Written by Victoria Cobb

For more than 60 years, the IRS has used the “Johnson Amendment” to censor what churches and pastors preach from the pulpit. Under the Johnson Amendment, pastors’ First Amendment rights have become bargaining chips to be exchanged for a tax status. Pastors who share truth on biblical issues – like the sanctity of life and marriage – could risk intrusive IRS audits, incur steep fines, and even jeopardize their church’s tax-exempt status.

It’s time to fix the Johnson Amendment. Right now, we have the opportunity to restore free speech to all nonprofits, including churches and their leaders, through the Free Speech Fairness Act sponsored by Oklahoma Senator, and former youth pastor, James Lankford.

The FSFA is the culmination of nearly 10 years of advocacy to fix the Johnson Amendment and put an end to IRS intimidation and censorship of America’s pulpits. Unfortunately, a small, but vocal, group of religious organizations is petitioning Congress to keep the Johnson Amendment. We need to ensure that Congress hears from the rest of our religious leaders, who overwhelmingly believe that pastors and churches should be free to apply Scripture to every aspect of life—including candidates and elections—as their conscience requires.

If you are a pastor, please read the letter and consider signing your name in support of this important bill. If you’re not a pastor, please encourage your pastor to sign today.

By signing your name to the letter, your voice will join a nationwide movement of pastors calling on Congress to pass the Free Speech Fairness Act and restore freedom of speech to America’s pulpits. Visit www.pulpitfreedom.org to learn more.

Victoria Cobb is President of The Family Foundation of Virginia. She also serves as the organization’s spokesperson and is regularly in demand as a speaker and commentator on family issues in the media. She has been with the pro-family organization since 2000.

This article was originally published at The Family Foundation blog.

Last October the Illinois Family Institute brought attention to the “Free Speech Fairness Act.” Now faith leaders from around the country, including IFI’s executive director David E. Smith, are signing a letter addressed to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy calling for the passage of the bill. This letter was delivered earlier this week.

Here is the opening paragraph of the letter:

We, the undersigned, representing hundreds of thousands of Americans, want to thank you for your commitment to preserving the rights secured in the First Amendment of the Constitution, specifically the rights to freedom of religion and speech. Unfortunately, since its passage, the Johnson Amendment has effectively squelched both of those rights in the context of activities that could be construed by the IRS as on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate for public office. That is why we support the Free Speech Fairness Act of 2016 (H.R. 781, “Fairness Act”), introduced by Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Representative Jody Hice (R-Ga.) to protect the speech and religious freedom rights of 501(c)(3) organizations and their leaders. We encourage you to prioritize hearings and votes on this important bill.

A lot has been written about the existing and growing threats to religious liberty for the past couple of years, and the infamous “Johnson Amendment” even became an issue during the presidential campaign.

H.R. 781 would restrict enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against churches and other non-profit groups for whom the law was never intended. You can find more information about that legislation by clicking here, as well as a great deal more information on the Johnson Amendment here.

In addition, both the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom have information posted outlining the details of the legislation and why it is needed. FRC has published a one-page outline that answers the following questions:

• What Does the Bill Do?
• Why is the Bill Needed?
• What’s The Background on the Johnson Amendment?
• Has the IRS Gone After Nonprofits For Speaking Out On Political Issues?
• Who Supports the Bill or the Policies Represented in the Bill?

At their website, the Alliance Defending Freedom lists “5 Things to Know about the New Johnson Amendment Fix“:

1. The bill fixes but does not repeal the Johnson Amendment.
2. The bill applies to all 501(c)(3) entities, not just churches.
3. The bill does not turn churches and charities into political action committees.
4. The bill is constitutionally sound.
5. The bill is the first step in getting Congress to fix what it created in 1954.

Both FRC and ADF have videos posted that also outline the facts — here is ADF’s 3-minute video:

So many moral issues in the political arena must be addressed by church leaders inside the church – and not just by Christians outside the church. We must reclaim our God-given First Amendment right of free speech. It doesn’t just belong to those on one side of the debate.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send a message to your U.S. Representative to ask him/her to support or even co-sponsor this legislation. Speak up for free speech by telling them you want the Johnson Amendment repealed. Tell them they can start the process by cosponsoring H.R. 781, the Free Speech Fairness Act.

As of this writing, H.R. 781 has 57 Republican co-sponsors, including Illinois’ U.S. Representatives Randy Hultgren (Campton Hills) and John Shimkus (Effingham).

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Fulfilling a campaign promise to get rid of the “Johnson Amendment,” President Donald Trump, according to Liberty Counsel, “signed an executive order today that promotes religious liberty throughout the federal agencies in general and in certain specific areas”:

The executive order declares that it is the policy of the Administration to protect and vigorously promote religious liberty, directs the IRS to exercise maximum enforcement of discretion to alleviate the burden of the Johnson Amendment, and provides regulatory relief for religious objectors to Obamacare’s burdensome preventive services mandate.

The Johnson Amendment, named for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas and enacted into law in 1954, restricts tax-exempt organizations, including churches and religious organizations, from endorsing or opposing candidates for elected office. The executive order will provide some relief by directing the IRS to relax its enforcement of the provision.

For decades, the Johnson Amendment has deterred many church pastors and leaders from speaking about the moral issues of the day due to the fear of having their tax-exempt status revoked. Unfortunately, it was also used as an excuse to avoid controversial matters of morality that, over the years, became dominated by politics.

In an article earlier this year, Dr. Michael Brown wrote that he believes “it is the fear of man that has muzzled us and it is our desire to be affirmed by the world that has silenced us”:

The Johnson Amendment, as wrong as it is, is quite limited in its scope, primarily prohibiting “certain tax-exempt organizations from endorsing and opposing political candidates.”

It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against political corruption. It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against LGBT activism. It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against abortion.

Nevertheless, many pastors and leaders have feared losing church members or offending those who disagreed. Now, with the loss of the excuse of the Johnson Amendment, Christian pastors and leaders can now, in the words of Dr. Brown, get back to the business of helping believers “sort out” cultural matters  “based on Scripture.”

“This is an appropriate way to commemorate the National Day of Prayer,” said Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver, “as our President commits to protect and promote religious freedom.”

To learn more about the Johnson Amendment and what churches can and cannot do, click here.

Please join the Illinois Family Institute in thanking President Trump.

Take ACTION: CLICK HERE to thank President Trump for keeping his promise to protect free speech and religious liberty.

Editor’s Note:  Today’s action is a great first step in restoring First Amendment religious liberty rights, however it doesn’t change some of our nation’s most troubling laws, like the 1954 Johnson Amendment, or state laws that tyrannize Christian business owners.  We must keep in mind that this Executive Order could easily be overturned by the next president…  so we still have much work to do.

Lawmakers in Washington D.C. and Springfield must still follow through in making real changes to defend religious liberty against despotism.

Image credit: Liberty Counsel.

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Some of our best voices in the nation are being silenced when it comes to discussing the critical issues facing the country. It just so happens that every Sunday you can hear one of these voices speaking from the pulpit about salvation and the Bible and Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, too often those preachers fear wading onto ground that is deemed “political.”

Here’s the problem, though. These days almost everything is being made into a political issue – and that’s being done on purpose by those that wish to see an ever-growing government and an ever-shrinking private sector. When everything is politics, then issues like life, marriage, adoption, euthanasia (the list goes on and on) become off limits for discussion inside the church.

It wasn’t always this way in America. From the founding of the country, the “Black Robed Regiment” set the standard for Christian men and women to speak forcefully about the issues of the day.

Then in 1954, the IRS code was amended by then U.S. Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson (D-TX) to silence his opponents during his reelection campaign.  The “Johnson Amendment” — as it is known — “absolutely prohibits” 501(c)(3) tax-exempt groups from “directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office” or making “contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position.”

During the decades since, that Johnson Amendment has been used to intimidate pastors from discussing any moral issue that has now become “political.” For fear of losing their non-profit status, church leaders choose to vacate the public square when it comes to key matters of right and wrong. We have seen the consequences of that silence in our culture over the course of these many decades.

In recent months there has been serious public discussion about repealing the “Johnson Amendment,” and initial steps are already being taken with the introduction of legislation to “amend” the amendment. This bill, introduced by U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Jody Hice (R-GA), is called the Free Speech Fairness Act (H.R. 6195).

This new legislation would restrict enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against churches and other non-profit groups for whom the law was never intended. You can find more information about that legislation by clicking here and here, as well as a great deal more information on the Johnson Amendment here.

So many moral issues in the political arena must be addressed by church leaders inside the church – and not just by Christians outside the church. We must reclaim our God-given First Amendment right of free speech. It doesn’t just belong to those on one side of the debate.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send a message to your U.S. Representative to ask him/her to support or even co-sponsor this legislation. Speak up for free speech by telling them you want the Johnson Amendment repealed. Tell them they can start the process by cosponsoring H.R. 6195, the Free Speech Fairness Act.

Our get-out-the-vote campaign is up and running. We are distributing the IFI Voter Guide to hundreds of churches, civic groups and tea party organizations. Will you financially support our endeavor to educate Illinois voters and promote Judeo-Christian values?  Donate today.

Written by Erik W. Stanely

Late last month, U.S. Representatives Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Jody Hice (R-GA) introduced a bill in the U.S. House called the Free Speech Fairness Act (H.R. 6195). The bill is aimed at fixing the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 addition to the tax code that gives the IRS the ability to censor the speech of pastors, churches, and other nonprofit entities on issues related to candidates and elections. Here are five things you need to know about the bill:

1.  The bill fixes but does not repeal the Johnson Amendment.

The bill does not repeal the Johnson Amendment. Instead, it amends the law to allow for speech that is made “in the ordinary course of the organization’s regular and customary activities.” This means that, as you carry out the mission of your church, you would have the right to speak freely on all matters of life, including candidates and elections, and would not have to fear IRS censorship or punishment for simply exercising your right to free speech and freedom of religion. Put simply, the bill inserts a “relief valve” for speech into the Johnson Amendment and gets the IRS out of the business of policing the speech of America’s pastors and churches.

2.  The bill applies to all 501(c)(3) entities, not just churches.

The bill is not just limited to churches but applies to all entities organized and operating under section 501(c)(3) of the Tax Code. It is not just churches and pastors who suffer under the draconian regulations and penalties associated with the Johnson Amendment—it applies to all 501(c)(3) organizations. Because this is true, the fix should also apply to all 501(c)(3) organizations. The IRS never should have been put in the position of policing the speech of nonprofit entities and this bill will remove that power from the IRS—a governmental agency that has been proven to abuse this type of power in the past and so should not be entrusted with it.

3.  The bill does not turn churches and charities into political action committees.

The bill is specifically crafted to maintain the prohibition against 501(c)(3) organizations contributing money to candidates or campaigns. The bill only allows for speech in the “ordinary course of the organization’s regular and customary activities” so long as the organization does not incur “more than de minimis incremental expenses” for the speech.  Put simply, this means that speech about candidates and election can be added to whatever your organization is already doing as long as it does not cost the organization more than a de minimis (“an insignificant”) additional cost. The bill does not allow for campaign contributions to candidates or parties.

4.  The bill is constitutionally sound.

The bill removes a very unconstitutional restriction on speech that has existed for over 60 years. By applying it to all 501(c)(3) organizations, U.S. Reps. Scalice and Hice have introduced a constitutionally sound bill that provides relief to exempt organizations and removes the IRS from the speech police business.

5.  The bill is the first step in getting Congress to fix what it created in 1954.

The introduction of the bill is the first step toward fixing the unconstitutional Johnson Amendment. There are many more steps to the legislative process before the bill can become law and provide the relief America’s pastors and churches are seeking.  Nevertheless, the introduction of this bill is an encouraging sign.

There’s been a lot of talk about the Johnson Amendment this election cycle, shining some light on what has been a veil of silence over churches and non-profits for over 60 years. The more people learn the facts about this unconstitutional law, the more they understand why a fix like the Free Speech Fairness Act is needed to protect the constitutional freedoms of everyone—including pastors and churches.

Get your FREE guide to understanding the Johnson Amendment and how to navigate “political” issues this year here.

This article was originally posted at the ADF blog.

The effort is on two fronts. Last Sunday was Alliance Defending Freedom’s annual Pulpit Freedom Sunday in which pastors are encouraged to endorse candidates and state their opinion on social issues, including legislation dealing with them.

At issue is the Johnson Amendment, which changed the tax code in 1954 to prohibit political talk from tax-exempt organizations, including churches.

The change was pushed by then-Senator Lyndon Johnson, when a non-profit group was vocally opposing his re-election in Texas.

In an effort to repeal the Johnson Amendment, U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO) has introduced the P.R.E.A.C.H. Act.

“This is to protect institutions of faith, preachers included, when they speak out and say things that have to do with politics,” the congressman explains. “They don’t want the IRS to come in and intimidate or threaten them or say, We’re going to take away your tax exempt status.”

Since it’s an election season, Lamborn suggests people can make it an issue by contacting their elected representatives in Washington to urge them to sign on to the bill.

At present, the congressman claims, everyone in America has constitutionally protected freedom of speech, except for pastors and other religious leaders.

This article was originally posted at OneNewsNow.com