It’s time for the Johnson Amendment to go. Based on new Lifeway polling, 91 percent of pastors want the freedom to speak freely from the pulpit without fear of government punishment.
Capitol Connection
Episode 39: Keeping Government Censorship Away From the Pulpit
[spp-player]
For too long the government has used the Johnson Amendment to chill free-speech and threaten the tax-exempt status of churches. Based on new Lifeway polling, 91 percent of pastors want the freedom to speak freely from the pulpit without fear of government punishment.
“America’s pastors don’t need a federal tax agency to police their sermons,” said ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb. “Churches and their pastors have a constitutionally protected freedom to decide for themselves what they want to say or not say. This poll demonstrates that religious leaders don’t want to be burdened by the continual threat of an IRS investigation and potential penalties based simply on what they say from the pulpit.”
President Donald Trump has also expressed support of repealing the Johnson Amendment. Recently, President Trump attended the Values Voter Summit and reconfirmed his commitment to religious freedom in America.
At a time when attacks on people of faith have reached on all-time high and more than doubled since 2011, it’s clear that it’s time for the Johnson Amendment to go.
Subscribe to the Capitol Connection on iTunes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Nate Grasz