Pulpit Politics

57 years ago a senator from Texas returned to Washington D.C. having narrowly escaped defeat. And he was hotter than hell ... see, two non-profit groups, and more specifically the men whom headed them, raised money, put out literature and campaigned relentlessly against this senator as being soft on communism. So the senator took action.

In 1954, with no debate, and on a US Senate voice-vote only he submitted an amendment to an IRS bill. Specifically Section 501(c) (3). It stated that entities who are exempt from federal income tax 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."

The effect of Lyndon B. Johnson's personal vendetta, even if unintended, was to summarily shut down all political speech from the pulpit.

Now lets put this in context. The "Black Robe Regiment" was a series of pastors in the second half of the 18th Century whom preached the necessity of Revolution from the pulpit. This was no mere "suggestion", these were fiery, multi-hour sermons demanding the Christian responsibility to break with England. In fact Paul Revere's ride included the warning of at least 2 of these pastors along his route (it was rumored the British were to target these individuals responsible for inspiring rebellion). John Adams coined the phrase "Pulpit Thunder", and repeatedly noted it was these sermons which sounded the alarm necessitating Independence. In one such case the story goes that in 1776 a Lutheran Pastor, one Peter Mulhberg, concluded his fiery pro Independence sermon by ripping off his robe to reveal a Continental Army uniform underneath, enlisting 300 men for his German regiment on the spot. And we should note, there was no "political" issue more controversial at the time than Revolution.

Lets fast forward a bit. Throughout the 19th Century the midwife, birthplace and caregiver of the Abolitionist movement in America was the Christian Church, and specifically the pastors whom headed them. Without the churches to nurse the movement along it would have never got off the ground, let alone turn into the defining issue of the century. Again, we should all bare in mind that at this time there was no "political" topic hotter than slavery ... we did end up fighting a Civil War over it after all.

Fast forward again. Without the pulpit's urging, participation, and driving engine the Civil Rights movement would have been smothered in the crib. REVEREND Martin Luther King knew this. Even those whom would later become racial demagogues, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, wrapped themselves in the cloak of church garbs to push for political change. Even Malcolm X was a man of faith, pushing for reform from the pulpit. Each defying what became known as the "Johnson Amendment."

For decade after decade pastors would preach an annual "Election Sermon" in which they would, from the pulpit, evaluate and give a pastor's take on the candidates running for office both local and national. And undoubtedly there are countless other examples of the pulpit serving as a good and just rallying point throughout American history, I simply can not include them all in a single post. But what they all - left, right, or center - had in common throughout each of these periods in American history prior to 1954 was their unconditional tax exempt status. It was intact and guarded based on the separation of church and state because the power to tax, as our founders knew all too well, was the power to control. The Johnson Amendment quietly, and with little fanfare, ended this 57 years ago.

Ask yourself. Can you note when in modern American history there is a clear demarcation line of moral decline? At least one of the founders Bund believe it to be the 1960's, the Baby Boomers. Can the Johnson Amendment explain such a decline in its entirety? Maybe not. But I find it an interesting spatial parallel.

Fast forward to today. Have you ever considered why it is that the likes of Jeremiah Wright can spout off from the pulpit about exclusively political issues and never be challenged by the IRS? The answer is simple. Johnson was quietly warned at the time that his Amendment may not hold up in court under the auspices of the First Amendment. And in those 57 years the IRS has never pursued a single case in court. NOT ONE. They don't want it to go to court, they know they'll lose. So when a case is brought before the IRS they simply issue a warning and quietly "close the file."

In 2008 the Alliance Defense Fund, a group 2,500 Christian attorney's, hand sleeted a group of 33 pastors willing to engage in political discourse from the pulpit, video record it, and mail it in to the IRS. They wanted to purposely cause the courtroom confrontation and finally end the authority of the Johnson Amendment. I should note here that the intent of these pastors was to evaluate the candidates, the issues, and the parties and give their take on which was most in line with Christian teachings, as the individual pastor saw it. Their "opinion" was precisely the point of the exercise. They did just that, and dutifully mailed it in.

The IRS did nothing.

In 2009 the Alliance Defense Fund acted again and this time put together 84 pastors. These pastors did the same thing - recorded their sermons on politics and sent it in to the IRS.

The IRS did nothing.

Last year 100 pastors participated, all recording their sermons, all sending them in with the 2,500 attorneys of the Alliance Defense Fund ready and willing, standing by to defend.

The IRS did nothing.

This year Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in La Mesa, CA allied with the ADF and has thus far signed up 500 pastors. They are looking to reach the 1000 mark by October 2nd. They have declared that Sunday in October to be "Pulpit Freedom Sunday." You can access his site and cause at pulpitfreedom.org. They hope to get the number of pastors large enough that the IRS is forced to engage, confident that such a showdown will see the Johnson Amendment struck down as an unconstitutional abridgement of free speech.

Now the point here isn't that I want pastors telling their congregation whom to vote for. The point is that if one truly believes in the separation of church and state, then you must conclude that the government has no business intruding into the pulpit, censoring speech based on the tax code. A pastor has every right to tell his congregates who to vote for and those congregates in turn have every right to listen, ignore, attend, or not attend that church. The tax exempt status that existed for 162 years prior to Johnson's efforts was specifically designed to keep the government out of religion - removing the power to tax. And the Johnson Amendment revoked that protection in one fell swoop.

And as a political matter, let's face it - pastors with a leftist bent aren't the ones scared into silent submission. They flaunt their rejection of the Johnson Amendment, routinely. We've all seen the footage of Wright, of priests in California screaming about illegal immigration. They are unafraid. And Left, Right or center, it is time that every preacher have his First Amendment Rights officially restored.

I trust the American people. Let's just see where issues like abortion end up after a generation of pastors, preachers, deacons and bishops are allowed to do what the rest of us take for granted - speak.