It's very simple, "... pastors can endorse candidates and preach whatever they want if they give up their tax exemption."

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COMMENTS: 
* When churches abuse their honored position as spiritual counselor, they should certainly lose their tax exempt status. The very nature of their position requires listeners to be vulnerable. To throw political speech into that is abusive, wrong and is actually against the scripture (sinful). Black, white or diverse. 
* Why would you listen to someone telling you who to vote for and at the same time teaching you that the earth was created in six days, is less than 10,000 years old and that snakes used to talk?  Consider their credibility not to mention their sanity. 
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Preaching Politics, Pastors Defy Ban
By Tamara Audi, October 5, 2014

Pastor Jim Garlow began his preaching with a Scripture-filled discussion of Jesus’ disgust with hypocrisy—typical fare for a Sunday sermon. But the conservative pastor finished with an exhortation to his congregation of nearly 2,000 to oppose Carl DeMaio, the openly gay Republican candidate for the state’s 52nd congressional district.

Mr. Garlow said he opposes Mr. DeMaio not because he is gay, but “because of his activism against certain things. I want babies protected in the womb.

“I want marriage defined as one man one woman. You can’t have the advancing of the radical homosexual agenda and religious liberty at the same time. One will win, one will lose,” Mr. Garlow said from his Skyline Church pulpit in a rural area east of San Diego.

The evangelical Protestant pastor’s sermon had a political agenda, and a larger legal goal: It was an intentional violation of the law forbidding churches to engage in certain political speech meant to force U.S. courts to confront the issue. Churches registered as 501(c)3 nonprofits risk losing their tax-exempt status if they appear to endorse or oppose candidates from the pulpit.

For the past seven years, hundreds of churches have intentionally delivered political sermons to address the issue on “Pulpit Freedom Sunday,” an annual event organized by the Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based conservative group that fights for religious accommodation claims.

Nearly 1,500 pastors nationwide agreed to preach politics Sunday, the Alliance said. So far, the Internal Revenue Service hasn’t revoked tax-exempt status for participating churches, said an Alliance spokeswoman. This year’s event comes during an election season when issues, such as same-sex marriage and abortion, continue to draw attention.

A Pew Research Center study released last month showed that nearly three-quarters of Americans believe religion is losing influence in the lives of Americans, and that more citizens want religious leaders to weigh in on political issues.

It also comes months after the IRS assured an atheist group that it is enforcing the political speech regulation on churches. That group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, agreed to the dismissal of a 2012 federal civil lawsuit against the IRS over the issue after receiving indications from the government that the IRS “has a procedure in place…to initiate church tax investigations/examinations,” court documents said.

Churches that want the IRS prohibition repealed argue that it unfairly restricts the constitutional right to free speech. “There should not be pulpit police,” the 67-year-old Mr. Garlow said in an interview.

Critics of the movement say pastors can endorse candidates and preach whatever they want if they give up their tax exemption.

“They want to have their cake and eat it too,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, noting that her group also is a registered 501(c)3, and obeys the regulation.

But some church leaders have complained the regulation is unclear and say “vague and unequal enforcement” has led to pastors pulling back on social commentary that could be construed as political, said Kerri Kupec, a spokeswoman for the Alliance Defending Freedom.

While most participating in this year’s event appear to be conservative evangelical churches likely to support socially conservative Republican candidates, Mr. Garlow said he is fighting for the rights of liberal churches, too.

“If a member of the IRS gets this sermon or is listening,” Mr. Garlow said from his pulpit of 19 years, “sue me.”


The Skyline Church illustrates the increasingly intertwined nature of religion and politics in the daily lives of many worshipers.

Mr. Garlow told congregants he is going so far as to endorse Mr. DeMaio’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Scott Peters. Mr. Garlow said he’s advocating “defensive tactical voting” to protect the Republican Party from “damage” and warned that if Mr. DeMaio is elected religious conservatives will “be left without a home.”

How far Mr. Garlow’s influence extends remains to be seen in the tight race.

Dave McCulloch, a spokesperson for the DeMaio campaign, said Sunday: “Carl DeMaio believes in individual rights and freedoms and his position does not change based on political calculation or the audience he is speaking to.”

Skyline Church worshipers on Sunday could register to vote in the lobby and meet former Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum, who was visiting to discuss a new movie produced by his Christian film company.

Mr. Santorum said he supports pastors’ endorsing candidates from the pulpit. “Just because you’re a church doesn’t mean you lose your First Amendment rights,” he said. “[Church leaders] have an obligation to influence the government.”
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