Anybody know if any Oklahoma preachers are participating?

I'm pretty sure mine isn't. I'll report back later to tell you if is.

ADF: Pulpit Freedom Sunday - Alliance Defense Fund - Defending Our First Liberty

Preachers should understand that they have the freedom to speak whatever they want at the pulpit; however, they should also understand that there are going to be people in the congregation that disagree with whatever message they deliver.

One thing that most people seem to forget that your right to speak freely ends at the person standing next to you. The person standing next to you has the right to disagree and criticise your view points.

If you want to claim free speech you need to understand it means free speech for all not just free speech for those that agree with you.

I disagree. If churches are using the pulpit to do political campaigning they should lose their tax free status. Unfortunately many churches have been left to do as they please both left and right. It's not right and should be stopped.

I agree with that. It is one thing for members of a church to share common beliefs with one candidate or another, but I have been places that really seemed to turn into a rally for one of the candidates. I don't see how that is a tax-exempt activity, and I don't see how that is serving a higher interest.

Agree will all the above. Pulpits are not for politics and specifically not for stumping for any candidate over another.

My pastor didn't endorse a political candidate. But he did advocate service to the poor, the sick, the emprisoned and all the stuff that famous lefty/lib/socialist/ guy advocated. I think his name was Jesus.

I don't think God would endorse either candidate.

Accordingly, the folks speaking on his behalf need to stick to their jobs rather than trying to play politics in their spare time.

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Wait....what? You agree with me. Did Hell just freeze over??

RR...hot on, it just got a whole lot colder.

If churches want to push political views...tax the crap out of them. Spread the word and works of Jesus...service to the poor, needy, and helping those that need help.

It's nice to see something we can all agree on.

For all my occasional eruptions of sarcasm, I'd far rather find common ground than endless harp on our differences.

....I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world

Cheers to all.

Kum Ba Yah my Lord....Kum Ba Yah

Glad to know that everyone agrees that the black pastors and black churches across America should cease and desist from doing any more endorsements in their churches for the democrats. They've been campaigning and endorsing democratic candidates with impunity forever, and the IRS has pretty much left them alone. I wonder why?

Friend,

And I say that affectionately, white churches with both left and right leanings are doing the same.

I get upset as you that nothing is done to stop it.

I don't agree with you. That's not to say it doesn't happen on both sides, but you rarely see republicans going into churches and getting endorsements and the pastor and elders "laying of hands" on the candidate praying that he/she win the election. No, it's far more rampant in the black churches, always has been.

RR, once again, I second your perspective.

Much theology has a political element. It's unavoidable. Where the line is isn't so easy to see.

Does it violate the law to criticize a war? I don't think it does because it is possible to do so in a purely theological manner.

Does it violate the law to criticize a specific government policy? That's probably walking a finer line.

Does it violate the law to criticize a sitting president? If the president is in the process of a re-election bid, probably.

However, it is another thing altogether for a pastor to stand in a pulpit and say, "Jesus says, and I agree, that you must vote for candidate xyz or you will go to hell."

This is clearly the sort of defiance that Pulpit Freedom Sunday is advocating. Civil disobedience is their right and it is equally the right of the Government to revoke their tax exempt status and allow the courts to sort it out.

Similarly in violation of the law were the distribution of "voting guides" such as those prepared by Ralph Reed and Jerry Falwell for several years who are clearly representing the interests of specific candidates.

I understand what your saying. I just see the abuse from all sides. And you are probably right about black churches getting more of a pass on this.

freedom of speech.
but i also want to tax the staff, and the property and the extortion collected weekly by the church not used for those in need.

Sure, pastors have the right to use freedom of speech in officially endorsing candidates, but that doesn't mean they have the right to do so as a tax-exempt entity. They do not.

I am not nor will ever be a part of a church with a pastor like that. My church is politically, economically, ethnically, and socially diverse, and I like it that way.

HERE HERE

I read something the other day about there being a video of Sarah Palin doing just that....and receiving some kind of blessing of protection from witchcraft...no joke.

Missing one point here guys.

It is quite possible that the Revolutionary War would have been lost had not the pastors taken a stand every week.
One famous rally cry of the churches was "No King but King Jesus"(committees of correspondence) that cry became a national cry prior to don't tread on me.
The pastor would end the sermon take off the robe a join the minute men that afternoon.
This is backed up by an official report to the Government of France at the time to determine the secret of Americas freedom.
One of the final conclusions as to our secret was the fire in their churches.
The writer of the report said, " Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith."
Alexis De Tocqueville

Our Declaration and constitution was a radical document at the time it was written in comparison to other nations.

Study how the IRS muzzle came about.
(home work)

Another great De Tocqueville quote of the time.

"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but a word, equality.
But notice the difference:
While democracy seeks equality in Liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."

I like that. So very true.

I personally don't care if my pastor endorses or not.
It makes church a free market house.
If your an idiot they go somewhere else.
Look at PBS publicly funded with our tax dollars and they can take stands on issues.
Leave the tax exempt status and let the people decide by not attending or not giving to them.
Why have BIG Government control churches as well?

By the way Jesus was probably not a liberal, he said you can chose life or death Choose life. (pro Life) He refers to those on the right or left. The ones on the right were blessed the ones on the left were not.
He was not a community organizer rather a dis-organizer. Times in the temple calling the leaders names.
Was not as peaceful and a pacifist as some would like him to be.
Here Come the haters!

Was abortion actually one of the biggest issues at the time of Jesus???

Too bad too many people don't act impressed or learned much that the only time in the Bible when Jesus committed violence was over hypocrisy at the temple.

Catchy, but equality in [degree of] liberty is exactly the same thing as equality in [degree of] restraint and servitude.

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I heard on the radio last night that only 30 pastors participated.