First Baptist of Springdale is a large church (membership over 12,000) and Pastor Floyd is a prominent pastor. They're a big target and the ACLU, the dims and every other flavor of leftist nutzoid is hoping to silence this pastor and in so doing establish a precedent they can point to. From what I know about Pastor Floyd there's no way he backs down. Lynn is nothing more than a small yapping dog who has bitten off more than he can chew.
It is also a Southern Baptist Church so that means that there should be a lot of support from that direction should the need arise.
http://www.fbcspringdale.org/press_release_072304.htm
A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF SPRINGDALE
AND THE CHURCH AT PINNACLE HILLS, ROGERS, ARKANSAS
DR. RONNIE W. FLOYD - SENIOR PASTOR
JULY 23, 2004
Each pastor in America, including Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd our Senior Pastor, has the responsibility and mandate to speak God's Word and God's Truth pertaining to all matters of life. As a congregation that believes in the infallibility of Holy Scripture, it is our desire to follow the Bible as our authority for faith and practice.
As Pastor Floyd and other pastors in America share God's Word on real life issues, we quickly learn that we are living in a cultural war in this nation. Each church is, or at least should be, involved in this cultural war. This war is between what is right and what is wrong according to God's Holy Word...The Bible.
The alleged letter of complaint to the Internal Revenue Service from Mr. Barry Lynn of the "Americans United for the Separation of Church and State" is nothing more than a threat to pastors and our churches in America, attempting to intimidate the church into silence. This threat "to take away our tax-exempt status" based on a July 4 presentation has no credence at all. Pastor Floyd did not violate any laws, nor did he or the church endorse a particular candidate. An attorney who specializes in First Amendment issues and political activity of non-profit organizations has viewed the message presented on July 4 and calls Mr. Lynn's accusations unfounded. Mr. Lynn attempts to intimidate pastors and churches by baseless allegations during every election cycle.
In point of fact, the Internal Revenue Service has not taken away the "tax- exempt status" from any church in the history of our nation for political reasons. It appears that some people have two rule books, one for liberal, and one for conservative politics. The fact is that history does not support the baseless threats hurled against conservative churches. Since 1934, when the lobbying restriction was added to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), not one church has ever lost its tax-exempt status. Since 1954, when the political endorsement/opposition prohibition was added, only one church has ever lost its IRS letter ruling, but even that church did not lose its tax-exempt status. That case involved the Church at Pierce Creek in New York, which placed full-page ads in USA Today and the Washington Times opposing then-Governor Bill Clinton for President. The ads were sponsored by the church and donations were solicited. The IRS revoked the church’s letter ruling, but not its tax-exempt status. The church sued, and the court ruled that churches are tax exempt without an IRS letter ruling. The Court noted that “because of the unique treatment churches receive under the Internal Revenue Code, the impact of the revocation is likely to be more symbolic than substantial.” Not even this church lost its tax-exempt status, and not one donor was affected by this incident.
Pastors can preach on biblical, moral, and social issues, such as traditional marriage and abortion, urge the congregation to register to vote, and then to vote, overview the positions of the candidates, and may personally endorse candidates. Churches may distribute non-partisan voter guides, register voters, provide transportation to the polls, hold candidate forums, and introduce visiting candidates.
Mr. Lynn, the leader of this left-wing, ultra-liberal organization opposes the National Motto “In God We Trust” on our currency, as well as our Pledge of Allegiance because of the words “under God." He also opposed the 2004 National Day of Prayer, and has opposed such events for many years. Mr. Lynn is a former legal counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). His resume and his beliefs are a matter of public record. He continually bashes those he labels "the religious right,” even making derogatory and inflammatory statements about many American leaders, including Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family.”
The unfounded accusation made by this organization and others is nothing more than an attack on our First Amendment right of free speech. No governmental agency should ever be given the responsibility to "monitor the pulpits of our land." If this is done, then "every non-profit university classroom" would have to be monitored. The so-called "separation of church and state” is not found in the United States Constitution, and, if anything, the concept means that the government should stay out of the church, not that the church should have no voice in government. Every American needs to be aware of this attack on First Amendment rights.
Based on our research and legal counsel, we believe Pastor Floyd in the July 4 presentation was well within the boundaries set by our government. Additionally, we believe that our nation and its future will not be determined by any politician or political party, but by our nation's pursuit of the living Lord Jesus Christ. We stand unashamedly for God's Word, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, and traditional family. We make no apology for these positions, and we certainly have the right to inform the public about our beliefs, and to let people know how our representative government stands on these issues. Therefore, we still believe that when you go to the polls this November, and any date in the future, you should not vote for or against any political party or politician. Just vote God… His values, His ways, His Word.
Herein we stand...so help us God. May God bless America and may we as Americans....bless God.
An aggressive Republican prosecutor should investigate Lynn et. at. for RICO charges.