Pastors should pay the price to politicize

As the election heats up, a group of ministers across the country might run into trouble for endorsing their choices for president.

Dubbed Pulpit Freedom Sunday, 33 church leaders will speak to their congregations about how they should vote. Copies of their sermons will be sent directly to the Internal Revenue Service in attempt to challenge the law that prevents nonprofit organizations from dealing with partisan issues.

The issue is these churches’ tax-exempt status. By allowing tax-exempt organizations to be involved with the political process, the government is, in essence, contributing to those campaigns.

It doesn’t matter if it’s an official nomination or a recommendation in a Sunday sermon.

Saving an organization money through tax breaks is a negative tax, essentially the same as donating to them.

Churches enjoy a tax-exempt status, as do other organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and public schools. Principals don’t tell their students who to vote for, and the case with ministers should be no different.

The tax-exempt status of churches is an issue worthy of debate and several papers’ worth of editorials. That is not what we are trying to call into question here.
Many cannot completely remove their religious beliefs from their political ideals. A person who believes abortion is wrong for religious reasons tends to vote that way. And individuals should be free to do that.

It’s different when a pastor is telling his entire congregation to vote a certain way. If pastors want to become politically involved, we say, let them speak their heart – just not with the government’s dollars.

To twist an old saying, these holy leaders want to have their 501(c) tax status and preach with it, too. They need to choose what’s more important: endorsing candidates or not having to pay taxes.