Recently, Democratic President Joe Biden gave a political speech before a historically black congregation at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. You may remember, that in 2015 White supremacist and neo-Nazi Dylann Roof murdered nine Mother Emanuel members while they were gathered for prayer. Democrats have often used Black churches to give political speeches — contravening the separation of church and state and the Johnson Amendment.
Democrats have long objected to Republican political candidates giving speeches at Evangelical churches. Republicans show no regard for the rule of law. How dare the government tell them who can or can’t give speeches in churches? However, religious sects, parachurch organizations (who increasingly claim they are churches), and churches are tax-supported institutions — exempt from most taxes. U.S. law requires tax-exempt religious institutions to refrain from endorsing political candidates (though they can endorse/support issues). Choosing to do so anyway can lead to religious institutions losing their tax-exempt status. Though to be honest with you, I can’t remember a time when the IRS revoked a church’s tax exemption. A cursory Google search showed that IRS tax revocations since the inception of the Johnson Amendment can be counted on one hand. The IRS has stopped enforcing the law, allowing Democrats and Republicans alike to use churches for political campaigning. Pastors freely endorse candidates, knowing that nothing will happen if they do. (Personally, I support revoking tax exemption for all religious institutions; that churches who claim to be tax-exempt charitable institutions must prove it.)
Liberals love to scream about Republicans giving political speeches at Evangelical churches, yet are silent when Democrats do the same at liberal, mainline Black churches. Democrats are hypocrites if they refuse to call out liberal Black churches for doing the very same things as Evangelical churches do. One liberal writer said “Yes, Biden shouldn’t have given a political speech at Mother Emanuel, but, hey, the Republicans are doing it, so, so should we.”
As long as churches are tax-supported to the tune of billions of dollars a year, the IRS MUST enforce the Johnson Amendment and laws governing the separation of church and state. If the government is no longer willing to enforce the law, then it is time for Congress to put an end to the tax-exemption scam, taxing churches as the businesses they most certainly are. If congregations want to be tax-exempt, they must justify and prove their exempt charitable status. If churches cannot show that the majority of their income is spent on genuine charitable activities — and not just on programs and ministries that primarily exist to make fat sheep fatter — then they must pay taxes just like other businesses do. This means they must file annual income tax returns. (Churches are not required to file tax returns, including informational forms.)
If President Biden wants to speak to the members of Mother Emanuel, he should stand on the public sidewalk in front of the church and do so. On the sidewalk, Biden is free to say whatever he wants. However, once the President walks in the church’s doors, he and the church must abide by the law. That they don’t is disheartening and discredits attempts to hold Republicans accountable for their own violations of the separation of church and state and the Johnson Amendment.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Good point regarding fair play, Bruce ! Seeing presidential candidates stumping for goes in churches looks stupid. I always felt weird about that. I wonder if Biden has mentioned the ” death panel ” for Social Security yet , in these churches ? Because this is what Mike Johnson is trying to push for right now, to have a ” commission” to look at how they can make draconian cuts to Medicare,Medicaid, and Social Security. Anyone can look this up for themselves, and need to.
Unfortunately, in America, politicians are now expected to visit houses of worship. The main difference is, liberal politicians must visit synagogues and mosques too, while RW’s only visit Christian sects. Can you imagine a politician saying “I refuse to give speeches in houses of worship because I believe in separation of church and state. I won’t allow religion to influence my decisions.” The press would have a field day. Their opponents would paint them as un-American and untrustworthy. Preachers would vilify them from the pulpit. It’s almost impossible for an atheist/agnostic to win a high office. Until Americans stop believing religion (Christianity) is the perfect character test, nothing will change.
I didn’t watch the entire (YAWN) speech, but I suspect that it isn’t a violation of the Johnson amendment. (And it wouldn’t be Biden violating it anyway, it would be the clergy of that particular church)
Per IRS FAQ:
Can a section 501(c)(3) organization invite a political candidate to speak at its events without jeopardizing its tax-exempt status?
If a candidate is invited to speak at an organization event in his or her capacity as a political candidate, the organization must take steps to ensure that:
a. It provides an equal opportunity to participate to all political candidates seeking the same office;
b. It does not indicate any support for or opposition to any candidate (including candidate introductions and in communications concerning any candidate’s attendance); and
c. No political fundraising occurs.
I agree Johnson amendment isn’t enforced and I believe it should just be repealed. When churches become political enough the case to tax them will be more evident. Simply put, churches should pay the same taxes as any other not for profit business and their itemized charitable expenses can be tax exempt. I’m guessing most churches won’t be getting too many write offs…
Why is it only Democrats who speak at black churches? In keeping with the Johnson Amendment, the church should have invited Haley, DeSantis, Hutchison, Williamson, and Kennedy, Jr. They didn’t do so, so this smells like a candidate endorsement.
It is not only Democrats who speak at black churches. Trump spoke at at least 2 of them in 2016, Detroit and Flint. (Talk about Donnie in the Lion’s Den!)
The I.R.S. guideline only says that the church must “provides an equal opportunity”. If Biden’s staff set up the speech, the obligation for an equal opportunity would be to accept any candidates that contact the church on their own. Sending out invitations to every possible declared candidate would be better, but not strictly required. The I.R.S. certainly could investigate to revoke their tax exempt status, but they won’t. You know it, I know it, and the American people know it.
I suppose they also don’t have to invite Haley, who publicly commented “Mother Emmanuel Church is a sacred place,” Haley said. “For Biden to show up there and give a political speech is offensive in itself.” Yes Haley who privately practices Sikhism and is only a public Christian is deeply offended. Of course her umbrage is at re-exposing her state of South Carolina’s racist mass murder. She does not go on to say that Mother Emmanuel Church should lose its tax exempt status or even get a threatening letter from the IRS.
I agree 100 percent that no religious institution should have tax-exempt status. I also agree that neither Biden nor any other political official or candidate should make a political speech in a house of worship.
On the other hand, I understand (but don’t condone) liberals’ and Democrats’ silence on the issue. For one thing, many white liberals are afraid of exposing themselves as racists if they criticize a Black church for allowing political speech—or Biden for engaging in it—inside the church’s doors. For another, they and Biden know that neither he nor any Democratic president from FDR onward would have been elected without Black votes.
Having said that, I will say this for Black clerics and congregants: As socially conservative as many of them are, they haven’t tried to ram their beliefs down the collective throats of the rest of America as white Evangelicals and conservative Catholics have done. A cynic might say that the Black churches don’t have the numbers or resources to, say, overturn Roe v Wade. From my admittedly limited experience with Black evangelicals, however, I would say they are less interested in changing people’s attitudes on social issues (except for ones that have to do with race relations ) than they are in economic justice and civil rights. And—dare I say this?—I have heard more messages of actual love from them than I do from almost any white religious institution.
@MJ I’d like a clarification, are you saying no political speech in a house of worship: Is this because it is a house of worship or just that the church should lose its tax free status? (The former is what Nikki Haley said (“sacred place”) the latter is what Bruce is saying (Johnson amendment).
I suspect you underestimate both the political and social reach of black churches. I suspect it is one reason Biden would give a speech there, because it is a hub of the community and where else? The other reason is how that particular church ties in with gun violence policy.
Troy—I think that anyone who believes in separation of church and state shouldn’t make political speeches in a house of worship.
That said, I get a point that you and Missi made: Any American politician with aspirations to any office higher than dog-catcher has to make appeals to religious communities and speak of deities in a respectful, if not obsequious, way. (It also helps to say that you’re praying for the troops or whomever else.) And it’s true that the Black churches have a role in their communities that even Evangelical churches in the Bible belt don’t have. So, I think that if Biden or anyone else wants to speak to a Black (or any other) congregation, it should happen in some space outside the house of worship.
@MJ, thanks. Just a follow up on why I don’t really mind politicians giving speeches in churches (or temples mosques etc.) provided that follow the IRS guidelines. What we don’t want is churches becoming the arm of a political campaign employing the congregation as a political labor force. For example my parent’s Methodist church will do volunteer work to make blankets for the homeless, but a fully political church could use this to do door-to-door political canvassing. A once in generation political speech doesn’t create this conflict.
OK, you’re right. Also, I agree with you, that churches should be taxed, unless they can demonstrate their substantial charitable work in their communities. But I do agree with MISSIMONTANA–a Democrat refusing to speak at a church/synagogue/mosque/whatever would be committing political suicide.
Tax religious organizations and stop pretending that religious organizations are not political organizations. Religions and politics are inextricably linked at this point – in USA and many other countries. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.