Tax exemptions for churches

When Orchard published his work he did not mean to make a contract with the government and ask permission not to be taxed in order to gain a benefit. Your definition is skewed.

You cannot make a binding legal contract with someone and then say you are separated. A binding legal contract makes what is called a "nexus" in law. It means that you are tied together. It means that you have contracted to work together for a specified goal. It carries the same meaning in part with what the scripture says about Solomon who made an "affinity" with Egypt.

Exemption is shaking hands and promising to abide by the rules of the agreement. Please advise us if there is any other meaning that can be established by factual precedence.

Bartimaeus

 

It seems clear that I am not the one who needs to be better informed. Let me cite, and give links, to information that will help your understanding and help to you stop misinforming people.

• http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=123067,00.html

So churches don't have to file a 1023 application and they don't have to be officially 501c3, in order to be tax-exempt. They are automatically tax-exempt. It is not something you apply for as you say here.

Here's another link for you: Churches that meet the requirements of IRC section 501(c)(3) are automatically considered tax exempt and are not required to apply for and obtain recognition of tax-exempt status from the IRS. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf

This makes clear that your statements were uninformed, not mine.

There are certain rules that apply to churches, but here's the thing: These are rules that are no problem if the pastor and church leadership is committed to being a biblical church. The problem is that too many churches do not want to be a biblical church. They would rather preach politics.

If we are doing what the Bible commands us to do, then those rules are no issue. Consider an analogy. The city says that my son is too young and small to play in the skate park. I say my son is too young and small to play outside the fenced in yard. So by obeying his ultimate earthly authority (me), he is de facto obeying the city. In the same way, if I obey God in what I am to preach and do in the church, the government requirements never come into play because those are things God won't let me do anyway as a church. (Note that I said, "As a church," not "as an individual."

As I have often said, when the Bible addresses a moral issue, I will address it as the Bible says. If that moral issue so happens to be a political issue as well, then so be it. When the Bible endorses a candidate, then I will. But the key is the Bible ... and that has always been the key. We must preach the Bible.

 

Tax exemption is not making a contract with the government and asking permission for anything. You can read the above to see that it is your definition that is skewed.

You actually can. A divorce is a legally binding contract that separates someone. But in any case, that is inpplicable here.

It can mean that you have agreed not to work together, such as a non-competition clause in a contract.

Not at all. What Solomon did was very different.

[quote[Exemption is shaking hands and promising to abide by the rules of the agreement. Please advise us if there is any other meaning that can be established by factual precedence.[/quote]As cited above, you are misunderstanding how tax exemption is gained by churches and what it requires and what it does.