Isn’t the exemption based on actual church services with a pastor or priest actually speaking pro/con about political issues from the pulpit? Where does a newspaper article or op ed fit into that?
The Democrats could always be counted on to keep it in place ~ but more recently with a black man in as President that old fire to prohibit political talk in church has rather died away.
Obama has some hard earned Trinity Church of Christ street cred to stick to in this one so IRS has simply ignored third-party complaints the last 3.8 years!
The first amendment says Congress can't pass laws that restrict religion, so presumably the law that allowed this is unconstitutional, or it's simply been misunderstood.
At POD and USPS the folks in Mail Classification found no problem sticking to the earlier pre-LBJ, pre-501(c)3 standards regarding religion ~ it's just IRS that had a problem, and a couple of well directed firings or flensings would have done the job just as well as putting a black guy in as President.
Billy Graham urging voters to vote along the lines of their biblical principles is speech. And, it clearly is not an endorsement.
And, if really doesn’t matter. The only thing the IRS can do is tell people their giving to Church of the XYZ isn’t a legitimate deduction from their taxes. So, for those whose deductions make it better for them to itemize, this deduction will then make about a 10-15% difference of the amount donated in their taxable income. So, basically, a guy who gave is at 72300 income and gave 2000 to his church might have his taxable income reduced by 300 bucks down to 72000 before the tax is assessed.
Big Whoop!
Go ahead and speak for that paltry bit of cash.