Churches cannot favor or oppose particular candidates for political
office. The ban on electioneering has nothing to do with the First
Amendment or Jeffersonian principles of separation of church and state.
Instead, the ban is based on a provision in the 1954 tax reform act
prohibiting all tax-exempt organizations from supporting or opposing
political candidates. I show that the provision grew out of the
anti-communist frenzy of the 1950s and was directed at right-wing
organizations such as Facts Forum and the Committee for Constitutional
Government. It was introduced by Lyndon Johnson as part of his effort to
end McCarthyism, protect the loyalist wing of the Texas Democratic
Party, and win reelection to the Senate in 1954. I also discuss the
implications these findings have for contemporary church policy.
Read more at:
Why Churches Cannot Endorse or Oppose Political Candidates on JSTOR
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