Free Speech Fairness Act would allow pastors to preach without IRS censorship
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Christiana Holcomb regarding the reintroduction of the Free Speech Fairness Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, legislation designed to fix the Johnson Amendment’s censorship of churches and other non-profits, and restore their free speech rights:
“Pastors should be free to apply biblical teachings to all areas of life—without edits, audits, or other interference from the IRS. By removing the threat of an IRS investigation and fines, based simply on what a pastor might say from the pulpit, this bill brings the law in line with the First Amendment. It fixes a restriction enacted in 1954 that was never intended to affect churches but has been used to intimidate and silence them ever since. The government can’t base any tax exemption on a requirement that a church or any other non-profit organization self-censor and surrender their constitutionally protected freedom.”
ADF has been actively seeking to end the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against churches since 2008.
“Pastors should be free to apply biblical teachings to all areas of life—without edits, audits, or other interference from the IRS. By removing the threat of an IRS investigation and fines, based simply on what a pastor might say from the pulpit, this bill brings the law in line with the First Amendment. It fixes a restriction enacted in 1954 that was never intended to affect churches but has been used to intimidate and silence them ever since. The government can’t base any tax exemption on a requirement that a church or any other non-profit organization self-censor and surrender their constitutionally protected freedom.”
ADF has been actively seeking to end the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment against churches 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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