As you may already know, this past Sunday was designated Pulpit Freedom Sunday. It was an attempt to force the IRS, and the courts, to remove the federal statute enacted by LBJ which they feel unfairly limits churches from endorsing candidates for office from the pulpit. Let’s face it, Democrats have been doing this for years at certain churches anyway, and those churches have never faced penalties for it. The IRS is on shaky ground here, and they know it, that’s why they seem reluctant to enforce the law. They don’t seem to be in a hurry to have the courts review this, opponents say because they know they will lose. Usually, a strongly worded letter is as far as it’s pursued. But isn’t it time the courts revisit this?

Now I’m of two minds on this. I can see why a church might like the freedom to advocate for candidates that join them in sharing biblical reasons to take one position over another. But at the same time, I’m uncomfortable with the idea of politics being the focus of a worship service. I, like most of you I’m sure, don’t attend church for political reasons or guidance. I attend to join others in worshipping and praising God, as well as to continue to learn what His word says. I think if you know and study God’s word, you will already know which candidate you should support. Hearing my pastor say it isn’t necessary, and it’s not why I’m there.

Here’s a little more info on the group behind it, and some news on it.

The Speak Up Movement

The Alliance Defending Freedom

Here’s some news on it from Breitbart.

“Doubtless many of you are thinking to yourself, “That’s illegal—churches can’t endorse candidates.” You are correct that such endorsements violate a federal statute. However, that statute is almost certainly unconstitutional.”

“When serving in the Senate on July 2, 1954, Johnson pushed through the Johnson Amendment on the Senate floor without any committee hearings or discussion, making it illegal for nonprofit tax-deductible entities to speak in any manner intended to influence an election.

As ADF—a Christian legal organization that fights for the unborn, marriage, parental rights, and religious liberty—explains at its Pulpit Freedom website, this broke almost 200 years of practice where American pastors could freely speak on their understanding of how biblical principles applied to major issues facing the country, and which candidates for office those pastors believed did a better job of adhering to Christian principles in their proposed government actions. Video messages from leaders such as Pastor Jim Garlow and ADF’s lead lawyer on this project, Erik Stanley, walk visitors through the history of this issue and the specifics of ADF’s plan to combat this silencing of churches.”

“The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution protects the ability of churches—including pastors and lay Christians—and adherents of other faiths—to freely live out their faith through participating in the political process. And the Supreme Court has made it clear for more than a century—most recently in 2010 in Citizens United v. FEC, that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment guarantees that citizens can speak as freely through a corporate entity (such as a church) as they can individually about political and social issues.”

Read more here

So my questions are these. Did your church participate, and what do you feel the result was if they did? And what of the group promoting it?