House deletes ‘Safe Harbor for Churches’ measure

By Tom Strode - Jun 15, 2004 - comment

A House of Representatives committee eliminated legislation opposed by the ERLC even though it was promoted as protection for the free-speech rights of churches.

The House Ways and Means Committee removed language in a tax reform/jobs creation bill that supposedly would have protected pastors and other religious leaders regarding comments they make as private citizens about political campaigns. It also was intended to protect churches and other religious bodies when they commit “unintentional violations” of the Internal Revenue tax code. The panel took the action by voice vote June 14 to delete a provision titled Safe Harbor for Churches from the bill, H.R. 4520.

While the measure was put forward as an attempt to increase protection for the rights of pastors and churches, ERLC President Richard Land called it “woefully inadequate” and “dangerous.”

The private speech of pastors already is protected, Land said in a June 9 letter to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. The ERLC also opposes “the intrusion by the IRS into the church’s life and business that would be required to determine whether or not an infraction was intended,” he said in the letter. “Intent is a difficult thing to prove, and we can imagine a church incurring considerable expense in time and energy attempting to defend itself against an IRS determination.”

The ERLC continues to support another measure designed to restore freedom of speech by pastors and churches on election campaigns and related issues. The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, H.R. 235, would prevent a church’s tax-exempt status from being affected by the “content, preparation or presentation of any homily, sermon, teaching, dialectic or other presentation made during religious services or gatherings.”

Land said such protection for churches and other religious bodies is needed, but he still does “not believe it is wise, prudent or appropriate for Baptist churches to endorse candidates.”

The ERLC is sponsoring a non-partisan effort to register and educate voters. Information on the initiative may be accessed at www.ivotevalues.com .

Further Learning

Learn more about: Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, Church and State, Religious Liberty

Post a Comment




Notify me of follow-up comments?

Before You Submit Your Comment (below), Read This:

Thank you for your interest in the ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (SBC).

Comments are moderated to preserve the family-oriented nature of this website and in an attempt to avoid comment spam. We welcome opposing viewpoints, and we will not turn comments away as long as your views are presented with respect to everyone.

Your comments will not appear immediately and are subject to editing or deletion. We will make every attempt to check new comments in a timely manner, though there will likely be delays on the weekends and around holidays.

Please follow the these guidelines to insure your comments will be posted:

  1. Use a real name, at least a real first name. We find folks are less-rude online when not hiding behind a screen-name.
  2. Name-calling and vulgar-language will not be tolerated. Zero-tolerance is our policy. We will not spend time editing profanity. If it contains foul language, your post will be deleted. Oh, and we decide what is and what is not vulgar.
  3. Comments must be on topic. General comments (compliments, complaints, and otherwise) are best delivered here or expressed on your own personal Web site.
  4. And please, do not type in ALL CAPS. It looks like you're screaming at people.

Additionally, within Baptist polity, please recognize that many issues and decisions are addressed at a local church level. SBC denominational (national) offices have no control and desire no control over the activities of a local church. This entity is not responsible for overseeing and insuring the ethical behavior of Southern Baptist pastors or church members. If your concern involves a legal civil or criminal matter, we suggest you contact the proper local officials.

Issues involving pastoral staff or other church members, local Baptist associations or state Baptist conventions are local issues. Therefore the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission cannot and should not address such issues. While we regret we are unable to assist you, we encourage you to seek a biblical resolution of the issue at the local church level. If your question or submission pertains to a matter covered in this text, it is likely we will not acknowledge your submission.

Other than that, we welcome you and hope to see thoughtful discussions at ERLC.com