But the IRS has largely abdicated its enforcement responsibilities as churches have become more brazen. “Ok, even if it is a link in a chain of events, surely the authorities will go after churches brazen enough to break the law out in the open!” Well…Īt one point, churches fretted over losing their tax-exempt status for even unintentional missteps. Some pastors have gone so far as to paint candidates they oppose as demonic.
I know that the gut check response is to assume that this is an isolated incident, but feels and the truth don’t always go together.īurden’s sermon is among those at 18 churches identified by the news organizations over the past two years that appeared to violate the Johnson Amendment, a measure named after its author, former President Lyndon B. Although the provision was mostly uncontroversial for decades after it passed in 1954, it has become a target for both evangelical churches and former President Donald Trump, who vowed to eliminate it. What Burden said that day in May 2021 was a violation of a long-standing federal law barring churches and nonprofits from directly or indirectly participating in political campaigns, tax law experts told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
