Johnson Amendment

Bill Aims To Protect ‘free Speech’ In Church

... on biblical issues, he said. “Sometimes, I’m afraid the average person may not take the time to find out where the candidates really stand,” he said. “I think, if this is repealed, it’s going to come on the pastors to really do their homework, do their research, and know where these people stand and what we’re telling our congregation is true.”. The Family Policy Institute of Oklahoma announced Wednesday it supports Lankford's bill. "Churches, non-profit groups and Oklahomans that support them, do not need the IRS policing their speech and peaceful assembly. The Free Speech Fairness Act will simply restore the constitutional liberties of Freedom of Speech and the Free Exercise of Religion already enshrined in the First Amendment. The Johnson Amendment of 1954, named after powerful Senator and eventual President Lyndon B. Johnson, was rushed through Congress with ...

Nrb Endorses Free Speech Fairness Act To Repeal 'infamous' Johnson Amendment

... and Rep. Hice for carefully crafting this bill. I urge its swift passage by Congress.". A 1954 provision authored by then-Senate Democratic Leader Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas) to stop Section 501(c)(3) organizations from "intervening" in political campaigns has since been interpreted to bar ministers and nonprofit leaders from making political statements at their organizations' functions or in their publications. In addition to being constitutionally suspect, this rule has been vaguely and inconsistently applied by the IRS, resulting in a chilling effect. Aimed at lifting the burden of the "Johnson Amendment" off of churches and other nonprofit organizations, the Free Speech Fairness Act clarifies that political statements by 501(c)(3) organizations are permissible, as long as they are made in the ordinary course of the organization's activities and any expenditures related to them are de minimis. While churches and charities would still be prohibited from purchasing ads or making other such targeted political expenditures, the bill unshackles speech by making clear that organizations need not ...

Donald Trump Declares A Vision Of Religious Nationalism

... represents a set of values, rooted in the country’s religious identity. While there’s little evidence that Trump himself is religiously devout, he has benefited from affiliations with largely white evangelical leaders such as Jerry Falwell Jr. During his speech, Trump argued that America’s religiously grounded values are being attacked—not just through acts of violence, but through ideological erosion. “We will not allow a beachhead of intolerance to spread in our nation,” Trump said on Thursday, seeming to refer to the “radical Islamic extremism” he has emphasized in past speeches. “You look all over the world and see what’s happening.” He will defend these values, he said, because “that’s what people want: one beautiful nation under God.”. America was not always “one nation under God”—at least, not officially. The words “under God” weren’t added to the pledge of allegiance until 1954, during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower—not coincidentally, the first president to convene the National Prayer Breakfast. Over time, this relatively new tradition has become a mandatory exercise ...

President Trump Just Pledged To 'totally Destroy' This 63-year-old Rule

... in politics and promote issues and candidates that represent the views of their membership. Churches have always played a nonpartisan role in politics, helping to transport voters to polling stations during elections. Democratic and Republican churchgoers, alike, could leverage a repeal to advocate for their respective issues. As it stands today, the Johnson Amendment is routinely defied. Church leaders have publicly endorsed presidential candidates, including Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Allowing churches to express political opinions isn't the main concern, though, according to Alan Brownstein, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. "Pastors can say whatever they want, as can anyone else," Browstein told The Atlantic  in August. "The question is whether a tax-exempt institution can ...

Prayers Or Politics

... Americans United was stunned to see that the Church at Pierce Creek, a small congregation near Binghamton, N. Y., had placed a full-page ad in USA Today stating that voting for Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton was a sin. The church solicited tax-deductible donations to run the ad in other publications. The church’s pastor, The Rev. Daniel J. Little, seemed to know he was breaking the law. Asked if he had consulted with an attorney before running the ad, Little replied. “Why should we consult attorneys? We have the word of God. …  Principle sometimes takes precedent over silly laws.”. Americans United promptly reported the church to the IRS, which revoked its tax-exempt status. Backed by lawyers at TV preacher Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice, the church sued to get it back. The case, Branch Ministries v. Rosotti, was a spectacular loss for the Religious Right. A federal district court ruled against the church, and in May of 2000, an ...

Trump Attacks Separation Of Church And State With Vow To Totally Destroy Johnson Amendment

... to speak freely and without fear of retribution. I will do that. Remember.”. The Johnson Amendment is a piece of legislation that was passed in 1954 that did not allow religious organizations to, “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.”. There is a very good practical reason for this law being in place. Churches have tax exempt status. The amendment was passed, not as anything to do with the separation of church and state, but as a revision to the US tax code. Conservatives have done, what President Trump did. They have rewritten history to turn the amendment into an attack by Lyndon Johnson on religious liberty. In reality, tax-exempt organizations are banned from electioneering. What Trump is promising to do is lift that ban, so that churches get to both not pay taxes, and use funds for partisan political activities. Trump can use executive orders, but he can’t ...

Apn Pushes Trump To Repeal Johnson Amendment

... evangelical voters were key in electing newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Among the reasons for their votes were the promises Trump and Pence made to the faithful on the campaign trail and the support they showed to pastors and churches. One of those commitments was to peel back the Johnson Amendment, which for more than 60 years has restricted the free speech of pastors and churches, says the American Pastors Network. Trump stated at the Republican National Convention in July, “An amendment, pushed by Lyndon Johnson many years ago, threatens religious institutions. I am going to work very hard to repeal that language and protect free speech for all Americans.”. According to the Daily Caller, he echoed that sentiment at the Value Voters Summit in September. “We’re going to get rid of that law… we’re going to get rid of it so ...

It’s Not Johnson Amendment Muzzling Pastors

... with the New Testament faith. Fired up by the results of the Barna poll, pastor and radio host Chuck Baldwin wrote. Please understand this: America’s malaise is directly due to the deliberate disobedience of America’s pastors – and the willingness of the Christians in the pews to tolerate the disobedience of their pastor. Nothing more! Nothing less! When Paul wrote his own epitaph, it read, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) He didn’t say, “I had a large congregation, we had big offerings, we had a lot of programs, I had a large staff, and we had large facilities.”. Are his accusations too harsh? In many cases, yes, since there are sincere shepherds who simply feel ill-equipped to address the hot-button issues of the day, instead finding their gifting in the systematic teaching of the Scriptures and caring for their flocks. It is not fear that holds them back as much as a sense of calling to minister in a different way. But in all too many cases, Baldwin’s accusations are right on target: We have compromised for the sake of comfort and convenience. We have found a ...

Ryan Supports Repealing Law That Prevents Pastors From Endorsing Candidates From Pulpit

... Ryan of Wis., joined by Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, following GOP strategy session. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite). __link__) – House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday that he supports President Donald Trump’s plan to get rid of the Johnson amendment, which bars pastors from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit. “I’ve long believed that. Yeah, I’ve always supported that,” Ryan said at a Capitol Hill press conference when asked whether he supported plans to repeal the amendment, which President Trump announced in a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. “It was the great Thomas Jefferson who said the God who gave us life gave us liberty. Jefferson asked, ‘Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are a gift from God?’ Among those freedoms is the right to worship according to our own beliefs,” Trump said. “That is why I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution,” Trump said. Ryan also said that he doesn’t ...