Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Originally published on July 9, 2021.
Leftists see the Christian faith as some kind of right-wing factor that must be suppressed. A non-profit called Christians Engaged, which urges members to pray for elected officials, as the Bible teaches us, applied for tax-exempt status as a 501 (c)(3). The IRS rejected the request on the grounds that, among other things, biblical teachings are considered politically conservative.
The same way “non-profit” abortion mill Planned Parenthood, which receives $500 million from taxpayers every year, is politically leftist? Advocating for the death of the voiceless and vulnerable unborn is a typically Democratic issue that Democratic candidates support, but that hasn’t impeded the abortion industry’s tax-exempt status and its taxpayer money-grab.
From the rejection letter (PDF) to Christians Engaged:
You instruct individuals on issues that are prominent in political campaigns and instruct them on what the Bible says about the issue and how they should vote. These issues include the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, and biblical justice. These issues generally distinguish candidates and are associated with political party platforms.
Leftist non-profits do the same, which the IRS knows, and the decision was a biased one. But it’s no surprise that after a backlash over its hypocrisy, it reversed the decision. Senator Mike Lee and Representative Burgess Owens last month wrote a letter (PDF) to the IRS commissioner protesting the initial decision. An excerpt:
We write today to express extreme concern regarding a recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determination on the tax-exempt status of Christians Engaged, a nonprofit organization located in Texas. We urge you to personally review this determination, and remove the individual, or individuals, responsible for the blatantly biased, discriminatory, and flawed reasoning that led to the determination.
Mr. Martin also takes offense to Christians Engaged’s teachings regarding “freedom of speech, defense, … borders and immigration, [and] U.S. and Israel relations.” Millions of Americans draw deeply from their religious beliefs to inform how they vote and many religious organizations conduct get out the vote efforts. In fact, President Biden himself campaigned alongside church leaders during the 2020 presidential race.
The IRS must objectively analyze applications for tax-exempt status and cannot allow political biases to creep into its decisions. We urge you to immediately review Christians Engaged’s application for 501(c)(3) status personally, and terminate the IRS staff involved in the flawed and politically motivated reasoning behind the determination.
“Religious prejudice should never be tolerated, especially from our federal institutions,” Rep. Owens said. “I’m glad to see this biased determination reviewed and corrected.”
First Liberty Institute, a non-profit law firm that handles religious-freedom cases exclusively, represents Christians Engaged. Multimedia Director Stuart Shepard interviewed Star Parker, founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, at the NRB conference last month.
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