Faith Groups to Congress: Do Not Politicize Our Houses of Worship

Posted at http://bjconline.org/CommunityNotCandidates/

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A diverse group of 99 religious and denominational organizations are urging Congress to maintain current law that protects houses of worship and other religious nonprofit organizations from political pressure and additional dangers that come with endorsing and opposing candidates.

The coalition delivered a letter to House and Senate leaders April 4, reminding them that the current tax code safeguards “the integrity of our charitable sector and campaign finance system.” Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, Sikh and groups representing many other faith traditions are united in this cause.

The letter, addressed to leaders of both parties and of the committees dealing with tax law, reminds Congress that houses of worship already can speak to issues, and leaders can endorse or oppose candidates in their personal capacity. “Current law simply limits groups from being both a tax-exempt ministry and a partisan political entity,” the letter states.

The groups are united against any calls to repeal or change the so-called “Johnson Amendment,” which has become shorthand for a provision in the tax code that applies to all 501(c)(3) organizations. Groups that choose that most-favored tax status must refrain from endorsing, opposing or financially supporting political candidates.

Polls consistently show that vast majorities of Americans and members of the clergy do not want tax-exempt nonprofits engaging in political campaigns. Most recently, Independent Sector’s March 2017 research revealed that 72 percent of all Americans want to keep the current law. The National Association of Evangelicals found that nearly 90 percent of evangelical leaders do not think pastors should endorse politicians from the pulpit in its February 2017 Evangelical Leaders Survey.