The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker, director of the Center for Christian Ministries, regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Monday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in National Religious Broadcasters v. Internal Revenue Service. In the case, several religious non-profits are challenging the Johnson Amendment—a provision in the Internal Revenue Code enforced by the IRS that has chilled pastors’ freedom to speak from the pulpit for decades. ADF attorneys filed the brief on behalf of Cornerstone Chapel in Virginia and First Baptist Dallas, both of which were subjected to targeted investigations by the IRS after the churches encouraged congregants to vote according to their beliefs:
“Pastors should be free to preach without fear of government investigation and penalties. IRS agents have no business reviewing a pastor’s sermon to determine if it is ‘lawful,’ and no tax-exemption should be conditioned upon the surrender of a constitutionally protected freedom. Cornerstone Chapel and First Baptist Dallas are just two examples of churches the IRS has unfairly targeted under prior administrations simply for encouraging their congregants to vote according to their values and beliefs. The Johnson Amendment is a clear violation of the First Amendment.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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