Pew Forum Releases Guide Regarding Politics and the Pulpit

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has released a guide for religious bodies regarding the extent to which politics can be propagated from the pulpit.

Entitled "Preaching Politics From the Pulpit" and released on Tuesday, it is the third guide on the topic that Pew has released. The previous editions were released in 2004 and 2008.

"The guide sets out in plain English the rules governing political activity that apply to nonprofit organizations (including churches and other religious groups) that are exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code," reads a description of the guide at Pew's website.

"The original report was written by Deirdre Dessingue, associate general counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a leading expert on the taxation of religious organizations. The latest edition of the guide has been vetted by a number of other prominent legal experts in this field."

The release of the guide comes less than a week before the nationwide event "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," which is organized by the Alliance Defending Freedom. Slated for Oct. 7, the event will involve pastors from across the country speaking from the pulpit about political candidates and leaders in opposition to the IRS rules forbidding tax-exempt religious organizations from doing so.

The controversy goes back to the Johnson Amendment, which Congress passed in 1954. The amendment states that tax-exempt entities 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." Read more

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