Possible ending of Johnson Amendment preventing churches from political talk.

[LowOiL]

At the end of the GOP new tax bill is this little gem... a rollback of the Johnson Amendment, which prevents churches from endorsing political candidates.

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Not sure why Red State is against this... really has me puzzled.

Personally... Only a RINO hack would want the Feds nose in the tents of churches to make sure they are preaching what they want them to. It isn't anybody's business in government if preachers push candidates, kool-aid or cigarettes.

You know Jeremiah Wright and Imams all over are pushing politics from the pulpit already.

The GOP's New Tax Bill Holds a Big Change for Churches

 

[church mouse guy]

This is a Trump promise--hope that he can deliver. As you say, the other side never obeys the law anyway.

 

[Baptist Believer]

3 in 4 Evangelicals Don't Want Pastors Endorsing Politicians from Pulpits

Letter from 103 religious groups opposing the repeal of the Johnson Amendment

Churches Should Not Take the Johnson Amendment Bait

 

[Baptist Believer]

Not sure why Red State is against this... really has me puzzled.

Probably because it helps undermine the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state - which happens to be a Baptist distinctive.

Personally... Only a RINO hack would want the Feds nose in the tents of churches to make sure they are preaching what they want them to. It isn't anybody's business in government if preachers push candidates, kool-aid or cigarettes.

The whole point is to keep the feds out of the churches by restricting churches from doing what they should already NOT be doing - advocating for a kingdom that is not the Kingdom of God.

The power to tax is the power to control, so by pledging that we will not do something so contrary and repellant to the gospel as endorse political candidates or parties, or bring our nation's political activities into the congregation, the government can be assured that churches are not a place where tax-free offerings are used to distort the political system.

You know Jeremiah Wright and Imams all over are pushing politics from the pulpit already.

Why would a Christian want to hijack the church devoted to supporting and expanding the Kingdom of God and turn it into an organization to support and expand a kingdom that the Lord Jesus will destroy at the end of the age (if not sooner)?

 

[Adonia]

Black churches for years have been violating this. In election after election, Democrat lawmakers have been visiting predominately black churches scouring for votes. If the Democrats are allowed to get away with this, so should other political entities.

 

[Baptist Believer]

If the Democrats are allowed to get away with this, so should other political entities.

If the Democrats have debased Christian churches for their own gain, why shouldn't Republicans debase Christian churches for THEIR own gain, right?

Hey, if my neighbor has been cheating on his wife for years, why shouldn't I cheat on MY wife, right?

 

[Reynolds]

3 in 4 Evangelicals Don't Want Pastors Endorsing Politicians from Pulpits

Letter from 103 religious groups opposing the repeal of the Johnson Amendment

Churches Should Not Take the Johnson Amendment Bait

They are cowards who want to keep an excuse to not take hard stands. Cowards!

 

[Reynolds]

Black churches for years have been violating this. In election after election, Democrat lawmakers have been visiting predominately black churches scouring for votes. If the Democrats are allowed to get away with this, so should other political entities.

Yes. Think Jackson and Sharpton.

 

[Reynolds]

Probably because it helps undermine the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state - which happens to be a Baptist distinctive.


The whole point is to keep the feds out of the churches by restricting churches from doing what they should already NOT be doing - advocating for a kingdom that is not the Kingdom of God.

The power to tax is the power to control, so by pledging that we will not do something so contrary and repellant to the gospel as endorse political candidates or parties, or bring our nation's political activities into the congregation, the government can be assured that churches are not a place where tax-free offerings are used to distort the political system.


Why would a Christian want to hijack the church devoted to supporting and expanding the Kingdom of God and turn it into an organization to support and expand a kingdom that the Lord Jesus will destroy at the end of the age (if not sooner)?

Abortion and homosexual issues. God in schools. Christian liberty. Need any more reasons?

 

[KenH]

Why would a Christian want to hijack the church devoted to supporting and expanding the Kingdom of God and turn it into an organization to support and expand a kingdom that the Lord Jesus will destroy at the end of the age (if not sooner)?

Thank you for stating this. So many Christians in the United States, right and left, are willing to do like Esau, sell their birthright for a bowl of stew.

"No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." - 2 Timothy 2:4 ESV

 

[KenH]

Abortion and homosexual issues. God in schools. Christian liberty. Need any more reasons?

Politics is downstream from culture. If you want to change the politics, then you have to change the culture. If you want to change the culture, then you have to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Only God can give a person a new heart, not politics.

 

[Reynolds]

Politics is downstream from culture. If you want to change the politics, then you have to change the culture. If you want to change the culture, then you have to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Only God can give a person a new heart, not politics.

Attitude like that is why the USA has gone to Hell in a handbasket.
Its not either or, its both.

 

[KenH]

Attitude like that is why the USA has gone to Hell in a handbasket.

Wrong. The church needs to stop being interested in wielding political power, but wielding real power - the gospel.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ESV

 

[Sapper Woody]

Wrong. The church needs to stop being interested in wielding political power, but wielding real power - the gospel.

This is known as a false dichotomy. I am very concerned about what is happening in politics. But I am also concerned about winning the lost.

As someone has already said, it is NOT either/or. One can be concerned with both the state of their country and the state of lost souls.

What you are protesting is similar to saying that one cannot be concerned with helping the poor because they watch televised sports. One does not preclude the other in any way.

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[FollowTheWay]

Black churches for years have been violating this. In election after election, Democrat lawmakers have been visiting predominately black churches scouring for votes. If the Democrats are allowed to get away with this, so should other political entities.

It should be enforced for all churches. Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[KenH]

What you are protesting is similar to saying that one cannot be concerned with helping the poor because they watch televised sports.

For a Christian, helping the poor is necessary; watching sports is not.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Considering how much of the moral agenda is now considered political in some jurisdictions, repealing the Johnson Amendment is a good thing. Without the JA, Barney Frank could have been publicly opposed on moral grounds.

 

[Sapper Woody]

For a Christian, helping the poor is necessary; watching sports is not.

I agree. But it doesn't refute what I said. I can do both. Just like I can care about politics and still do my best to advance Christ's work on Earth.

Working on one does not diminish work on the other.

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[777]

Well, repealing this thing was one of Trump's campaign promises, so I think it should be repealed. The Johnson Amendment doesn't seem to be enforced much anyways, and it's been violated often with no repercussions:

A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center found that black Protestants have been more likely than other Christian groups to report having heard their clergy speak out clearly on the merits or faults of a particular candidate. The study found that 28 percent of black Protestants heard their clergy speak in support of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, while about 1 in 5 black Protestants, about 20 percent, said they had heard their ministers denounce Donald Trump.

By comparison, just 4 percent of white evangelicals reported having heard their clergy speak in favor of a presidential candidate (2 percent each for Trump and Clinton), while 7 percent heard their clergy speak against a candidate (mostly Clinton).

The Johnson Amendment In 5 Questions And Answers

Actually, I'd rather not have to sit there and watch the pastor make a political endorsement but I don't want the IRS monitoring the place. This was a LBJ law from 1954 that he used to stop some non-church non-profits from giving money to his opponent for the Senate and is almost impossible to enforce fairly by a bunch of bureaucrats. Toothless.

 

[Calminian]

Considering how much of the moral agenda is now considered political in some jurisdictions, repealing the Johnson Amendment is a good thing. Without the JA, Barney Frank could have been publicly opposed on moral grounds.

Indeed. In fact I would say most of the macro political issues of our day are also macro moral issues. Part of the Church's testimony is its willingness to speak out against immorality and injustice. I don't see how the Church can ignore the macro moral issues of our time and still be an effective witness.