By The Associated Press
01.19.06
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A group of religious leaders from nine denominations have accused two evangelical churches of improperly promoting an Ohio candidate for governor and want the Internal Revenue Service to investigate.
The 31 leaders from central Ohio met on Jan. 15 and signed a letter asking the IRS to determine if the churches should lose tax-exempt status because of their support for Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, one of three Republicans seeking the nomination.
The Rev. Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church in Columbus and the Rev. Russell Johnson of Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster improperly used their churches and affiliated entities for partisan politics, the complaint to the IRS says.
"If they don't want to be a tax-exempt organization, they can go and do and say whatever they want," Rabbi Harold Berman of Temple Tifereth Israel in Columbus said on Jan. 16. "But if you do want to take advantage of the tax benefits that are granted to churches and synagogues, then I think you need to follow the rules."
(snip - Click on the title to read more.)
The clergy who signed the complaint are affiliated with the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.; the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); the Episcopal Church; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Judaism; the United Church of Christ; the United Methodist Church; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and the Unitarian Universalist Association.
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Ugh. Why am I not surprised. I am waiting to see if members of the above mentioned bodies, which includes my own liberal church body, will file a complaint about this:
Speaking during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, (Hillary) Clinton also offered an apology to a group of Hurricane Katrina survivors "on behalf of a government that left you behind, that turned its back on you." Her remarks were met with thunderous applause by a mostly black audience at the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem. The House "has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about," said Clinton, D-New York.
Of course not. They are only concerned about the fact that these churches are trying to get conservative Christians to vote. Period.
Double ugh.
---Katie
1 comment:
Well, I find it interesting that liberal (really leftist and revisionist) agendas may use the pulpit (see the use of black churches for politicing and pulpits used for promotion of anti-social and sinful behavior by the UCC), but not traditionalist and conservatives.
I used to get mail from the religious left, and what was interesting is that they would warn us about using our pulpits for political purposes, but if we wanted to use the pulpits for their purposes, then that was alright.
Hypocrasy at its finest...I wonder if Mark Hanson can be sued for using his position as bishop (and speaking for his denomination) to advance his political agenda and favoring certain policies and politicians. Perhaps it is time for someone on this side to give as good as they get.
Peace in the Lord!
Rob Buechler, pastor
Trinity-Bergen/Faith Lutheran Parish
Starkweather,ND
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