On the eve of the general election, a Texas-based news publication has allegedly attempted to intimidate churches and other religious nonprofits.
The Texas Tribune, an online-only news organization based in Austin, launched a joint venture with ProPublica asking the public to “report” potential violations of the Johnson Amendment.
The Johnson Amendment, named after Lyndon B. Johnson, is a provision of federal law that prohibits tax-exempt entities from participating in campaign politics on behalf of or in opposition to a declared candidate.
“ProPublica and the Texas Tribune want to understand how the amendment is enforced — or isn’t,” the Tribune’s article announcing their initiative reads. “That’s where you come in: We can’t be everywhere, so we need your help identifying violations and understanding the government’s response to them.”
Featured in the article was an incredibly detailed submission form that gives users the ability to upload files, report when an incident occurred, and relay whether the user had formally complained to the IRS.
When The Dallas Express asked about The Texas Tribune’s initiative, Republican Party of Texas state chairman Matt Rinaldi replied, “The Texas Tribune is a far-left tabloid that essentially functions as an auxiliary of the Texas Democratic Party.”
Furthermore, he said, “It has, in the past, supported Covid extremism, election fraud denial, mutilation and castration of children, and abortion.”
Rinaldi concluded, “It’s no surprise that they are now targeting churches.”
The Tribune’s push to gather intelligence on church and nonprofit religious activity has some churches and nonprofits calling foul.
In an email obtained by The Dallas Express, Abraham Enriquez of the nonprofit Bienvenido claimed that his nonprofit’s Faith Assembly initiative had worked diligently to register new Hispanic voters from church communities.
Enriquez said his organization follows “strict compliance laid out by our legal team.” Yet despite their precautions, Enriquez claimed he has “spent the past day on calls from our pastors who are worried.”
In his email, Enriquez asserted that the Tribune’s recent focus on the issue seemed designed “to intimidate pastors [from] practicing their legal right to encourage their congregation to vote for biblically minded values.”
Black ministers have been a strong force in American politics for decades. In an academic paper on the subject, entitled “The Political Influence of African American Ministers,” Steven Taylor wrote extensively about the political organization of black America through church leaders such as Jesse Jackson (Baptist), Al Sharpton (Pentecostal), and even Louis Farrakhan (Muslim).
In a separate article published by the Tribune on this topic, the news site attempted to distinguish between what has gone on in black churches across America for years and the activities of other churches it allegedly aims to expose and potentially punish, like those reaching out to Enriquez.
“The black church, historically, was the one place where black people could mobilize, could organize, could feel that they had some power at the local level,” said Robert Wuthnow, the former director of the Princeton University Center for the Study of Religion, to the Tribune. “The white evangelical church has power. It’s in office. It’s always had power.”
The explanation appears to expose a double standard.
Wuthnow also claimed that long-standing political organizing within black churches, such as “Souls to the Polls,” where congregants leave their churches after Sunday service and walk together to go vote, “largely stay within the boundaries of the law.”
Enriquez and his organization, however, are not taking this potential threat lightly.
He ended the email to his network, “Following the elections, we will execute an extraordinary meeting with our pastoral council and craft a game plan to counter this type of intimidation.”
Enriquez did not opine as to whether he believed The Texas Tribune specifically targeted Hispanic churches.
Jonathan Saenz, who heads Texas Values, responded to a request for comment from The Dallas Express on the Tribune article with, “Let me be clear: Churches and pastors have robust First Amendment and religious freedom rights to talk about relevant moral issues and the importance of voting, even during the election season.”
“It is also well established that churches can legally distribute voters guides to their congregants,” he concluded.
Saenz’s organization published a guide entitled “Churches and Elections — What is the Law?” to help groups like Enriquez’s successfully navigate federal law.