Seems to me that it is McCain-Feingold that has caused the charge, not what the retired rector said. So far as is reported, he really didn't cross the line, at least in terms of rational law.
That last characterization would exclude McC-F, of course, which is pure totalitarian jackbooted nonsense. I cannot say it is a consolation to see a liberal church hoist with this. For one thing, it's now two years later. Has the IRS been stewing over this since 2004? Or does it simply take this long for the accountants to make up their minds?
Tough call overall, especially in light of what else you say. The black churches have been openly campaigning for years, but are apparently immune to even being mentioned in this connection. Must be nice to have the fix that firmly in. You'd think they'd be nicer than they are, but when you give a bully his way, he just gets worse.
And yes, it is McCain-Feingold "law" causing the problem. Lib-Dem spokesmen only raising their "amen" when it was traditional pro-Bush churches speaking from the pulpit. Lib-Dems plastered the headlines with themselves saying how "wrong it was for political speech like this to be happening in a church".