Gay Agenda Forced on Christian Colleges by Supremes

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court blessing of the Gay Agenda, homosexualists are gearing up to launch legal assaults against Christians on all fronts.  In response to those threats, Christian colleges are girding up with lawyers — perhaps to defend themselves, or simply to surrender.

"Weakening the churches will leave individuals subject to the direct control of the state. Weakening the churches erodes freedom."
-- Peter Leithart, President of the Theopolis Institute

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

South Carolina Seminary: Homosexuality Sinful — Media Outraged

Massachusetts Christian College Ostracized by City & Media for Opposing Gay Agenda

Gays and Media Attack Nebraska Christian College for Being Moral

Liberal Media Pounce on Evangelical Liberty University

Religious Liberty in Homosexualists' Crosshairs

ACLU Sues Christians for Refusing 'Gay Marriage'

Kansas Gov. Protects Religious Liberty, Homosexualists Attack

Homosexualists Admit Goal to End Religious Liberty

Michigan Christian Business Trashed by Homosexualists

Homosexuals Force Closure of Iowa Christian Wedding Chapel

Pastors Face Fines, Jail for Refusing 'Gay Wedding'

U.S. Catholic Bishops vs. U.S. Supreme Court Gay Agenda

-- From "3 Christian schools shift their policies on homosexuality" compiled by Massarah Mikati, Deseret News 7/12/15

"In employment policy and practice, Hope College [in Holland, Michigan] has always followed the state's legal definition of marriage," school president, John Knapp, wrote in a statement. "Spouses are eligible for benefits, so long as their marriage is legally recognized the state of Michigan."

"Notre Dame is a Catholic university and endorses a Catholic view of marriage. However, it will follow the relevant civil law and begin to implement this change immediately," the university emailed to employees.

And on Tuesday, Baylor University — the world's largest Baptist university — dropped a ban on "homosexual acts" in its sexual conduct policy, according to the Houston Chronicle.

While before, Baylor's policy said homosexual acts were a misuse of "God's gift," it now says the university "will be guided by the biblical understanding that human sexuality is a gift from God and that physical sexual intimacy is to be expressed in the context of marital fidelity."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Hope College to extend spousal benefits to gay couples after high court ruling" by Amy Biolchini, Holland Michigan Sentinel 7/5/15

Hope provides benefits to spouses legally recognized by the state of Michigan, said Jennifer Fellinger, vice president for public affairs and marketing at Hope.

Prior to June 26, that meant if a Hope employee was married to someone of the same sex in another state, the couple would not receive the benefits that a heterosexual married couple would at Hope.

As a result of Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, a same-sex spouse of a Hope employee is now eligible for spousal benefits.

Hope is a private, Christian college affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. The RCA has historically stuck to a Biblical definition of marriage — between one man and one woman.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Two Christian Colleges Extend Employment Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter 7/12/15

On Monday, Hope College President John Knapp sent an email to the Hope community explaining that while Hope will continue to offer benefits to spouses of employees recognized by the state, the Supreme Court's ruling has effectively changed the definition of marriages recognized by the state of Michigan to include same-sex couples.

Knapp explained that after consulting with members of the Hope community and other Christian educators, it was determined that it's in the best interest of the school to keep the same employment policy and extend benefits same-sex spouses recognized in Michigan.

Knapp also explains that although the school will extend benefits to same-sex spouses, that does not mean the school will open use of the Dimnent Chapel for same-sex wedding ceremonies.

Although employees' same-sex spouses will now receive benefits from Hope college, Hope's statement on sexuality still states: "This biblical witness calls us to a life of chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Why Baylor University’s sexual conduct policy no longer calls out ‘homosexual acts’" by Abby Ohlheiser, Washington Post 7/8/15

Baylor University, one of the nation’s most prominent Christian colleges, has dropped a phrase from its student policy on sexual misconduct that specifically forbade “homosexual acts.” Although the revised code does not appear to alter the school’s policy barring same-sex relationships, the change comes as many Christian colleges grapple with how to define their standards for student conduct.

In a document outlining how the school will apply the new policy, Baylor says that it will “be interpreted by the Baptist University in a manner consistent with the Baptist Faith and Message of 1963,” a reference to a doctrinal document from the Southern Baptist Convention. That document, among other things, defines marriage as “the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.”

Lori Fogleman, Baylor’s assistant vice president for media communications, said in an e-mail to The Washington Post on Monday that the changes “were made because we didn’t believe the language reflected Baylor’s caring community.” The new policy went into effect in May of this year.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Supreme Court Ruling and Christian Colleges" by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed 6/29/15

In a dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the [majority, ruling] decision's language did not go far enough. "Hard questions arise when people of faith exercise religion in ways that may be seen to conflict with the new right to same-sex marriage -- when, for example, a religious college provides married student housing only to opposite-sex married couples," Roberts wrote.

[Christian evangelical colleges], some legal experts believe, may now face challenges to their tax-exempt status or other government benefits. . . .

Seventy leaders of Christian colleges and schools wrote to congressional leaders this month -- prior to the Supreme Court's ruling -- asking Congress to enact a law to protect religious colleges and schools that want to keep their current policies on gay people. . . .

Michael A. Olivas, director of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance at the University of Houston and author of The Law and Higher Education, said that the Supreme Court ruling should prompt Christian colleges to rethink their policies. "In an area of social change that is as well defined as this issue is, why would any college want to violate the law by banning relationships that are not only legal, but if they led to marriage would be legal and recognizable in every jurisdiction in the country?" he asked

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Is tax status the next front in the same-sex marriage battle?" by Mariana Barillas, Michigan Campus Correspondent, Campus Reform 7/14/15

As reported by Catholic Education Daily, Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly told EWTN News Nightly he expected the religious freedom of educators will be attacked, but said no one can take the right of Catholics to teach their faith to the next generation.

“I think that we’re going to suffer a lot, and I don’t mean to suggest that we won’t,” Reilly said. “We may not have schools and colleges in the form that we have them now.”

Ave Maria Law Dean Emeritus Eugene Milhizer told Catholic Education Daily that “religious freedom is endangered,” arguing “the recasting of the right of ‘freedom of religion’ to a notion of ‘freedom of worship’” as “an effort to expel religious influence from the public square.”

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah has introduced the First Amendment Defense Act, which he said in an NPR interview is designed to protect the freedom of religious colleges and universities that recognize marriage as "an institution between a man and a woman."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "What does the Supreme Court gay marriage ruling mean for Christian colleges?" by Mark Woods, Christian Today Contributing Editor 7/13/15

A campaign by the Americans United for Separation of Church and State launched after the Supreme Court decision seeks to thwart colleges and other religious institutions seeking exemption from the implications of the ruling. Its "Protect thy Neighbor" project is aimed among other things at preventing policies that would "allow government-funded grantees and contractors to use religion as a reason to hire, fire, and withhold services in taxpayer-funded programs".

According to the Christian Post, its executive director Rev Barry Lynn said: "We will work to put a stop to reckless definitions of 'religious freedom' that are really just excuses to infringe on the rights of others."

Lynn said: "Even now, I would not want to be a person at a fundamentalist academy who is trying to defend the practice, that is taking a reasonable amount of government funds and refusing to allow a same-sex married couple to live in the married student housing. I think even now, that would be on the edge of the indefensible."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Christian Colleges' Right to Deny Married Housing for Gay Couples Is 'on the Edge of the Indefensible,' Barry Lynn Asserts" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter 7/7/15

Prior to the Supreme Court's ruling, Americans United worked to stop Religious Freedom Restoration Acts in Indiana, Arkansas and other states that could, but not necessarily would, provide businesses and individuals with greater religious protections from being forced to serve and participate in same-sex weddings.

In response to a question from The Christian Post, Lynn, who is an ordained minister for the Church of Christ, contended that Christian colleges refusing to provide married housing to married same-sex couples is akin to schools not allowing interracial married couples to occupy married housing.

In 1983, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Bob Jones University could legally have its tax-exempt status revoked for engaging in the discriminatory practice of not allowing mixed-race dating.

. . . Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United, said that the organization will work to oppose the First Amendment Defense Act [recently introduced in Congress by Senator Mike Lee of Utah].

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read The Gay 'Untied' States of America

And read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

Pastors Coerced to Preach Environmentalism in MD

A new "rain tax" imposed in Maryland was intended to reign over tax-exempt churches, but government officials are instead giving the pastors a choice:  If church leaders will trade their Christian teaching for pagan environmental worship, then the tax will be reduced or even waived entirely.

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Global Warming a Religion, Say Climate Scientists

Environmentalism is the Greatest Threat to Civilization

Federal Judge Says Atheists Right on New Clergy Tax

Houston Lesbian Mayor Subpoenas Pastors' Sermons

Pastors Face Fines, Jail for Refusing 'Gay Wedding'

However, Pastors Defeat IRS, Endorse Political Candidates

Environmentalists Say Trade Babies For Climate Change

Also read about the environmentally-friendly burning of aborted babies in Oregon.

-- From "Churches receive stormwater fee discounts by starting ‘green’ ministries, sermons" by Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post 11/16/14

Maryland’s stormwater remediation fee has been criticized ever since it became law in 2013. One of its main detractors is Gov.-elect Larry Hogan (R), who derisively calls the fee a “rain tax” and has promised to try to repeal it.

The fee applies to public and private properties, commercial and residential, and is assessed according to the size of each property’s impervious surface — solid material that blocks stormwater from being absorbed and filtered by the underlying soil.

In Prince George’s, churches are some of the largest properties in the county, with sprawling parking lots and generous acreage.

Churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship are an “untapped resource” to help inspire the larger community to “do what is right,” Jon Capacasa of the Environmental Protection Agency said.

[Dozens of pastors have] agreed to start “green” ministries . . . and to preach environmentally focused sermons to educate their congregations.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Obama's John Kerry Quotes Allah: We Must Fight Climate Change

What's next in this ObamaNation?  It's a 'Fake Church,' Says Catholic Cardinal

Study: Pastors Hide Culture Truth to be Successful

Researcher George Barna says that after years of survey and study, The Barna Group has found that the vast majority of theologically conservative American pastors intentionally conceal information that is critical to the well being of their flock and the nation, and do so in order to enhance the "success" of their church.

"Well, that's not part of my mission; my mission is to bring in more people and to get them to understand certain things that I feel they should know."
-- Common response by clergy

For background, read Pastors Who Avoid Gay Agenda Deserve Hell, Says Franklin Graham

-- From "Barna: Many pastors wary of raising 'controversy'" by Chris Woodward, OneNewsNow.com 8/1/14

"What we're finding is that when we ask them about all the key issues of the day, [90 percent of them are] telling us, Yes, the Bible speaks to every one of these issues. Then we ask them: Well, are you teaching your people what the Bible says about those issues? – and the numbers drop ... to less than 10 percent of pastors who say they will speak to it."

When researchers ask those pastors what else they are willing to do to get their people active in the political process, Barna said "it's almost nothing."

"There are five factors that the vast majority of pastors turn to [when asked the question of what defines success]," [Barna] explained. "Attendance, giving, number of programs, number of staff, and square footage.

"What I'm suggesting is [those pastors] won't probably get involved in politics because it's very controversial. Controversy keeps people from being in the seats, controversy keeps people from giving money, from attending programs.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

Fed. Judge Says Atheists Right on New Clergy Tax

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in Wisconsin ruled in favor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation saying that clergy cannot be exempt from paying income taxes on charitable money used to pay for their housing.  If the Obama administration does not appeal the ruling, the federal government will gain billions of dollars in tax revenue via a fleecing of church leaders.

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

President Obama's Military Shuns God & Persecutes Christians

President Obama Strips God from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

President Obama's Veterans Administration Strips Jesus & Bible from Chaplains

-- From "Judge strikes down clergy tax-free housing money" by The Associated Press 11/23/13

The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation filed the lawsuit against U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and acting IRS commissioner Daniel Werfel. Treasury Department spokeswoman Victoria Esser and IRS spokesman Grant Williams referred questions Saturday to the Department of Justice, which is representing Lew and Werfel. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

Under the law, passed by Congress in 1954, ministers don’t pay income taxes on compensation that is designated part of a housing allowance. The Freedom From Religion Foundation says that a clergy member to use the untaxed income to purchase a home, and then, in a practice known as “double dipping,” deduct interest paid on the mortgage and property taxes.

In her ruling, Crabb referenced a 2002 statement by then-U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad of Minnesota that said the exemption would save clergy members $2.3 billion in taxes from 2002-2007. Crabb said the magnitude of the benefit only underscores what’s wrong with the law.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Court Strikes Clergy Tax-Free Housing Allowances; FRC Calls it 'Supreme Arrogance'" by Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor 11/24/13

In her ruling, the judge wrote that the exemption "provides a benefit to religious persons and no one else, even though doing so is not necessary to alleviate a special burden on religious exercise," as quoted by the Wisconsin State Journal.

"We have seen many courts over the years attempt to banish God in various ways from the public square, but this case in particular reveals a level of supreme arrogance," [Family Research Council President Tony] Perkins said in a statement. "Once again, Judge Crabb has neglected to consult the Constitution that she was sworn to uphold."

Society has long provided this tax housing allowance to clergy because of the tremendous benefit that churches in turn give to society, Perkins explained. "Clergy help carry the burden of many social ills that would otherwise become the burden of taxpayers and the federal government."

Perkins pointed out that the same judge had struck down the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Religious liberty & ministers' tax exemption" by Joe Carter, director of communications for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention 11/27/13

. . . Why exactly do ministers receive a tax exemption for their housing allowance?

Since at least the time when Joseph served in Pharaoh's Egypt, religious property has been exempt from certain forms of taxation (Genesis 47:26). The practice continued in the Roman Empire and through medieval Europe and was part of the common law, which America adopted from England. The common law granted tax exemptions to established churches and, through the equity law tradition, to all churches. From the 15th century to the 19th century, most pastors lived in the parsonage, a house provided by the church. Housing was thus a form of non-cash payment that was exempt from taxation since the parsonage was church property.

By the early 20th century, though, both clergy housing and taxation had changed considerably. So in 1921, Congress passed the Revenue Act, which exempted from the gross income of ministers the rental value of any "dwelling house and appurtenances thereof" provided by a church as part of clergy compensation. This parsonage exemption, however, applied only to ministers who lived on property owned by their church and disadvantaged ministers whose churches provided a housing allowance rather than a church-owned parsonage.

In 1954, Congress amended the tax code to allow ministers to exempt a portion of their income to the extent used by the minister for housing. According to the Senate Report at the time, the purpose of this addition was to eliminate the disparity in the tax code between ministers who lived in a church-owned parsonage and those who were given a stipend with which to secure housing.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama Redefines 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion even though Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity

Atheists & Pastors Agree: IRS Must Audit Sermons

A federal judge has ruled that the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation can sue the federal Internal Revenue Service for not enforcing a 1954 law that restricts churches from endorsing political candidates, and many evangelical pastors say to the IRS concerning the scrutiny, "Bring it on!"

“[The atheists] will win our case. The very thing they are trying to prevent – conservative, biblical political speech from the pulpit – they will exonerate as constitutional.”
-- Dan Cummins, pastor of Bridlewood Church in Bullard, Texas, and founder of Come Pray With Me

For background, read Pastors Defeating IRS on Freedom to Preach -- it's because the IRS Fears Prosecuting Churches over Politics (because the IRS will lose)

However, only some pastors make the effort to be freed of the IRS muzzle.  Will 'Wimpy' Pastors Engage the War on Christianity?

-- From "Atheist group can sue IRS over enforcement of pulpit politicking" by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Religion News Service, posted at Washington Post 8/23/13

FFRF, a Wisconsin-based group for atheists and agnostics, filed a lawsuit after the 2012 elections, arguing that a lack of IRS enforcement was unfair. The IRS filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying taxpayers often do not have standing to sue other taxpayers.

On Monday (Aug. 19), U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Wisconsin [Western District] denied the motion, writing that FFRF “has standing to seek an order requiring the IRS to treat religious organizations no more favorably than it treats the Foundation.”

Observers found the judge’s decision significant because similar attempts in the past have failed. For instance, groups have tried to sue over the Catholic Church’s involvement in anti-abortion activism. “It is a tactic that’s been used before, but without success,” said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. “I can’t see it going anywhere.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Judge OKs Atheist Group's Suit Against IRS Over Church Politicking Ban Enforcement" by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter 8/21/13

[Judge Adelman wrote,] "If it is true that the IRS has a policy of not enforcing the prohibition on campaigning against religious organizations, then the IRS is conferring a benefit on religious organizations (the ability to participate in political campaigns) that it denies to all other § 501(c)(3) organizations, including the Foundation."

In 1954, Congress passed the Johnson Amendment. According to the amendment's language, tax-exempt entities, such as churches, cannot "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of – or in opposition to – any candidate for public office."

Critics of the Johnson Amendment, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, have argued that the rule effectively "muzzles" the free speech of clergy by threatening removal of their tax-exempt status should they endorse a candidate from the pulpit.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Evangelical body supports politicking in the pulpit" by John Dart, Christian Century 8/29/13

A report prepared by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability—a watchdog body that advises evangelical churches and ministries on good business practices—was given to Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa).

. . . ECFA commission chairman Michael E. Batts wrote to Grassley: “It is both disturbing and chilling that the federal government regulates the speech of religious organizations.” His Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations asserted in its report that “members of the clergy should be able to say whatever they believe is appropriate” in their religious contexts. IRS guidelines also “are often vague, causing uncertainty as to what is permissible,” added the report.

The ECFA said its recommendations came from 14 commission members and “66 panel members representing every major faith group in America.” . . .

In another survey, a Pew Research Center poll asked churchgoers last October whether their clergy had spoken about presidential candidates at their churches. About one in five (19 percent) said they had. Four in ten worshipers in black Protestant churches said their pastors have spoken directly about the candidates.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pastors chuckle as atheists fight feds for them" by Gina Loudon, Ph.D., World Net Dailly 8/31/13

The pastors, in an initiative organized by the Alliance Defending Freedom called Pulpit Freedom Sunday, have been preaching what they believe the Bible says regarding current political issues and then informing the IRS of their actions. They’ve been trying to convince the IRS to bring a case against one of the ministers.

They believe the IRS intentionally is ignoring their statements to avoid a confrontation over the 1954 Johnson Amendment that purports to silence some speech in the United States through IRS regulations.

Pastors who spoke with WND believe that the only way to get rid of the Johnson Amendment is to get audited by the IRS and have the case go to the Supreme Court, where they believe it will be ruled unconstitutional.

The Black Robe Regiment is a group of pastors who insist the First Amendment doesn’t stop at sanctuary doors. They argue that all laws are based on someone’s morality and point to the time-tested Judeo-Christian principles espoused by the Founding Fathers.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

In addition, read President Obama Redefines 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion and yet President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity, and also read Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism

IRS Tells Pro-lifers: Either Shut Up or Be Taxed

Although America's highest courts have repeatedly confirmed the First Amendment right of "sidewalk counseling" at abortion clinics, the anti-life Internal Revenue Service denied pro-life organizations the same timely tax-exempt status given to liberal groups who perform anti-Christian brow-beating.

For background, read IRS Gave Homosexualists Private Info on Enemy Christians

And also read Some Pastors Continue Efforts to be Freed of IRS Muzzle

-- From "IRS Agent: Keep Faith to Yourself" by Todd Starnes, Foxnews.com 6/10/13

An Internal Revenue Service agent was recorded on audiotape telling a pro-life organization that they had to remain neutral on the issue of abortion and lectured the group’s president about forcing its religious beliefs on others.

In a May 2011 letter to the pro-life group, [IRS agent Sherry] Wan took issue with their prayer and evangelism efforts.

“It appears that some of your activities, conducted or plan to conduct, may be neither educational nor charitable in nature no matter how sincere of your religious belief or how important of your viewpoint,” Wan wrote.

[The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorney Erik Stanley said,] “What the IRS is doing here is unconstitutional – attempting to tell an organization that it could not advocate its viewpoint and still be considered educational and gain a tax exemption.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Excerpts from "Transcript of recording of phone call placed by IRS agent Sherry Wan to Pro-Life Revolution President Ania Joseph - March 8, 2012"  posted by ADF:

IRS - . . . you have the religious freedom; the freedom of speech. And other people also have the civil rights; human rights. You cannot, you know, use your religious belief to tell other people you don’t have a belief, so I don’t believe you need the right to do this, start confrontation, protesting, uh, prot, uh, protest. [unintelligible] You don’t apply for tax exemption.

Citizen - My religion says that, you know, we have to reach out to women who are hurting, who are considering killing their own babies.

IRS - You reach out to woman, you can’t do that. You can, you know, to educate the woman, to do, you know, you don’t do that. However, you can’t just like say, you know, the [unintelligible] woman, you fear the woman. You have to get the woman the opportunity to listen to you. You cannot force your religion or force your beliefs on somebody else.

IRS - . . . when you, you know, go to, you know, the abortion clinic, and you found them [unintelligible], we don’t want, you know, to come against them. You can’t take all kinds of confrontation activities and also put something on a web site and ask people to take action against the abortion clinic. That’s not, that’s not really educational.

Citizen - Actually, actually, a peaceful prayer vigil is not...

IRS - . . . you have to know your boundaries. You have to know your limits. . . .

Citizen - Yeah, I’m going to have to consult somebody because you know I understand your point, but I also understand as a ministry we have certain rights as well and I want to consult somebody and just take it from there and to get more information and...

IRS - . . . after you, you talk to your lawyer, or talk to your legal consultant, and if you say, OK, here we understand the position, I feel that you know, you know, we understand your position, understand your point and that we wanted to, wanted to, you know, get this kicked down quickly and we are willing to take those, no longer can do the activities, [unintelligible]. OK?

IRS - Yeah. I apologize for this because it is a holiday and everything and I’m off and on another project, so I apologize for the delay, but I think we’re talking about more time to discuss and think about your application and want to give you more time to think about this, too. . . .

To read the complete telephone transcript, and hear the audio recording, CLICK HERE.

From "IRS to pro-life group: 'You cannot force your religion'" by Patrick Howley, Investigative Reporter, Daily Caller 6/10/12

The IRS sent Pro-Life Revolution a grammatically disastrous  letter dated February 5, 2013 requesting additional information about its protesting activities.

“You called for faithful Christians to praying and counseling in front of the abortion referring clinic, conducting activities in front of another entity, which take opposite positions, appears more like a type of protest, which interferes the normal operation of a business with an effect of humiliating the persons working or receives the service there,” according to the letter, which lists Sherry Wan as the IRS agent to contact.

The IRS denied tax-exempt status to the group Coalition for Life of Iowa and forced leaders of the group, in a June 2009 phone call, to promise that they do not organize protests outside of Planned Parenthood.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "IRS Agent Who Told Group to Keep Faith Private Opposed Pro-Life Position" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 6/11/13

Alliance Defending Freedom, a pro-life legal group, made the audio available today of IRS officials telling a group that provides support to women in abusive pregnancy situations to keep its faith to itself. . . .

In February of this year, the IRS requested additional information in another letter and attempted to apply a standard for tax exemption to Pro-Life Revolution that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held to be unconstitutional in 1980. Alliance Defending Freedom pointed this out in a letter responding to the IRS, which finally granted tax-exempt status to the organization in a letter received Thursday.

Now, the lead attorney in the case has given a new interview in which he explains the IRS agent in question was ideologically opposed to the pro-life group’s mission and that the targeting came a result of that rather than the agent’s not understanding laws or IRS rules related to nonprofits.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Proved: Tea Party Movement is Christian

Bishops Warn Voting for Democrats is 'Grave Sin'

Given the 2012 Democrat Party pro-abortion platform, and the ObamaCare assault on religious liberty, Roman Catholic bishops across America are directing local priests to inform their flocks of the eternal risks of voting for candidates who support abortion and/or who fight the Church.

For background, read Bishops Chasten VP Biden, a 'Practicing Catholic' and also read Pastors Endorse Candidates, IRS Fears Challenge

And read what the Vatican Says: NEVER Vote for Pro-choice Candidate and also says Liberal Catholic Candidates Must Repent Publicly

UPDATE 3/20/13: Pope Francis Says Wayward Politicians Can't Take Communion

UPDATE 11/5/12: Complaint to IRS Against Catholic Bishops is Bogus 'Scare Tactic'

-- From "Ill. bishop's election message criticizes Obama" by The Associated Press 11/3/12

Catholic Diocese of Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky's letter [to his flock] says the president and the current majority in the U.S. Senate have been unwilling to consider Catholic objections to a requirement that insurance companies provide birth control to employees of religious organizations.

The letter says voters who enable "the destruction of innocent human life in the womb" are "guilty of grave sin." Jenky instructed priests to read it at every Mass over the weekend.

The letter continues: "Today, Catholic politicians, bureaucrats, and their electoral supporters who callously enable the destruction of innocent human life in the womb also thereby reject Jesus as their Lord. They are objectively guilty of grave sin."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Catholic bishops take campaign to prayer and pulpit" by Joel Connelly, Seattle Post Intelligencer 11/2/12

Jenky ordered diocesan priests to read his latest broadside from their pulpits, telling them:  “By virtue of your vow of obedience to me as your bishop, I require that this letter be personally read by each celebrating priest at each weekend Mass.”

[Jenky wrote,] “Since the foundation of the American Republic and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, I do not think there has ever been a time more threatening to our religious liberty than the present . .  . For those who hope for salvation, no political loyalty can ever take precedence over loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his Gospel of Life.”

. . . Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bishop David Ricken wrote in an October 24 letter that the Democratic Party platform support for marriage equality and abortion rights and other “intrinsic evils” puts parishoners’ souls at risk if they support the Democrats.

The Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania wrote a letter to voters last week arguing that abortion, contraception and marriage equality policies supported by the Obama administration and Democrats mean America is “losing its soul by little steps.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Arlington bishop’s pre-election letter" by Jeannine Hunter, Washington Post 11/1/12

Days before the presidential election, several Catholic bishops are making a final pitch to their flocks to vote, with some arguing that the last-minute appeals sound like powerful and partisan endorsements for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney over President Obama.

In his final election message to the Diocese of Arlington and Catholics who live in northern Virginia, the Most Rev. Paul S. Loverde wrote [in part]:

We are first Catholics, not Democrats or Republicans, and recognizing our Catholic identity and the immutable truths of our faith, we must make the best decision we can according to our consciences, properly informed by the Church’s official teaching. . . .

. . . As Catholics, we must recognize that the defense of religious liberty is necessary if we, as individuals and as a Church, are to preserve our ability to practice in our daily lives and in the public square all that we profess at Mass each Sunday. . . .

. . . Abortion is no abstract topic or public policy issue without consequence in the present elections. The party platforms and political advertisements we see and hear each today confirm that the lives of the unborn, the weakest and most innocent amongst us, are still squarely in the public debate, and our votes do have consequences with respect to this “unspeakable crime,” both here at home and in nations abroad. If we do not defend life at its beginning at conception, then there is no life for us to develop and protect thereafter. It is the first right.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Catholic bishops make last-minute pitch for Romney" by David Gibson, Religion News Service 11/2/12

On Thursday, the bishops of Pennsylvania — a crucial battleground state where most Catholics are currently supporting Obama — released a letter to voters declaring that policies on contraception, abortion and gay rights backed by the White House and Democrats meant the nation was “losing its soul by little steps.”

In Wisconsin, Green Bay Bishop David Ricken wrote an Oct. 24 letter saying that the Democratic platform’s support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage and other “intrinsic evils” made it impossible for Catholics to support the party without putting their souls at risk.

That same day, Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s column in the diocesan newspaper said that voting for a candidate who supports policies on contraception coverage and abortion rights — as Obama does — “stretches the imagination, especially when there is another option.”

Across the continent in Alaska, Juneau Bishop Edward J. Burns wrote a column in the local newspaper on Oct. 27 comparing Vice President Joe Biden’s support for abortion rights to supporting slave owners in the antebellum South, and he questioned Biden’s character and Catholic faith.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Peoria Bishop: Voting For Pro-Choice Candidates A ‘Grave Sin’" posted at CBS News WBBM Chicago 11/2/12

Donna Doucette, of the group Voice of the Faithful — a Catholic lay group that seeks structural change in the Catholic Church — said Jenky and others like him threaten the Catholic Church’s tax exempt status by appearing to support a specific candidate.

Although the letter does not specifically urge Catholics to vote for Mitt Romney, and doesn’t mention President Barack Obama by name, it compares the president and Senate Democrats to those who killed Jesus.

Doucette calls the level of political involvement by some Catholic bishops this election year “unprecedented.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Complaint says bishops are violating politics ban" by Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 11/2/12

A Washington-based ethics group has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service alleging Catholic bishops, including Green Bay Bishop David Ricken, are violating the IRS ban on certain political activity by nonprofit organizations.

The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington . . . specifically highlighted comments by Ricken, who sent a letter to Catholics last week warning that their souls would be in danger if they voted for candidates who support gay marriage or abortion rights, generally Democrats; and Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky, who directed his priests to read a statement accusing the Obama administration of waging an assault on religious freedom "without precedent in the American political and legal system." Jenky had previously compared Obama to Hitler and Stalin.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "For Catholic Voters, Pro-Life Issues are Not Negotiable" by Fr. Shenan Boquet, posted at LifeNews.com 11/2/12

The Church itself is very clear in its teaching, but the truth of the Church’s message can be lost in the deluge of political ads and speeches aimed at getting votes. In these critical days leading up to the election, it’s imperative that we reach out to our friends and family members to explain the non-negotiables for Catholic voters.

Catholics must be aware of the five non-negotiables (abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and the redefinition of marriage) which are intrinsic evils that cannot be supported. Voting to limit evil on these moral issues far outweighs any position on economic policy or issue of government-provided financial assistance in any election. Voting for a candidate who favors and supports any of the five non-negotiables could lead one to be morally complicit with promoting these intrinsic evils, putting one’s soul in jeopardy, as Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay courageously said last week.

[Also,] Catholics going into the election booth on Tuesday should be aware of the very real threat to our religious freedom.

As the saying goes, work like it all depends on you, pray as if it all depends on God.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity

It's all about Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism in America

Will 'Wimpy' Pastors Engage War on Christianity?

One thousand American pastors are challenging their fellow heretofore spineless church leaders to stand up to the federal government's totalitarian effort to curtail religious liberty.  Pastors are being called to preach to election issues on "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" (October 7th), urging their congregations to vote consistent with Biblical principles, thus endorsing particular candidates from the pulpit -- a direct challenge to the never-enforced IRS restrictions on churches.

For background, read Pastors Defeating IRS on Freedom to Preach -- it's because the IRS Fears Prosecuting Churches over Politics

UPDATE 9/1/13 - Atheists & Pastors Agree: IRS Must Audit Sermons

Also read Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism as well as Catholic Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet: Obama War on Christianity

UPDATE 2/16/14: America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions



From "Pastors To Challenge IRS Ban On Political Speech With 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'" by Meredith Bennett-Smith, The Huffington Post 9/20/12

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of American pastors plan on challenging the Internal Revenue Service next month, endorsing specific candidates in an attempt to force the courts to decide if politics should be allowed in the pulpit.

Dubbed "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," the Oct. 7 event marks the fourth year that churches, led by conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom, have carried out the protest. Pastors [participating in] the event will “preach sermons that will talk about the candidates running for office” and then “make a specific recommendation,” Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the ADF, said.

Last year hundreds of pastors participated in the special Sunday event, preaching about American politics and hot-button issues including same-sex marriage and abortion, according to The New York Times. The politically charged sermons were recorded and sent to the IRS to prove the pastors' violations of a 1954 tax code amendment banning such discourse.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "As churches get political, IRS stays quiet" by Nanette Byrnes, Reuters 6/21/12

The situation is fraught with peril for the IRS, which needs to be seen as apolitical. When it cracks down on political activities proscribed by the 501(c)(3) regulations [that restrict church free speech], it is inevitably branded as partisan.

When the target is a church, mosque or synagogue, enforcement puts two fundamental American values at odds: freedom of speech and the separation of church and state. Although the agency has enforced the tax-exemption rules against churches in the past, it has so far ignored the provocations of Freedom Sunday.

The IRS has also been silent about the increasingly aggressive political activity of the U.S. Catholic bishops, who have called for their own Fortnight for Freedom [in June]. Masses, rallies, and parish bulletins are being mobilized against the Obama administration's healthcare regulations on contraceptives.

IRS church audits seem to have halted entirely in January 2009. That was when Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, successfully appealed an IRS audit. In question were an endorsement of Republican Michele Bachmann for Congress by pastor James Hammond and financial deals that may have benefited him personally, a violation of IRS rules.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pastors pledge to defy IRS, preach politics from pulpit ahead of election" by Cristina Corbin, FoxNews.com 9/23/12

The defiant move, they hope, will prompt the IRS to enforce a 1954 tax code [the Johnson Amendment] that prohibits tax-exempt organizations, such as churches, from making political endorsements. Alliance Defending Freedom, which is holding the October summit, said it wants the IRS to press the matter so it can be decided in court. The group believes the law violates the First Amendment by “muzzling” preachers.

“The purpose is to make sure that the pastor -- and not the IRS -- decides what is said from the pulpit,” Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the group, told FoxNews.com. “It is a head-on constitutional challenge.”

“We’re hoping the IRS will respond by doing what they have threatened,” he said. “We have to wait for it to be applied to a particular church or pastor so that we can challenge it in court. We don’t think it’s going to take long for a judge to strike this down as unconstitutional.”

Stanley and others, like San Diego pastor Jim Garlow, say the IRS regularly threatens churches that they will lose their tax-exempt status if they preach politics. But Stanley and Garlow claim the government never acts on the threat because it wants to avoid a court battle.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "IRS Complaint Filed Against Colo. Christian Group for Endorsing Republicans" by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter 9/21/12

A Washington, D.C.-based church-state watchdog group has filed a complaint to the IRS against a Colorado-based Christian group, saying they violated tax-exemption rules by endorsing a political party.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent the complaint on Wednesday against Ridgway Christian Center, an organization connected to Praise Him Ministries. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, wrote the letter to the IRS in response to a fall 2012 publication of RCC which apparently endorsed the Republican Party for the upcoming elections.

According to Erik Stanley of ADF, groups like Americans United have used the Johnson Amendment to "scare churches."

"It's ironic that an organization committed to the 'separation of church and state' is arguing for more governmental monitoring and control of churches and pastors."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity

Pro-marriage Catholics Break Law in Washington?

Federal IRS regulations allow tax-exempt organizations to advocate issues, such as urging citizens to vote consistent with church teaching, but the liberal mainstream media has inaccurately reported that the Washington state government has ruled that the Catholic church is outlawed from enabling parishioners to donate money to overturn the legislature's new law permitting same-sex "marriage." When pressed, Washington state officials clarified how the church is to handle contributions to issues campaigns.

For background, read Washington Seventh State for Same-sex 'Marriage'

-- From "Catholic churches can't collect donations to overturn gay marriage law, Washington state rules" by The Associated Press 8/28/12

Last week, Yakima Bishop Joseph Tyson sent a letter to pastors in 41 parishes of the Yakima Diocese asking them to announce a special collection that would go to Preserve Marriage Washington, which is fighting the same-sex marriage law that was passed earlier this year.

The diocese's chief of staff, Monsignor Robert Siler, said Tuesday . . . "As far as I know, the procedures we sent to the parishes meet the requirement of state law," he said, noting that the envelopes are preaddressed to the campaign.

"We're not collecting and counting money," he said. "We're just collecting envelopes and forwarding them."

But Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the state's Public Disclosure Commission, says no organization can be an intermediary for a contribution. She says the church can hand out envelopes, but either a member of Preserve Washington has to be on hand to collect them or parishioners must send them in individually.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Preserve Marriage site advises bundled donations, state says churches can't be intermediaries" by Rachel La Corte, Associated Press 8/30/12

The group seeking to overturn Washington's gay marriage law has been advising churches to take special collections and forward them to the campaign . . . Preserve Marriage Washington's website includes a "church tools" section, where it asks churches to collect "all envelopes from donors, put them in a larger mailing envelope, put your church name and return address on the mailing envelopes and send it via regular U.S. mail" to the campaign.

Christopher Plante, deputy campaign manager for Preserve Marriage, said he was confident that the campaign's fundraising process was "completely compliant with the PDC's rules."

"The PDC has in no way communicated with the Catholic church, or with Preserve Marriage Washington," he said. "We are confident that our legally reviewed materials comply with all of Washington state's campaign finance requirements."

He noted that the campaign has thousands of volunteers across the state, so it would have no problem collecting the donations if that was what was ultimately required.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Story claiming Wash. state ruled against Church marriage collections ‘misleading,’ official says" by Kathleen Gilbert, LifeSiteNews.com 8/31/12

. . . when Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the state’s Public Disclosure Commission, was asked whether the agency had ruled against the Catholic Church’s planned collection, she responded, “Oh gosh, no.”

“The [mainstream media] headline is kind of misleading, in my opinion,” said Anderson, the same official cited in the AP’s original report. Anderson told LifeSiteNews.com on Friday that the law means no one collecting from the pews can be employed or recruited by the Catholic Church. “Whoever’s doing that has to be an individual person,” such as a volunteer for Protect Marriage, she said.

That, according to the executive director of the Washington state Catholic Conference, was the plan all along.

Financially, Washington’s traditional marriage [fundraising] effort currently lags behind its opponents by more than a 12-to-1 ratio, with Washington United for Marriage garnerning over $6 million so far.

David Hains, communications director for the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte [North Carolina], said “No bishop or issue can support say a candidate, but they can do things to support issues,” he said. “Having collections to support issues is nothing new in the Church.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Pastors Defeating IRS on Freedom to Preach

After several years of pastors taking well-publicized political stances from the pulpit that are said to be unlawful, the IRS appears unwilling to press the cases, apparently fearing it will ultimately lose in the Supreme Court. Given this toothless attitude of the IRS, liberals are now consigned to simply pleading with the pastors to "do the right thing" and not guide their congregations through the political minefields.

For background, read Pastors Tell IRS: Get Out of My Pulpit and read IRS Fears Prosecuting Churches over Politics as well as IRS Gives Pass to Pastors Preaching Politics

-- From "Pastors fight IRS ban on endorsing candidates" by Bob Smietana, The Tennessean 10/1/11

The pastors are challenging an IRS ban on endorsing candidates from the pulpit, which is based on rules that forbid nonprofits from taking part in political campaigns. Preachers say the ban violates their rights to free speech and freedom of religion.

. . . 475 preachers nationwide [have] signed up for Pulpit Freedom Sunday this weekend, according to the Alliance Defense Fund [ADF], a Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Ariz., that organized the event. Most will endorse candidates and then send their sermons to the IRS.

If the [federal tax regulating/enforcement agency, the Internal Revenue Service] IRS investigates them, the Alliance Defense Fund will sue.

“The issue of whether the IRS can censor what a pastor says in the pulpit has never been tested in court,” said Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.

The IRS has not punished any pastors involved in Pulpit Freedom events.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Political Pulpit" by Stephanie Strom, New York Times 9/30/11

. . . if history is any indication, the I.R.S. may continue to steer clear of the taunts.

“It’s frustrating,” said Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defense. “The law is on the books but they don’t enforce it, leaving churches in limbo.”

Supporters of the law are equally vexed by the tax agency’s perceived inaction. “We have grave concerns over the current inability of the I.R.S. to enforce the federal tax laws applicable to churches,” a group of 13 ministers in Ohio wrote in a letter to the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, in July.

Marcus Owens, the lawyer representing the Ohio ministers, warned that the I.R.S.’s failure to pursue churches for politicking violations would encourage more donations to support their efforts, taking further advantage of the new leeway given to advocacy groups under the Supreme Court’s decision last year in the Citizens United case.

The [I.R.S.] says it has continued to do audits of some churches, but those are not disclosed. Mr. Stanley, Mr. Owens and other lawyers say they are virtually certain it has no continuing audits of church political activity, an issue that has been a source of contention in recent elections.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Clergy warned about ‘Pulpit Freedom Sunday’" by Lynda Waddington, The Iowa Independent 9/30/11

“This is an appalling attempt by the Religious Right to turn houses of worship into house of partisan politics,” said Rev. Berry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. “Americans attend church for spiritual guidance, not to get a list of candidates to vote for on election day.”

“Church electioneering is illegal, and the people don’t support it,” Lynn added. “It’s time for the Religious Right to stop trying to drag churches into backroom politics.”

During the original Pastor Initiative, according to [Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church], 33 pastors knowingly and purposefully violated federal law by issuing and recording political speech from their pulpits, and afterward provided those recordings to the IRS, which did not prosecute. The following year, a total of 84 pastors did the same — also without penalty. And the year after that 100 pastors did the same without penalty.

“This year,” Garlow said, “we expect close to 500 pastors to intentionally in their sermons defy the Johnson Amendment — they can speak whatever they want — and mail it to the IRS and the Alliance Defense Fund will defend [their right to do so].”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pastors who play politics from the pulpit" by The Christian Science Monitor's Editorial Board 9/30/11

These pastors, most of them evangelical, are part of an effort to bait the Internal Revenue Service into fining one of the churches or taking away its tax-exempt status. If the IRS takes the bait, then that case will be challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court in hopes of overturning the law.

Drawing this fine line between church and state, or between spiritual matters and electioneering, is a protection from government intrusion on organized religion. And it helps political parties from being controlled by a particular religion – something the Muslim world is actively debating, even killing over.

Sorting out the competing issues, however, won’t be easy if the issue gets to the high court. Even harder is the need to persuade all religious groups to stay clear of directly intervening in elections – so that such a law wouldn’t even need to exist.

People of faith do need to be involved in public affairs – to vote, to pray, and even to individually endorse candidates. But if an organized religion wants to be held separate enough from government and not be taxed, it ought not morph into something else, like a political machine, come every election.

To read the entire editorial above, CLICK HERE.

From "Evangelical pastors heed a political calling for 2012" by Tom Hamburger and Matea Gold, McClatchy Newspapers 9/18/11

This new activism [of Christians and their pastors] has substantial muscle behind it: a cadre of experienced Christian organizers and some of the conservative movement’s most generous donors, who are setting up technologically sophisticated operations to reach pastors and their congregations in battleground states.

The passion for politics stems from a collision of historic forces, including heightened local organizing around issues of abortion and gay marriage and a view of the country’s debt as a moral crisis that violates biblical instruction. Another major factor: both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Bachmann, leading contenders for the GOP nomination, are openly appealing to evangelical Christian voters as they blast President Barack Obama’s leadership.

[Today's] current awakening is different [from the past]. It springs from the grass-roots, small and independent churches, and is fueled by emails and YouTube videos. And it is driven less by personality than by adherence to the biblical teaching to be the “salt” and “light” of society — in other words, to have a beneficial influence on the world.

“This is the congregational version of the tea party,” says Richard Land, president of the conservative Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “Pastors who in the past would dodge my calls are calling me saying, ‘How can we be involved?’ “

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Most Pastors Don't Want IRS Regulating Sermons on Politics" by Nathan Black, Christian Post Reporter 9/13/11

Amid ongoing debate over whether pastors should be allowed to preach on political candidates and issues, a new survey reveals that most pastors do not want the government regulating their sermons.

Seventy-nine percent of surveyed Protestant pastors said they strongly disagree with the statement: "The government should regulate sermons by revoking a church's tax exemption if its pastor approves of or criticizes candidates based on the church's moral beliefs or theology."

Another seven percent "somewhat" disagreed, according to the survey, which was sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund and conducted by LifeWay Research.

Only 10 percent of the pastors agreed with the statement.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

To read the history of the IRS regulation against churches, CLICK HERE.

IRS Gives Pass to Pastors Preaching Politics

Christian pastors across America have been exercising their free speech rights to endorse candidates in elections, intending to challenge the federal tax code all the way to the Supreme Court, but the IRS has chosen to ignore them.

For background, read Pastors Tell IRS: Get Out of My Pulpit and read IRS Fears Prosecuting Churches over Politics as well as Chicago Mayoral Candidate & Pastor Bucks IRS



-- From "Feds mum on pastors' speech code challenge" by Bob Unruh © 2011 WorldNetDaily 5/28/11

"Whether the IRS responds, doesn't respond, or chooses to wait to respond, we're not going away. Protecting the freedom of the pulpit is too important to stop this effort after a few short years," wrote Erik Stanley, a senior counsel with the ADF, in a blog report on the campaign.

According to Stanley's report, the goal isn't complicated.

"Pastors have the right to proclaim biblical truth from their pulpits without having to worry about the government looking over their shoulder and threatening their churches with revocation of tax exempt status if they say something the IRS doesn't like," his report said.

Officials with the IRS chose not to respond to WND's request for comment on the campaign.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Indiana Taxpayers vs. Planned Parenthood

The state has denied Planned Parenthood of Indiana participation in a tax credit program that helps non-profits raise money, citing the state's new abortion law that aims to de-fund the organization.

For background, read Indiana Squeezes Obama in Abortion Battle via Medicaid and also read Obama Forces Planned Parenthood on Indiana

UPDATE 7/31/13: Indiana abandons legal battle against Planned Parenthood to stop state funding to abortion providers

UPDATE 10/20/11: Indiana tells court that Planned Parenthood should split into two organizations - abortion services, and non-abortion services

UPDATE 6/21/11: Planned Parenthood Shutting Down in Indiana & Minnesota

-- From "Indiana officials deny Planned Parenthood tax credits for fund-raising" by Lesley Stedman Weidenbener, Louisville Courier-Journal 6/13/11

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority notified Planned Parenthood that it has rejected its application to participate for a third year in the Neighborhood Assistance Program.

The program allots $2.5 million in tax credits annually to organizations, which then distribute them to donors. The donors can then deduct half the amount of their contributions from their income tax liability.

The new state law, which Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels signed in May, bans organizations that perform abortions from receiving Medicaid payments for non-abortion services and most other state and federal tax dollars. That has left Planned Parenthood to turn to private donors to help pay for services for Medicaid recipients while the group fights the law in court.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Indiana: Some Donations to Planned Parenthood Not Tax-Deductible" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 6/13/11

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt initially refused to issue a restraining order for Planned Parenthood to block the law while the lawsuit moves forward and she is expected to rule later this month on a request for a permanent one.

In addition, the state argues that the new law serves the public interest in three ways: the funding qualification provision prevents taxpayer dollars from indirectly funding abortions; it advances the State’s goals of encouraging women to choose childbirth over abortion, and the informed consent requirements ensure that women who choose abortion have all the information necessary to make an informed and voluntary decision.

The law also contains several pro-life provisions that directly affect abortion, such as banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on fetal pain and provisions to opt-out of abortion coverage in any state health exchanges required under the new federal health law, to require that women considering abortion be given full, factual information in writing, and to require doctors who do abortions, or their designees, to maintain local hospital admitting privileges in order to streamline access to emergency care for women injured by abortion.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana has used the tax credit program to help raise funds and, over the last two years, the Indianapolis Star indicates it raised $21,238 in Marion County alone through the program.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Chicago Mayoral Candidate & Pastor Bucks IRS

Nearly every Sunday since announcing his bid for mayor, [Rev. James T.] Meeks has taken to the pulpit to preach to the faithful at the 10,000-seat House of Hope about their religious duty to be civic-minded and support candidates who are guided by Christian values.

"If homosexuals can endorse a candidate, why can't a church?" Meeks asked in his sermon last Sunday.

-- From "As mayoral candidate who is also a minister, Meeks walks a fine line" by John Chase, Chicago Tribune reporter 12/11/10

"It's time for us to stand up. It's time for us to get up. It's time for us to wake up!" [Meeks] exhorted.

While it sounded like many of the political speeches the state senator and candidate for Chicago mayor makes on the campaign trail, this was a sermon Meeks delivered last Sunday as pastor of Salem Baptist Church. The fiery preacher has built a career on social and political activism, but his entry into the high-profile mayor's race brings a new focus on federal law restricting political campaign activity by churches.

Meeks says he's long been mindful of the rules laid out by the Internal Revenue Service, but it's clear he chafes at restrictions that prevent churches and other charitable groups from endorsing and contributing to political campaigns.

Pastors across the country have in recent years challenged tax law as a restriction on their free speech rights. . . .

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Pastors Tell IRS: Get Out of My Pulpit

South Dakota Pastor Defies IRS Muzzle

Liberal Media Minimize Pastors' Freedom to Preach

Minnesota Pastor Takes on IRS, Atheists Pile On

Atheists Demand IRS Investigate Pastor

IRS Fears Prosecuting Churches over Politics

IRS Ruling Ensures Clergy Freedom to Preach on Election Matters

Christians Determined to Wrest from IRS the Freedom to Endorse Candidates

MN Pastor Takes on IRS, Atheists Pile On

Pastor Brad Brandon of Berean Bible Baptist Church in Hastings [MN] followed through on his recent promise: On Sunday he endorsed a slew of conservative candidates from his pulpit, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, in apparent violation of laws governing tax-exempt organizations.

-- From "Hastings pastor endorses Emmer from pulpit" by Andy Birkey, The Minnesota Independent 10/18/10

Brandon’s church is also distributing an endorsement list that includes nine Republican and two Constitution Party candidates in races across the state. He noted that he arrived at his choices based on the candidates posititions on bringing God into the classroom, opposing abortion and homosexuality, and support for Israel.

As the Minnesota Independent first reported, Brandon was one of two Minnesota pastors who planned to endorse candidates from the pulpit in defiance. He announced to his radio listeners last week that he would be endorsing candidates from the pulpit in defiance of IRS tax code. He challenged the “liberal media” to report on it “out of hatred for me.”

At the beginning of Brandon’s hour-and-a-half sermon Sunday he said, “Jesus Christ did not come into this world to convert everyone into being a conservative or a liberal. Jesus Christ did not come into this world to convert people to be a Democrat or a Republican.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Complaint filed with IRS against pastor who endorsed candidates" by Bob Von Sternberg, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) 10/19/10

A nonprofit group that has long advocated church-state separation filed a complaint Monday with the Internal Revenue Service over the Rev. Brad Brandon's endorsement of 11 candidates, most of them Republicans.

The endorsements by Brandon, who heads the Berean Bible Baptist Church amount to a "blatant violation of federal law," according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Although pastors across the country have staged similar protests for years (more than 100 of them this year alone), after investigating the cases, the IRS has dropped them and agency officials have declined to say why they did so.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.