IRS Threatens Church for Anti-War Stance

Do I hear the sound of jack-boots marching in lock-step down the hallowed halls of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service?

I certainly hope not. But I have to confess that I'm not really sure.

It seems that a former Rector preached an anti-Iraq War sermon at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, shortly before the Presidential election.

According to reports, the preacher did not endorse either Bush or Kerry. Nonetheless the IRS has apparently found cause to threaten the church with the loss of its tax-exempt status.

In a strange twist of logic, the IRS told the church that, if it admitted to violating the tax law and apologized, they would not press charges. The church, however, believing it had done nothing wrong, refused to go along with that line of "plea bargaining."

As a pastor who preaches every week I feel totally free to say anything I want concerning matters of biblical, moral relevance. Because my congregation is a diverse one, I rarely "take sides" on issues that are not clearly discernible in scripture. But I will stand in support of any minister who, out of personal conviction and conscience, declares his/her prophetic word of judgment upon any matter of social or political practice or policy that they believe to be sinful and unjust in light of the Gospel.

I have made it known that I believe abortion to be a sin...always. I have made it known that I believe that divorce is also a sin.....(almost) always. I have made it known, even though 15 members of my congregation have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan during the past two years, that war is always a participation in sin....always, always, always.

I have never, however, publicly endorsed one political candidate over another. But I have made it clear that I (along with my church Session) supported an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution that made it explicit that civil marriage would only be permitted between one man and one woman. This was made clear in the month preceding the state-wide vote on this issue (which, by the way, passed nearly 70% to 30%).

I would think that a particularly zealous IRS agent could parse the law in some manner that would find me in violation of our tax exempt status for pretty much the same reasons as All Saints Episcopal Church.

Now there may be some issues involved in this matter that were not present in the news story I have read. It may be that there was some act of partisan proclamation from the pulpit of which I am not aware that would stand in support of the IRS position.

But I have not seen it.

The thought of the IRS monitoring sermons, even in a politically or socially active church, wielding the threat of punishment if the content of that sermon does not toe the line to some UNWRITTEN AND UNSPECIFIED interpretation of the U.S. tax code would appear to me to be a clear violation of both the right to free speech and to the separation of church and state as well.

The main purpose of religious tax exemption in the first place is to protect churches from being manipulated by tax laws.

Personally, until I learn a bit more about the specifics in this case, I shall be greatly troubled and concerned about where this particular case might lead.

Even though the biblically-based position of All Saints Episcopal Church on things may be completely opposite to my own I will defend their right to proclaim the good news of the Gospel as they see fit. I hope they would feel the same way about me!