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Your Church’s Involvement In The 2012 Election [Oct. 7 is Pulpit Freedom Sunday]
SpeakUpMovement.org ^ | 9/26/12

Posted on 09/30/2012 2:38:49 PM PDT by rhema

Every year around this time, questions come up about churches being involved in political elections. Questions like, “Can my church talk about issues that are at stake in the election,” “can my church pass out voter guides,” or “what if a candidate wants to address my congregation?”

Admittedly, it can be confusing for churches and pastors to know what is allowed during an election season. Much of this confusion stems from the vagueness of the tax code and the accompanying IRS regulations. To help, Alliance Defending Freedom has created many resources for you to utilize this election season.

Guidelines for Churches and Pastors

You’ll find a host of resources on SpeakUpMovement.org that will clearly spell out what churches and pastors can and cannot do. One popular resource is the Guidelines for “Political Activities” by Churches and Pastors. These guidelines represent the current IRS law regarding what churches and pastors can do during elections. There is a helpful chart included that covers a broad range of topics, such as contributions to candidates and voter education.

Another helpful resource is the Guidelines for Distribution of Voter Guides by Churches. This resource outlines the requirements for distributing voter guides in your church. You will also find a helpful explanation for how to determine what voter guides are appropriate for distribution.

These resources should help you make sense of the law and regulations surrounding elections. However, if you still have questions, please contact us directly. Our goal at Alliance Defending Freedom is to ensure that no church is silent during this election season simply because they don’t fully understand what they can do or are intimidated by misinformation.

Pulpit Freedom Sunday

Pulpit Freedom Sunday is all about ensuring that pastors determine what is said from their pulpits, and not the IRS or groups like Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The goal of Pulpit Freedom Sunday is to have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional. The Johnson Amendment (the last sentence of section 501(c)(3) of the tax code) has proven to be a weapon of censorship and intimidation of churches during election seasons. In fact, groups like Americans United for Separation of Church and State frequently send letters to pastors trying to intimidate them into silence on the biblical issues surrounding elections. But we believe pastors and church leadership should determine what’s said from the pulpit, not the government or other organizations outside of the church.

On Pulpit Freedom Sunday, October 7, 2012, hundreds of pastors will stand together and preach a sermon that evaluates the candidates running for office in light of Scripture and Church doctrine. Please go to www.pulpitfreedom.org and sign up to join this growing movement of bold pastors. If you are a pastor and you cannot participate on October 7, then pick a Sunday as close to that date as you can, but before the election. You can still sign up to participate and make your voice heard. Pulpit freedom is vital and this project is an important means of ensuring that much of the confusion and intimidation confronting churches during elections is removed.

It is our hope that these resources, and the many others you’ll find on www.speakupmovement.org/church, will help you as a pastor fulfill your biblical calling to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Tim. 4:2). This calling extends even during election cycles, as biblical Truth does not take a holiday during a political campaign. Now, more than ever, the voice of America’s churches must be heard.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christianity; churchandstate; homosexualagenda; moralabsolutes; preachers4pols; prolife

1 posted on 09/30/2012 2:38:53 PM PDT by rhema
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To: rhema

No priest needs to tell me for whom to vote.


2 posted on 09/30/2012 2:42:03 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Ambassador Stevens Is Dead And The Chevy Volt Is Alive!)
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To: rhema

We hosted Voter registration booths in the lobbies of all 4 of our campuses in Virginia this weekend and we’ll do it again next weekend before registration closes.


3 posted on 09/30/2012 2:46:39 PM PDT by HokieMom (Pacepa : Can the U.S. afford a president who can't recognize anti-Americanism?)
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To: Gay State Conservative
No priest needs to tell me for whom to vote.

. . . and the point of the article is that the IRS has no right to enjoin him (or any pastor) from speaking about societal issues that relate to Biblical morality and identifying candidates' positions on those issues.

4 posted on 09/30/2012 2:48:56 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema
and the point of the article is that the IRS has no right to enjoin him (or any pastor) from speaking about societal issues that relate to Biblical morality and identifying candidates' positions on those issues.

They certainly have no right to selectively enforce such laws, allowing black churches full latitude in political discussion but prohibiting it for the rest of us.

5 posted on 09/30/2012 2:57:53 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: skeeter
They certainly have no right to selectively enforce such laws, allowing black churches full latitude in political discussion but prohibiting it for the rest of us.

Last year, over 500 pastors mailed their Pulpit Freedom Sunday sermons to the IRS, in effect welcoming a legal challenge (which the Alliance Defending Freedom will happily take up on the pastors' behalf). This year, over 1,000 pastors have already signed up.

6 posted on 09/30/2012 3:01:37 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema
I really hope more churches join this movement.

This IRS “law” needs to be challenged.

And the Catholic church needs to aggressively excommunicate public embarrassments like Pelosi, Biden and all the Kennedys.

7 posted on 09/30/2012 3:06:02 PM PDT by Tex-Con-Man (T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII 2012 - "Together, I Shall Ride You To Victory")
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To: rhema

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Both candidates are
Godless
pro-abortion,
same sex marriage,
gays in the military,
cap N trade,
global warming
big government
gun grabbing
hate the military
spendthrifts

This year there is no difference...


8 posted on 09/30/2012 3:08:27 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: Tennessee Nana

...way to miss the point.


9 posted on 09/30/2012 3:10:49 PM PDT by Tex-Con-Man (T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII 2012 - "Together, I Shall Ride You To Victory")
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To: Tennessee Nana

“This year there is no difference...”
________________________________________

Well, Nana, at least Romney is not an atheist, as Obama.
While I do not care for Romney, I can not imagine anything worse, or as bad as Obozo.
In Tennessee, however, there is no way Obama will win the state, even with the alternate state of west Tennessee.


10 posted on 09/30/2012 3:21:38 PM PDT by AlexW
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To: Tennessee Nana
This year there is no difference...

Only one is a marxist who is also a dictator wannabe.....

There is a difference, even if you don't care to see it.

I don't like Romney and have never liked Romney - but my love of country outweighs that dislike.

11 posted on 09/30/2012 3:21:52 PM PDT by Gabz (Democrats for Voldemort.)
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To: Tennessee Nana

Um...so there is no difference btween the two? Really?


12 posted on 09/30/2012 3:28:07 PM PDT by TheGunny
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To: Tennessee Nana

Tennessee Nana, really sorry that your boy Ron Paul isn’t going to be president, but cut the crap -— there is a HUGE difference.


13 posted on 09/30/2012 3:47:45 PM PDT by Walrus (Restoring America starts today! Let's roll!)
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To: Tennessee Nana

Why don’t you be honest and say why you support Obama.


14 posted on 09/30/2012 3:48:06 PM PDT by ardara
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To: rhema

January 21, 2013


15 posted on 09/30/2012 3:59:31 PM PDT by Iron Munro (US Embassies Come and Go But An Obama Apology Lasts Forever)
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To: rhema

Priests and pastors can be intimidated if congregants don’t like what they hear. Our priests are very outspoken and I know they have gotten grief for daring to mention Obama’s dismal record on abortion and the HHS mandate.


16 posted on 09/30/2012 7:39:54 PM PDT by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
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