Tax-Exempt Churches Can't Endorse Candidates
(Here's the beginning of an opinion piece I wrote that AOL News posted earlier this month. You can read the rest here.)
If you are on a drive in Gainesville, Fla., cruising down Northwest 37th Street, you might be a little surprised at a handwritten sign on the front lawn of the Dove World Outreach Center. It reads: "No homo mayor."
Who would put up such an unpleasant message on the grass outside a Christian church? The culprit: Pastor Terry Jones. It seems that Pastor Jones is more than a little upset that an openly gay city commissioner is seeking the mayor's office in a runoff election this month. Jones' junior partner also appeared in a church-sanctioned six-minute video screed about the election.
The Dove World Outreach Center should be in a world of trouble with tax authorities. Not because bigotry is illegal. But because federal law prohibits any action by tax-exempt nonprofit groups -- including churches -- to "endorse or oppose" any candidate for public office. Since Commissioner Craig Lowe is open about his sexual orientation, it wouldn't take a genius, or even a high school graduate, to figure out that the church leadership opposes Lowe.
About Barry W.
If I had it to do over again, I'd live my life pretty much the way it was (but would appear in a few more amateur stand-up nights, learn to play the guitar, and started earlier buying all my clothes at Filene's Basement). As a lifetime activist--from getting...
Causes Barry W. Lynn Supports
Americans United for Separation of Church and State