[Alex Murphy]

American pulpits since the founding of the country have been filled with pastors dedicated to political reform. Scholars point to the Congregationalist church and Presbyterians in New England as having a profound impact on the shaping of the nation. "There has been a long history of preaching in this country that was political and quite divisive," said James E. Bradley, the Geoffrey W. Bromiley professor of church history at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. "The pulpit was pretty critical to the success in the revolt against England and King George III," Bradley said. "Some referred to the revolution as a Presbyterian rebellion."

Bradley also noted that Baptists and Presbyterians were instrumental in stopping the effort to impose a religious tax paid to Anglican Church ministers in Virginia. The cord between government and religion in that state was cut when a bill passed in 1785 defeated religious taxes, and Thomas Jefferson in 1786 passed the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom. Against a lot of contemporary popular opinion, it's the case that some religious groups were quite instrumental in the beginning of religious freedom," Bradley said.

The pulpit also was prominent on both sides of the Civil War, as northern Baptists preached abolition and Southern Baptists supported slavery, he said. And the civil rights movement saw black preachers and those like Martin Luther King Jr. use the pulpit to rally the nation. Bradley said the American revolution, the Civil War and the civil rights movement "are just three of the most obvious illustrations of how public and outspoken protestant preachers have been in this country."

[Sacajaweau]

government doesn’t get it.....they can’t tell preachers what to preach

[Steve_Seattle]

Here in Seattle, Mt. Zion Baptist Church has been a black, liberal activist church for 50 years, and its former pastor - Samuel McKinney - is a hero to local liberals, black and white. In all those years, I NEVER heard any liberal criticize him for preaching politics from the pulpit - he was considered a hero for doing it. But when conservative pastors speak on politics, it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ILLEGAL, and INAPPROPRIATE!!! Or so they say . . .

[lowbridge]

He preached about politics and Israel. And politics and defending the pre-born.

See, thats his problem. If he preached liberalism, well then thats ok.

[Guardian Sebastian]

Precisely why they want it curtailed.

[AppyPappy]

Haven’t these people ever heard of Rev Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement?

[lonestar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FlpbRFXC9E

[Texas Fossil]

Best solution: Eliminate the IRS....

Find another way to finance the government after shrinking the federal government to the smallest possible.

DownSize DC! FOREVER

Then preaching from the pulpit cannot be intimidated.

[GenXteacher]

“Congress in 1954 passed the Johnson Amendment.

Named after then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, D-Texas, the law was based on the premise that tax-exempt organizations should not publicly endorse or oppose political candidates.”

Anything piece of legislation connected with LBJ should be repealed, just on principle.

[G Larry]

The intent of the Johnson Amendment was to intimidate southern preachers into silence.

Nobody has ever been prosecuted for “violating” it, and there is no real penalty.

The 1st Amendment is to KEEP GOVERNMENT OUT OF RELIGION!

NOT TO SILENCE PREACHERS FROM DISCUSSING POLITICS!!!!

[WildHighlander57]

Stephen baines.

Any relation to Lyndon BAINES johnson?

Re: tax exemption for churches.....

WHY? Why ask PERMISSION?

just pay taxes like everyone else and don’t let the govt have a say in what the pastor can say from the pulpit!

[Springfield Reformer]

Ping for later