|
Home
AU-OC
3337 S. Bristol, #251
Santa Ana,
CA 92704
orangecountyau@yahoo.com
Download our Latest
Newsletter
Current
Terror Alert Level
Thanks to Geek and Proud, Alan Penner
Communicate with other AU-OC members through our
Enrolling is easy!
Legislation in Congress:
Search Our Site:
| |
Campaigning from the Pulpit
AMERICANS UNITED ISSUES STATEMENT ON IRS ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL TAX LAW
BAN ON CHURCH ELECTIONEERING
IRS Must Ensure Impartiality, Says Church-State Watchdog Group
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today issued the following
statement regarding Internal Revenue Service enforcement of the federal tax law
ban on electioneering by houses of worship.
Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “Federal tax
law forbids churches and other non-profit institutions to endorse or oppose
candidates for public office. Intervention by churches in elections, either
directly or indirectly, is a violation of the IRS Code. However, houses of
worship are perfectly free to speak out on public issues, and many do so.
“Clergy, both right and left, must understand these clear rules and obey them.
Non-profit status is a privilege, not a right. Turning our nation’s churches
into cogs in a political machine violates the integrity of religion and
undercuts the fairness of the democratic process. Tax-exempt donations intended
for religious and charitable work should not be misused to subsidize partisan
politicking.
“It is imperative, however, for the IRS to maintain the highest standards of
impartiality in enforcing federal tax law. Any suggestion of partisan bias in
enforcement damages the credibility of the tax agency and is absolutely
unacceptable.
“In recent months, the IRS has launched an action against All Saints Episcopal
Church in Pasadena, Calif., for partisan politicking. The investigation focuses
on a sermon given two days before the 2004 election. While the news media has
dubbed it an ‘anti-war sermon,’ in fact, the subject was the presidential
election. The Rev. George Regas, former rector of the church, preached on what
Jesus would say to presidential candidates John Kerry and George W. Bush. While
the sermon mentioned both Kerry and Bush, it aimed most of its criticism at
Bush’s war in Iraq, his policy of pre-emptive military strikes and his proposal
to resume development of nuclear weapons. The sermon criticized both Kerry and
Bush for failing to talk about assistance for the poor, but singled out Bush’s
tax cuts for giving help to the top 1 percent of the wealthiest Americans.
“I can understand why the IRS might regard this sermon as evidence of campaign
intervention. What I cannot understand is why the tax agency did not take the
same view about an even more partisan sermon by a Baptist pastor in Arkansas who
preached on the successes of George Bush. On July 4, 2004, the Rev. Ronnie Floyd
of First Baptist Church of Springdale praised Bush for his war on terrorism and
his stands against abortion and same-sex marriage, while lambasting Kerry. Floyd
even employed the church’s audio-visual system to show large pictures of the
candidates in the auditorium while he spoke, using a flattering photo of Bush
and a smaller unflattering picture of Kerry. According to a July 21, 2005,
report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the IRS has decided not to pursue
action against the church for this obvious campaign intervention.
“This decision gives the public the impression that IRS enforcement is at best
arbitrary, or at worst, biased.
“In conclusion, let me say this: Religious leaders have every right to speak out
on the issues of the day. However, Americans do not need and do not want their
houses of worship to become partisan. Electioneering in our pulpits violates
federal tax law and threatens our nation with the kind of bitter religious and
political divisiveness that has harmed societies around the world.””
 Baptist
Minister Pushes Out Members Who Oppose Bush
Rejected N.C. congregants
consider legal avenues
Associated Press
May 8, 2005
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. - A pastor has led a charge to kick out nine church members
who refused to support President Bush, but ousted congregants are considering
hiring a lawyer.
The Rev. Chan Chandler greeted people at the
door of tiny East Waynesville Baptist Church last night as the church choir
practiced. But he was not prepared to talk about his mixing of religion and
politics in this mountain hamlet about 125 miles northwest of Charlotte.
"On the advice of counsel, I've been advised
not to have any comment at this time," Chandler told the Associated Press. "We
will have a statement later."
Members of the congregation said Chandler told
them during the presidential campaign that anyone who planned to vote for
Democratic nominee John Kerry needed to leave the church.
Longtime member Selma Morris, who was treasurer
at the 100-member church, said Chandler's sermons remained political after Bush
won re-election. This past week, his comments turned to politics again at a
church gathering that ended with nine members voted out.
Morris said yesterday that some of the ousted
members planned to meet with an attorney tomorrow to discuss their options.
"We're hoping he [the attorney] will make him leave so that the church members
can come back," she said.
George Bullard, associate executive
director-treasurer for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, told the
Asheville Citizen-Times that a pastor has every right to disallow membership if
a church's bylaws allow for the pastor to establish criteria for membership.
"Membership is a local church issue," he said.
"It is not something the state convention would enter into." He added that the
nine memberships were not legally terminated because Monday's meeting was
supposed to be a deacons' meeting, not a business meeting.
The head of the North Carolina Democratic Party
criticized Chandler on Friday, saying he jeopardized his church's tax-free
status by openly supporting a candidate for president.
"If these reports are true, this minister is
not only acting extremely inappropriately by injecting partisan politics into a
house of worship, but he is also potentially breaking the law," Chairman Jerry
Meek said.
Copyright © 2005,
The Baltimore Sun
CHURCH SPLIT IN NORTH CAROLINA SHOWS DANGERS OF PARTISAN POLITICS IN
PULPIT, SAYS AMERICANS UNITED
Church Electioneering Bill In Congress Would Invite More Disputes Over Politics
In Houses Of Worship, Says AU's Lynn
A bitter controversy over partisan politics at a North Carolina church shows the
danger of electioneering in the pulpit, according to Americans United of
Separation of Church and State.
According to news media reports, the Rev. Chan Chandler of East Waynesville
Baptist Church in Haywood County told members that they must vote for President
George W. Bush. Nine members who did not do so have since been told to leave the
congregation. An additional 40 members have reportedly left in protest.
"This is an outrage," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of
Americans United. "Houses of worship exist to bring people together for worship,
not split them apart over partisan politics.
"I think there is an important lesson here for the whole country," Lynn
continued. "Americans do not expect to be ordered to vote for certain candidates
by their religious leaders."
Religious Right groups have been pressing evangelical churches to get deeply
involved in partisan politics, Lynn said, and this kind of controversy is the
natural outcome.
Lynn said matters will become even worse if a bill now pending in Congress
becomes federal law.
H.R. 235, a measure introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), would allow clergy
to endorse candidates from the pulpit and still retain a tax exemption of their
house of worship.
"Introducing partisan politics into our churches is a terrible idea," said AU's
Lynn. "I hope this incident in North Carolina will cause our members of Congress
to reject Rep. Jones' bill."
IRS SHOULD INVESTIGATE NORTH CAROLINA CHURCH THAT EXPELLED
DEMOCRATS, SAYS AMERICANS UNITED
East Waynesville Baptist Church Immersed In Partisan Activity, Church-State
Watchdog Group Charges
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today called on the Internal
Revenue Service to investigate a North Carolina church whose pastor garnered
national headlines after he expelled several Democrats from the congregation.
Recent actions by Pastor Chan Chandler of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in
Waynesville, N.C., are merely indicative of a larger pattern of partisan
political activity at the church, Americans United asserts.
Several newspapers and television stations have reported that on Oct. 3, 2004,
Chandler told his congregation, "If you vote for John Kerry, you need to repent
or resign." Church members told the media that prior to the election, Chandler
frequently endorsed President George W. Bush from the pulpit and attacked Kerry.
"Pastor Chandler seems to have confused his church with a Republican Party
caucus meeting," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans
United. "It's time for the IRS to give him a swift reminder of the laws of the
land."
Section 26 U.S.C. 501 (c) (3) of the tax code states that houses of worship and
other non-profits may "not participate in, or intervene in (including the
publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of
(or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."
In a letter sent to the IRS today, Americans United requested an investigation
of the matter. AU noted that during his sermon last Sunday, Chandler was
unapologetic for supporting and opposing candidates from the pulpit and promised
to keep doing it.
"I believe it is obvious that Pastor Chandler has openly defied federal tax law
and is vowing to do so again," Lynn wrote. "I also believe the IRS cannot afford
to ignore such blatant disregard for our nation's tax laws, as it sends a signal
to others religious leaders that they too can engage in partisan politicking
from the pulpit without fear of sanction."
Incident Underscores Dangers Of Immersing Houses Of Worship In Political
Activity, Says Church-State Watchdog Group
A North Carolina pastor who drew national attention for partisan politicking in
the pulpit resigned last night.
The incident, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State,
illustrates the danger of mixing partisan political activity with churches.
According to news accounts, Pastor Chan Chandler of the East Waynesville Baptist
Church in Waynesville, N.C., resigned during a meeting Tuesday evening.
Reportedly, some of Chandler's supporters left the church with him.
Chandler's resignation came on the day after Americans United reported the
church to the Internal Revenue Service, asserting that his endorsements of
candidates from the pulpit violate the Internal Revenue Code. AU filed the
complaint May 9.
"The developments at this church clearly show the result of pulpit-based
electioneering," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans
United. "It leads to ill will among congregants and divides congregations. This
incident illustrates perfectly why our houses of worship should refrain from
telling people whom to vote for."
Nine members of the Waynesville church say they were forced out of the
congregation for defying Chandler's order to support the reelection of President
George W. Bush and refrain from voting for Democrats.
Chandler's actions had been controversial for some time. Some members complained
that most of his sermons were political. Several newspapers and television
stations reported that on Oct. 3, 2004, Chandler told his congregation, "If you
vote for John Kerry, you need to repent or resign." Church members told the
media that prior to the election, Chandler frequently endorsed Bush from the
pulpit and attacked Kerry.
AU's Lynn noted that a bill pending in Congress would lift the IRS ban on pulpit
politicking and encourage actions like Chandler's. The Houses of Worship Free
Speech Restoration Act (H.R. 235) is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.),
"If we want more churches fractured along political lines, then the Jones bill
is the way to go," Lynn said. "The sad controversy in North Carolina should
spell the end of this misguided measure."
Frist Oversteps Bounds, Ushering Religion into
Filibuster Fight
April 23, 2005
When in the course of political events, one powerful party leader decides to
breach the separation of church and state as part of an effort to trample the
separation of powers, this country is headed for trouble.
To drum up support for his proposed radical change of Senate rules to benefit
Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Sunday will give a videotaped
speech during the "Justice Sunday: Stop the Filibuster Against People of Faith"
event being held by the Family Research Council in Kentucky.
No respectable political leader has any business addressing an event billed
as a crusade against "anti-Christian dogma" and liberals working "like thieves
in the night, to rob us of our Christian heritage and religious freedoms."
But the Republican from Tennessee, a presidential aspirant, appears eager for
support from anywhere he can drum it up. His idea of changing the filibuster
rules so the Senate majority needs 51 votes instead of 60 to end the long debate
has bombed among a few Republicans who know that one day they will be on the
minority end of that rule.
These are tumultuous time for our judicial and legislative processes. Rep.
Tom Delay, R-Texas, hasn't allowed his ethical problems to temper his criticism
of Supreme Court justices or ended his threats against judges who didn't rule
the way he wanted in the Terri Schiavo end-of-life case.
Frist's rule-change gambit was prompted because Democrats refuse to budge on
10 Bush nominees for federal judgeships, six because they appear ideologically
or temperamentally ill-suited for these important, lifetime jobs, and four of
them being stalled because some of President Bill Clinton's nominees never
received votes in the Senate. In the latter case, both sides are behaving like
unruly children in need of naps. In the former, to declare that senators who
object to certain nominees are anti-religion is an attempt to impugn their
legitimate objections and pander to the religious right, which is intolerant of
any religion but its own.
This country was created through a hunger for religious freedom and has done
quite well for 229 years without particular religious litmus tests for its
public officials. Frist shouldn't be suggesting as much, nor fiddling with the
Senate rules to make his job easier.
|
