Pastors from the 33 congregations that participated in last September's "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," in which pastors defied Internal Revenue Service regulations by endorsing candidates from the pulpit, are still waiting to hear from the government agency. The goal of the Sunday protest, organized by the Phoenix-based Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), was to begin a courtroom battle over regulations that prevent churches from speaking out publicly for or against political candidates. Yet seven months later, the churches haven't heard a word from the IRS.
"It would have been nice to have a direct conversation with the IRS," said participating pastor Luke Emrich from New Life Church in West Bend, Wis. "I thought they would at least contact us, talk to us about the issues."
When reached for comment, an IRS spokesman would neither confirm nor deny whether the organization is conducting an investigation. Several legal experts believe the current public silence is because the IRS is still deciding how to respond, while others believe the agency has little to gain from what will likely be a costly legal battle.
"It would be expensive for them to fight, and it would give people all sorts of reasons to say the IRS is evil and irreligious," said Robert Tuttle, a professor of law and religion at George Washington University. "It's not like they're going to recoup a lot of money. Their attitude is probably, 'Why bother?'" [AP, 4/25/09]
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