Pulpit Freedom Sunday

Last updated October 03, 2019

In the United States of America, Pulpit Freedom Sunday is an annual event which is held in churches. It was founded in 2008 by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to challenge the prohibition on places of worship from endorsing political candidates. According to The New York Times , ADF's campaign has become "perhaps its most aggressive effort."^[1]

Alliance Defending Freedom is an American conservative Christian nonprofit organization with the stated goal of advocating, training, and funding on the issues of "religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family." ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and runs the Center for Academic Freedom. It also has four branch offices located in Folsom, California; Washington, D.C.; Lawrenceville, Georgia; and New York.

<i>The New York Times</i> Daily broadsheet newspaper based in New York City

The New York Times is an American newspaper based in New York City with worldwide influence and readership. Founded in 1851, the paper has won 127 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper. The Times is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the U.S.

Background

In 1954 then Senator Lyndon B. Johnson was running for re-election to the U.S. Senate. In order to neutralize opposition from two nonprofit groups who accused him of being a communist, Johnson introduced an amendment to the Internal Revenue Service code–the Johnson Amendment–which prohibited non-profit groups from endorsing political candidates.^[2] This legislation had far reaching effects not only on non-profits, but churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship. Before enactment of the Johnson Amendment, religious leaders were free to endorse or oppose candidates for office.^[3] Churches registered as 501(c)(3) organizations under the tax code are subject to revocation of their tax-exempt status should the IRS rule that they violated the political speech prohibition.^[4]^[5]

Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Formerly the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a United States Representative and as the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of only four people who have served in all four federal elected positions.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The government agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who is appointed to a five-year term by the President of the United States. The IRS is responsible for collecting taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of federal statutory tax law of the United States. The duties of the IRS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers and pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings. The IRS has also overseen various benefits programs, and enforces portions of the Affordable Care Act.

The Johnson Amendment is a provision in the U.S. tax code, since 1954, that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Section 501(c)(3) organizations are the most common type of nonprofit organization in the United States, ranging from charitable foundations to universities and churches. The amendment is named for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, who introduced it in a preliminary draft of the law in July 1954.

Alliance Defending Freedom opposes the Johnson Amendment. Its position is explained: "Churches are not tax-exempt because of some bargain they make with the government. Being tax-exempt is part of freedom of religion; otherwise the government could tax churches out of existence. Now the government is telling churches you can be tax-exempt if you don't speak out on a certain topic".^[3]

In 2017 the Free Speech Fairness Act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives. The legislation proposes to permit political speech in churches. ADF supports passage of the bill.^[6]

The United States House of Representatives is the lower house of the United States Congress, the Senate being the upper house. Together they compose the national legislature of the United States.

History

In 2008 ADF launched Pulpit Freedom Sunday with 35 churches—including several mega-churches–to directly challenge the Johnson Amendment. In acts of civil disobedience, pastors give sermons on "blatantly political"^[5] topics, which may include providing "biblical perspectives"^[4] on or endorsements of particular candidates, in defiance of IRS regulations and in hopes of triggering a First Amendment court challenge to the provisions.^[3]^[7] The 2008 event included Minnesota reverend Gus Booth, who encouraged his congregation to vote in the 2008 United States presidential election for Senator John McCain, and prohibited them from voting for Senator Barack Obama because of his position on abortion.^[7]

Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government. By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called 'civil'. Hence, civil disobedience is sometimes equated with peaceful protests or nonviolent resistance.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws which respect an establishment of religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

2008 United States presidential election 56th quadrennial presidential election in the United States

The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior U.S. Senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain, the senior Senator from Arizona, and Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska. Obama became the first African American ever to be elected to the presidency.

By 2014 participation in the event had grown to over 1,800 pastors. That brought total participation since 2008 to more than 3,800 pastors. At the same time the IRS indicated that it would ramp up enforcement of the prohibition against candidate endorsement at churches.^[4]

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References

↑ Eric, Eckhholm (May 11, 2014). "Legal Alliance Gains Host of Court Victories for Conservative Christian Movement". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
↑ Peters, Jeremy W. (February 22, 2017). "The Johnson Amendment, Which Trump Vows to 'Destroy,' Explained". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
1 2 3 Duin, Julia (September 27, 2008). "Churches to defy IRS on sermons". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
1 2 3 Kumar, Anugrah (October 11, 2014). "Over 1,800 Pastors Take Part in Pulpit Freedom Sunday". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
1 2 Kilgore, Ed (November 2, 2017). "Trump Tax Bill Pays Off Christian Right With Repeal of Limits on Politicking From the Pulpit". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
↑ "Free speech fairness language clears House as part of tax bill". Alliance Defending Freedom. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
1 2 Lampman, Jane (September 26, 2008). "Pulpit politics: Pastors to defy IRS". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.

External links

Pulpit Freedom Sunday, official 2008 press release

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[eckholm-1] Eric, Eckhholm (May 11, 2014). "Legal Alliance Gains Host of Court Victories for Conservative Christian Movement". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.

[2] Peters, Jeremy W. (February 22, 2017). "The Johnson Amendment, Which Trump Vows to 'Destroy,' Explained". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2018.

[duin-3] 1 2 3 Duin, Julia (September 27, 2008). "Churches to defy IRS on sermons". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.

[kumar-4] 1 2 3 Kumar, Anugrah (October 11, 2014). "Over 1,800 Pastors Take Part in Pulpit Freedom Sunday". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2018.

[kilgore-5] 1 2 Kilgore, Ed (November 2, 2017). "Trump Tax Bill Pays Off Christian Right With Repeal of Limits on Politicking From the Pulpit". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2018.

[6] "Free speech fairness language clears House as part of tax bill". Alliance Defending Freedom. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.

[lampman-7] 1 2 Lampman, Jane (September 26, 2008). "Pulpit politics: Pastors to defy IRS". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.