From Pulpit to Politics: IRS Reverses Course on Church Endorsements!

The IRS is clearing the way for churches to endorse or oppose political candidates without the fear of losing their tax-exempt status. This reverses decades of legal precedent. A recent court filing (https://bit.ly/4nLd23r ) essentially revokes the enforcement of the 1954 Johnson Amendment. That amendment prohibited nonprofits from endorsing or opposing candidates in order to remain tax-exempt entities. Note that during the intervening decades, there’s been only one instance, in 1992, where the IRS revoked a church’s exempt status because of a political opposition. The IRS now likens a religious institution’s endorsement of a candidate to a “family discussion,” according to the court filing.