COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A Colorado Springs pastor was one of the estimated thousands of pastors who spoke freely about political candidates and where they stand on moral issues during his sermon Sunday, a movement to protest the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)'s tax code on churches.
A pastor is prohibited from speaking about political campaigns because of the Johnson Amendment, an amendment passed in 1954 when Lyndon B. Johnson was running for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Because churches are tax-exempt organizations, they are not allowed to endorse, oppose or talk about candidates or elections.
The IRS code states: "Organizations formed under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code are subject to limits or absolute prohibitions on engaging in political activities and risk loss of status as tax exempt status if violated. Specifically, they are prohibited from conducting political campaign activities to intervene in elections to public office."
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) organization has protested the amendment with an annual 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday' in which it encourages pastors across the country to openly engage in political-related sermons. The organization says the Johnson Amendment violates the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which includes freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
The ADF launched the idea in 2008 during the presidential election, and 33 pastors participated. In 2009 the number grew to 83, then 100 in 2010 and 539 in 2011. Sunday was 2012's Pulpit Freedom Sunday, and more than 1,000 pastors are estimated to have participated.
Churches that violate the IRS's tax code could lose their tax exempt status. Despite pastors sending their political sermons directly to the IRS in protest, only one pastor has been investigated in the five years Pulpit Freedom Sunday has existed, and the investigation was later dropped.
One of the pastors who participated Sunday was Mark Cowart from The Church For All Nations in Colorado Springs. He said he had been publicizing the sermon for weeks and that the congregation knew it was coming.
According to a church spokeswoman, Cowart was the only participating pastor in Colorado Springs.
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