"Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof ..."
— First Amendment to the Bill of Rights
Today churches face mounting pressure by various government entities to silence and suppress their religious views. Churches struggle to be relevant in our contemporary society as they strive to find a middle ground that allows them to discuss the spiritual significance of modern issues without violating a host of federal and state regulations. Indeed issues such as abortion, war, and marriage have spiritual significance as well as political importance.
The Rutherford Institute firmly believes that churches have a constitutional right to stake out relevant positions on these critical issues without fear of government reprisal. The First Amendment prohibits the government from interfering in the internal affairs of churches, parochial schools and religiously based home schools. The Rutherford Institute responds to hundreds of requests for assistance each year from churches alone. It is for this reason that the Institute works very hard to ensure that the First Amendment rights of churches are protected in the pulpit, through a bullhorn, or pamphlets. In our fight to protect churches we handle hundreds of cases and publish guidelines to help churches understand their rights.
The Rights of Churches and Political Involvement
Responding to the recent debate over the much-publicized request by President Bush’s re-election campaign organizers that churches fulfill 22 duties designed to help them maximize their support and influence on behalf of the president during this election year, The Rutherford Institute has issued guidelines for churches on the do’s and don’ts of political involvement, especially in regard to activities that could jeopardize their tax-exempt status. While some of the 22 “duties” presented by the Bush campaign to evangelical church leaders, such as praying for our country, our leaders and our troops, do not put churches at risk of endangering their tax-exempt status, others clearly do.
Some of the duties that have already raised public concern include requests for church leaders to send campaign organizers copies of church rosters; for churches to identify and reach out to other conservative congregations and help those congregations support the president’s re-election bid; and for church leaders to distribute voter guides among congregants. A copy of “The Rights of Churches and Political Involvement” is available online here.
