus Booth preached on moral issues with regard to both the primary election and the general election that year. The IRS began an audit of his church; then closed the investigation, citing a "procedural issue" but left the case open for future inquiry. I can just hear the Terminator: "I'll be baaack".

What I found disturbing in the tax codes, which I read, is that while clergy are prohibited from endorsing a political candidate, or speaking against a political candidate, from the pulpit; they are in no way restricted from speaking on issues or actions being considered by Congress. So while politicians and elected officials are lowering the boom on Christians about such things as praying in public, scripture in public buildings, Bibles in schools, and speaking out against homosexuality, promiscuity, or abortion; they have no qualms about asking churches to help them get their pet legislations passed. According to America's Watchtower on 5/10/10, Nancy Pelosi talked to Catholic leaders about supporting amnesty, and told them "But I want you to speak about it from the pulpit".  According to First Read, an on-line publication of MSN 8/19/09, Obama had a conference call with faith leaders where he asked them to help pass obamacare and speak out to those "bearing false witness" about it. And now that obamacare has passed, and America still doesn't want it, Obama had another conference call last Tuesday, September 21, 2010 which was reported by The Blaze 9/22/10, where he asked thousands of religious leaders to "spread the word" from their "perches of power" and to help him convince America that obamacare is good for them. Such hypocrisy. Clergy members are not to have any say about who may or may not be elected, but then they can be exhorted by any politician in office to push their agenda.

The tax codes against churches, that were put into place by a man who didn't want to be called out on his behaviour, need to be changed. Maybe the wonderful members of the clergy who are putting their necks on the line and standing up to the IRS, will be able to make that happen. By the way, did y'all know that there is nothing, no law, nowhere in the Constitution that calls for, or even uses the words "separation of church and state"? That's merely a phrase coined by anti-Christian politicians, activists, and groups. America, stand up.