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.
If the churches aren’t doing anything illegal, why all the pissing and moaning and wringing of hands? Churches have been getting a free ride on peddling influence on voting for decades and it gets worse every year. If you need the pulpit to tell you how to vote, you have serious problems already and should examine yourself.
so, where’s the beef?
It’s the Tribune so enjoy your Bill and Melinda Gates provided synthetic beef.
All churches should have their tax exemept status repelled. Who are we kidding. Churches have picked winners and losers in politics since the beginning, The Catholic church promotes anti abortion candidates. The Southern Baptist support segregationist (ie private schools). The Black church supports Democrats. Stop pretending churches and pay your damn taxes.
Sad generalization, not all private schools promote segregation. Many support a better education than public schools provide or no revisionist history teachers or teachers who promote a candidate to students in a non political class. That why we want vouchers, this would force public schools to be more competitive in the quality of education and everyone would have a shot at going to any school.
Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black. The Dallas Express has a hook on the end of every edition asking readers to report information that might be interesting. However when the Texas Tribune does it the Dallas Express calls it snitching. The Texas Tribue does not run a article every issue trashing Dallas County Judge Jenkins.
I don’t understand this article? If another newspaper is looking into enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, it’s because Trump signed an EO in May 2017 that was supposed to end the Johnson Amendment, but it actually only temporarily tweaked enforcement priorities. So they’re probably clarifying what’s actually ‘law’.
The fact is: tax exemption is a tool for majoritarian political interests to suppress minority interests.
And isn’t it interesting, and typical, that the law was enacted by a democrat? The thing they don’t get, is if they take away the church’s non-exempt status, the churches can then be a true force to be reckoned with. Kind of like opening a Pandora’s box for them. If they’re as smart as they think they are, they best leave the churches be.
Throughout history, there have always been only 2 great powers of the world…government and religion. History shows government trying to squash religion, then the people’s lives become so devastatingly miserable, they begin again to reach out to God. It’s sad that mankind gets so selfish and complacent that they have to experience travesty to remember God’s love and the way to eternal and everlasting joy.
Tax-exempt, not non-exempt.
“The explanation appears to expose a double standard” at best but racist under the covers.
Oh, please. Google search clips of white southern churches promoting Drumpf. If you are any church and tax-exempt, stop talking about politics, regardless of party.
These big churches don’t want to lose that status and risk losing their airplanes.
God created and blessed 3 institutions:
1 Marriage/Family(1 male and 1 female in order to make other males/females)
2 The Church
3 The Government
How greedy can the government be?This problem seems to show it’s ugly little face when dems are in power.
Most, if not all the members of the
church pay taxes. I believe there should be a flat tax for everyone, like the church has the tithe 10% of your income
No loopholes, no incentives, no adjustments. Just 10%.