The IRS Allows Churches to Endorse Political Candidates

While constitutional, I have serious concerns

Just recently, the IRS decided to allow churches to endorse political candidates without having to worry about losing tax exempt status. This move is certainly in line with the Constitution, but I have very serious concerns about what this means, especially in three years.

I’m extremely concerned that now churches can openly endorse candidates, that the political idolatry in the church will get worse. There is so much political idolatry in the church. The political idolatry in the Black church isn’t talked about, but there’s political idolatry in the Black church and big time.

Pastors should talk about political topics from behind the pulpit. Just imagine if Southern Baptists, Methodists and white Pentecostals in the Southern United States had been speaking out against segregation. Desegregation likely happens much earlier. We as white Pentecostals failed our fellow black Pentecostals in not fighting against segregation, and in fact in my denomination, we unfortunately had a policy where African Americans were not allowed to be ordained in the Assemblies of God from 1939 to 1962. This policy was wrong, plain and simple. It should never have been implemented. It was sin for this to happen, and it should never have happened. I’m happy this has been remedied, and we now have an African American as the president of North Central University in Darnell Williams, who is the president of the National Black Fellowship of the Assemblies of God. North Central is an Assemblies of God university in Minneapolis. We in the Assemblies of God have come a long way in terms of race relations.

Just over a decade ago, pastors in the city of Houston were being asked by the mayor’s office for the notes to their sermons over their opposition to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which would have allowed biological men into women’s restrooms. This request was a direct violation of the pastors’ First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion. The mayor of Houston at the time, Anise Parker, was an open lesbian. Eventually, Astros legend Lance Berkman spoke out against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (Berkman is a Christian and was the head baseball coach at Second Baptist High School in Houston as well as the head baseball coach at what’s now Houston Christian University, formerly Houston Baptist University, from 2022-2024; Berkman is second in Astros history in home runs to Jeff Bagwell; I’m an Astros fan; I have no idea why Berkman’s number 17 hasn’t been retired by the Astros). The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was sent to the voters in Houston, and the voters voted it down. This is a good example of pastors speaking out on political issues. To give you an idea of politics in Houston, Houston is definitely a Democratic city, but’s it not a far-left leaning city. It’s more purple.

In my view, pastors should refrain from endorsing political candidates. It’s just something that ministers should not do. Pastors should be as apolitical from the pulpit as possible when it comes to candidates.

I’m genuinely concerned that the IRS having done what they just did, while it is constitutional, will lead to even more political polarization in the church. I’m afraid we’ll divide with our brothers and sisters in Christ over politics (I’m not speaking of so-called progressive Christians who aren’t Christians at all; but black evangelicals). We cannot afford to divide the church over politics.

As Christians we should not shy away from the political discussion, but we need to make sure that we do not make politics an idol. The Bible isn’t a political textbook. We need to make sure that we do not equate our policy preferences as being the biblical view, unless it’s opposition to abortion and the trans stuff, such as banning biological males from participating in female athletics and banning puberty blockers being used on children. On this issue, I encourage all of you to watch Linda Seiler’s stuff on YouTube. She deals with the homosexual and trans staff with so much love and compassion, as she has dealt with both in her life and today through the power of the Holy Spirit, she has been set free from both.

I’ll say this, the leaders of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, do not endorse candidates for political office, even when one of our own is running for office and I don’t see that changing. We’ve had several AG members who have served in political roles, and in fact, the governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, is a member of Woodlake Church, an AG church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the lieutenant governor of Virginia, Winsome Sears, is a member of the Assemblies of God as well and she is a Jamaican immigrant. George W. Bush’s first Attorney General, John Ashcroft, is a lifelong member of the Assemblies of God; Ashcroft’s father Robert, was an ordained AG minister, and was at one point the president of the now defunct Central Bible College, which was AG school in Springfield, Missouri, not far from AG headquarters.

Based on my denominational affiliation, I don’t think it would surprise anyone to know that I am a conservative politically. I’m a Reaganite. I believe in limited government, cutting spending (outside of military spending), free trade, strongly oppose abortion as well as opposing puberty blockers for children and biological males from participating in female athletics.

My attempt to do a video here on Substack didn’t work. I have a YouTube channel, so I’ll get a video regarding the recent floods in the Hill Country posted on my YouTube channel and share it here likely sometime next week, probably toward the end of next week.

I’ll be going to see the new Superman movie next weekend if I can get a ticket. I’m not happy I have to wait until October of 2027 for the sequel to The Batman, The Batman: Part II, as I really enjoyed The Batman. I just hope there is less profanity in the sequel, as that’s my only complaint regarding The Batman.