Pulpits, Politics, and the IRS

Gary revisits a topic he discussed a few months back about churches and pastors making political endorsements.

In the Georgia General Assembly Unannotated code the following instructions are given to the state’s archivist: “Encourage the study of historical documents including but not limited to those which reflect our National Motto, the Declaration of Independence, the Ten Commandments, the Constitution of the United States, and such other nationally recognized documents which contributed to the history of the State of Georgia” (45–13–41).

The fact that the United States Constitution ends with “in the year of our Lord” certainly refutes the claim of strict separationists that our Framers desired to separate all aspects of religion from government. Every state constitution recognizes God, and there is no indication that these references refer to anyone other than the God of the Bible. Did Congress violate the First Amendment when it declared 1983 to be “The Year of the Bible” in the following statement?:

The Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation. . . . [D]eeply held religious convictions springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our Nation. . . . Biblical teaching inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

The last sentence is interesting: “Biblical teaching inspired concepts of civil government contained in . . . the Constitution.” Are we to conclude that the Constitution is unconstitutional? Notice that there is no mention of the Code of Hammurabi, the Koran, the writings of Solon, or the precepts of Confucius.

Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths

Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths takes a closer look at God’s Word and applies it to erroneous misinterpretations of the Bible that have resulted in a virtual shut-down of the church’s full-orbed mission in the world (Acts 20:27). Due to these mistaken interpretations and applications of popular Bible texts to contemporary issues, the Christian faith is being thrown out and trampled under foot by men (Matt. 5:13).

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Gary revisits a topic he discussed a few months back about churches and pastors making political endorsements. It has long been believed that churches cannot even mention politics or candidates due to the threat of losing their tax-exempt status. The IRS has finally come out with a statement making the matter very clear. What excuse will churches use now?

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American Vision’s mission is to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation. American Vision (AV) has been at the heart of worldview study since 1978, providing resources to exhort Christian families and individuals to live by a Biblically based worldview. Visit www.AmericanVision.org for more information, content and resources