Another Attempt to Keep Uncle Sam’s Hand Out of the Collection Plate

The federal law prohibiting nonprofits from supporting specific electoral candidates is about to get challenged by churches, according to a Wall Street Journal report:

A conservative legal-advocacy group is enlisting ministers to use their pulpits to preach about election candidates this September, defying a tax law that bars churches from engaging in politics.

Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz., nonprofit, is hoping at least one sermon will prompt the Internal Revenue Service to investigate, sparking a court battle that could get the tax provision declared unconstitutional. Alliance lawyers represent churches in disputes with the IRS over alleged partisan activity.

Supporters of the law say it helps to ensure separation of church and state, and while I am a hearty advocate of that vital split, in this case it seems to me to bump up against free-speech concerns. I have to confess I find the linkage between political engagement and tax status pretty damn fuzzy; then again, if you can’t make it clear whom you’re supporting through innuendo and coded speech that falls well within the guidelines, maybe you shouldn’t be in the business of changing hearts and minds to begin with. | 501(c)