35 Pastors to preach politics from the pulpit this sunday (21 states)

[underpants]

sponsored by "Alliance Defense Fund"
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alliance_Defense_Fund
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Defense_Fund

Pastors plan to preach politics from the pulpit

Not sure who you should vote for in November? Not to worry -- if you attend one of several dozen churches in California and 21 other states, your pastor's going to stand in the pulpit and tell you who it should be

Setting the stage for a collision of religion and politics, Christian ministers from California and 21 other states will use their pulpits Sunday to deliver political sermons or endorse presidential candidates -- defying a federal ban on campaigning by nonprofit groups.

The pastors' advocacy could violate the Internal Revenue Service's rules against political speech, with the purpose of triggering IRS investigations.

That would allow their patron, the conservative legal group Alliance Defense Fund, to challenge the IRS' rules, a risky strategy that one defense fund attorney acknowledges could cost the churches their tax-exempt status. Congress made it illegal in 1954 for tax-exempt groups to publicly support or oppose political candidates.

"I'm going to talk about the un-biblical stands that Barack Obama takes. Nobody who follows the Bible can vote for him," said the Rev. Wiley S. Drake of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park. "We may not be politically correct, but we are going to be biblically correct. We are going to vote for those who follow the Bible."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/09/pastors-plan-to.html

Hice is one of 35 religious leaders from 22 states who this weekend will intentionally violate a ban on church leaders making political speeches from their pulpits, in hopes of forcing the issue into the federal courts.

"On Sunday, I'll be endorsing John McCain. I believe that endorsement will be a religious statement more than a political statement. But, the IRS says that for me to speak Biblical truth is against the law," Hice told ABCNews.com.

The ministers participating in this weekend's "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," which is organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian advocacy group, are actively "asking" to be investigated by the IRS. While the ADF believes such investigations will create the opportunity to challenge the ban in court, the organization recognizes that the churches risk losing their tax-exempt status, which could potentially bankrupt them.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5886446&page=1

[nradisic]

1. Yank their tax exempt status....

They are advertising this? Morons.....No more tax exempt status for you!

[billyoc]

2. Good. Their taxes should go a long way in financing the bailout their God-fearin', deregulatin'

leaders have wrought.

[hobbit709]

3. Someone should go to these churches

video their sermons and send it to the IRS as evidence.

[stillcool]

4. Nothing new. Just more in your face..

shoring up the fundy vote is obviously necessary. This country is insane.

[snappyturtle]

5. I say pull their tax exempt status too but what is worrisome is that

if this is done quietly it could become pervasive. Very dangerous idea. I don't see the MSM picking up on this particularly not this weekend with all the financial hullabaloo!

[shadowknows69]

6. They want a precedent, fine, lets set one that revokes ALL religious tax exemption

Why does God need an infrastructure? Go worship in your homes, in a park, beach, forest, you know, God's true realm.

[atommom]

7. A lot of conservative pastors already go pretty far in letting their congregations know

who they (the pastors) favor. I'm related to a couple of very conservative ministers, and there's no way you could sit through one of their sermons and not know who they want you to vote for. They just don't take that final step of naming names. By the time they're done with the sermon, that isn't even necessary.

[SidDithers]

8. I hope this starts the chain reaction..

that pulls tax-exempt status for all churches.

Sid

[Hubert Flottz]

9. I think the preachers will do it in those unknown tongues...

so the IRS man is confused about the lawbreaking(criminal)do-gooder's criminal acts.

They should have gone to Wall Street with McNugget and laid the hands on the "Conomy"