Do we really want churches to become more political?
Last week, the IRS gave these groups what is widely being viewed as a win,
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Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian public policy organization, praised the decision, writing on X that the change was '
'After years of education, agitation, and the efforts of many, churches will now be unshackled from the Johnson Amendment — free to speak biblically on cultural issues and candidates without fear of the IRS,' he
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Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom of California questioned the legality of the update while visiting South Carolina churches last week, during a trip that some viewed as an attempt to increase his popularity with the state's voters heading into the 2028 presidential election.
'I don't know if it's healthy — I don't even know it's legal, but it's not surprising,' he
'It's called gaming the system — in every way,' Newsom added.
In practice, this pivot is not as sharp of a turn as some proponents of the separation of church and state may believe, because, for better or worse, pastors have used their pulpits to make political stances for decades. This is in part because politicians often make decisions that can positively impact churches — including allowing them to receive federal dollars.
In the last presidential election, former vice president Kamala Harris was often well-received at churches across the country, with some pastors sharing their beliefs about the role of the divine in her ascension to the highest political contest in the land.
'You were born to lead a nation,' Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church,
Donald Trump regularly included pastors and Christian nonprofit leaders as a part of his presidential campaigns and has welcomed former church leaders into his administration.
But Trump, who was the leading candidate with conservative evangelicals in each of his presidential runs, was never a fan of the amendment and signed an executive order in 2017 directing the Treasury Department to ignore it. More recently, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to do away with it altogether.
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'Fundamental American values must extend to everyone, including pastors, social workers, or nonprofit employees and volunteers,' Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma
If the bill that Republicans introduced becomes law, voters should expect more religious leaders to use their platforms to advocate for political positions, even beyond those that have dominated cultural conversations in communities of faith over the past few decades. But there are real consequences for that.
Sermons on issues ranging from same-sex marriage, the ethics surrounding abortion, immigration rights, and other hot topics have been off-putting for many people who don't want their religious leaders to tell them how to vote. In the current deeply divided political moment, that could matter even more.
The overwhelming majority of American adults — about 8 in 10 — do not agree with leaders of religious organizations publicly backing one political candidate over another during elections, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center
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Pastors and the politicians they support should take notice. The economic and financial repercussions of a church becoming more political might be fading away, but the long-term ramifications of candidate endorsements by a community that relies on new and younger members to remain relevant are obvious. Leaning into a controversial practice might curry favor with some of that community's most faithful, but it won't likely change what has long been a high priority for pastors: making new converts.
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