IRS Urged To Weigh In On Church Taking Political Stand

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has called on the IRS to investigate whether voter guide/legislative scorecards distributed by The Pray in Jesus Name Project violates federal tax-code rules.

According to CREW, the project is affiliated with Persuade the World Ministries and has distributed in all 50 states voter guides that rate politicians as "Anti-Jesus" or "faith friendly."

"Federal law prohibits preachers from politicking from the pulpit, but that is exactly what Pray in Jesus Name Project is asking clergy across the country to do," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan, in prepared remarks. "Pray in Jesus Name is attempting to use churches to advance its overt political agenda; any churches that go along with this plan and distribute the guides will risk their own tax status in the process."

The project's website says it seeks to mobilize voters and hosts a picture of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Below their picture reads: "Nancy Pelosi's Congress and Harry Reid's Senate cannot run away from their voting record. If we simply tell the pastors without bias how Harry Reid's Senate voted to confirm the Anti-Jesus Judge David Hamilton (remember the Judge who ruled it's illegal to pray in Jesus' name, but legal to pray for Allah?), how will Christian people vote? If we simply report the non-partisan voting record of Nancy Pelosi's Congress, who voted to pay for abortions with our tax dollars in Obamacare 'health bill,' how will Christian people vote?"More


[Yet we read yesterday that Governor O'Malley and Lt. Governor Brown received the endorsement of "the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, a network of more than 200 ministers from predominantly African-American congregations working together for social justice and issues important to Baltimore neighborhoods."  Will the IRS be sent to visit them, too? --  Editor]