ADF attorney to testify on free speech of churches Thursday
Christiana Holcomb to testify with other experts, thought leaders
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
WHO: Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Catherine Engelbrecht, and Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center
WHAT: Testifying at joint hearing titled “Examining a Church’s Right to Free Speech” before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules and the Subcommittee on Government Operations
WHEN: Thursday, May 4 at 10 a.m. EDT
WHERE: Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington
WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb will testify at a joint House subcommittee hearing titled “Examining a Church’s Right to Free Speech” on Thursday. Holcomb will join others testifying at the hearing before the House Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and the Subcommittee on Government Operations, chaired by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.
“If federal bureaucracies are allowed to continue censoring the speech of pastors and intruding into America’s pulpits, it is anyone’s guess what they might attempt to control next,” said Holcomb. “The Free Speech Fairness Act is a good example of a way to solve this problem. It would allow churches to speak as they would in the ordinary course of their ministries without fear of IRS retribution through the Johnson Amendment. Even though churches were not the target of the Johnson Amendment, they have been in its cross-hairs ever since. Pastors want to be law-abiding citizens, but they are confused about the law’s parameters and so they self-censor out of fear of violating the law. Put simply, the status quo is untenable. And it is time for Congress to act.”
ADF has been actively seeking to end the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against churches through its Pulpit Freedom Sunday effort since 2008.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb will testify at a joint House subcommittee hearing titled “Examining a Church’s Right to Free Speech” on Thursday. Holcomb will join others testifying at the hearing before the House Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and the Subcommittee on Government Operations, chaired by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.
“If federal bureaucracies are allowed to continue censoring the speech of pastors and intruding into America’s pulpits, it is anyone’s guess what they might attempt to control next,” said Holcomb. “The Free Speech Fairness Act is a good example of a way to solve this problem. It would allow churches to speak as they would in the ordinary course of their ministries without fear of IRS retribution through the Johnson Amendment. Even though churches were not the target of the Johnson Amendment, they have been in its cross-hairs ever since. Pastors want to be law-abiding citizens, but they are confused about the law’s parameters and so they self-censor out of fear of violating the law. Put simply, the status quo is untenable. And it is time for Congress to act.”
ADF has been actively seeking to end the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against churches through its Pulpit Freedom Sunday effort since 2008.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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