Saturday, March 04, 2006
IRS & politics in the church
Consider yourself warned. That's a key message the Internal Revenue Service sent to churches and charities with the materials it recently released on impermissible electioneering. While the IRS has merely slapped the wrists of most non-complying organizations in the past, it has now put churches and charities on notice that it will react more vigorously to violations in future election cycles. It will be increasingly important for religious organizations and individuals to do the right thing, both for legal and non-legal reasons. The public should resist every attempt to drag houses of worship into partisan politics, whether these efforts come from outside or inside congregations. Contrary to recent suggestions by the North Carolina Republican Party, which has asked individuals to forward their church directories, churches aren't part of any political “base.” They are houses of prayer for all peoples. Heaven help us if we forget that.
Melissa Rogers
Melissa Rogers
