Pray Out Loud

Kevin Mucullough, a talk radio host, posted a link to this trailer on Facebook a few days ago and asked people what they thought.  Watch it first:

My reply to Kevin was this: “I
think the premise is correct. People need to be unafraid to speak their
minds, to speak out and to attempt to influence policy based upon their
own personal principles. I also believe
that the “tax exempt status” argument is maybe a cover for those in
churches to hide behind rather than speak out. They can budget for
taxes, or churches could litigate whether the power to tax is the power
to regulate which is the power to prohibit and as such violates the
First Amendment’s free exercise clause. I don’t think our founders
planned for free speech to stop at the front door of the church.”

Today I was glad to read this article at Jonathan Turley’s blog:

In light of the ever-increasing influence on National and local
politics by churches and clergy, I was interested in the recent news
that over 1,000 churches will be challenging the IRS by telling their
parishioners who they want them to vote for in the upcoming national
elections.  The event is dubbed “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” by its
organizers and it is designed to challenge the IRS on its prohibition of
churches from intertwining politics and religion, as a requirement of
maintaining their tax-free status.

‘ “It is a head-on constitutional challenge.”  The Johnson amendment
in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code prohibits tax-exempt
charities and churches from intervening in political campaigns on behalf
of or in opposition to any candidate. The IRS has been reluctant to
revoke churches’ tax-exempt status for violating the more than
50-year-old IRS rule, but the agency has issued written warnings to
dozens of churches.” Raw Story

The event is slated for October 7th and the organizers claim that
they are trying to force the IRS to pull the tax-free status from
churches to test the constitutionality of the IRS on what the churches
claim is a restriction on the pastors and churches right of free
speech. 

Very glad to see that in this hour of great need, prayers will not be silent as to some words (such as the name of candidates) but not others.