IRS Crackdown on Church "Political Activities"
CBNNews.com - These days, it appears there's a fine line between making a moral and a political statement.
That's what more and more pastors are finding out as IRS probes enter their churches' doors with threats of removing their tax-exempt status.
Last year, the IRS reported that 37 out of 40 churches were investigated for political activity after the 2004 election. They were issued warnings or penalized with excise taxes for violating the law, yet none lost their tax exemptions.
Kansas Church Stands against Abortion
One church in Wichita, Kansas is under investigation for its "political involvement" prior to the November 2006 election.
Pastor Mark Holick could lose his church's tax-exempt status for taking a stand against abortion.
After the Spirit One Christian Center church posted "Sebelius accepted $300,000.00 from abortionist Tiller, price of 1,000 babies," on its marquee, the IRS sent Holick a letter of inquiry.
"A reasonable belief exists that your organization has engaged in political activities…" were the words Holick read from the statement in an interview with CBN News. "They sent the letter a few weeks ago with 31 different questions and four different themes: statements on our changeable marquee sign, content on our Website, email sent out and voters' guides."
Holick believes that the IRS's main contention revolves around Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. The government agency contends that the context in which her name was used on the church's marquee constitutes unauthorized political involvement.
However, Holick asserts that the church is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…"
"The IRS basically told me I took a political position. It's not. It's a Christian position… a moral position. This is a First Amendment issue, not a tax issue," Holick concluded.
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