FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2017
Contact: Steven D. Martin, 202-412-4323 or steven.martin@nationalcouncilofchurches.us
Major Christian Organization Urges Churches to Refrain From Intervening in Political Campaigns
WASHINGTON: The National Council of Churches expresses opposition to the regretful Executive Order entitled, “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” signed today by President Trump. This executive order does not promote free speech or religious liberty.
Churches do not face or experience any discrimination because of the Johnson Amendment, the section of the Internal Revenue Code which states that nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, including churches, cannot “participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”
Churches should and do speak truth to power. But, churches should not be intervening in political campaigns, endorsing or opposing candidates, or forming political parties. That would be dangerous both for the integrity of houses of worship and our democracy.
Despite this new executive order, we urge churches and clergy not to fall prey to the false notion they are victims of discrimination because they receive tax-exempt status in return for staying out of political campaigns. We affirm the role of the churches in proclaiming the power of God through Jesus Christ, preaching with a prophetic voice that both names God as the source of all salvation and holds the state accountable in the service of the common good.
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Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 38 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.
NCC News contact: Steven D. Martin: 202.412.4323 or steven.martin@nationalcouncilofchurches.us.
