Pardon the Interruption
The Johnson Amendment was introduced by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson to extend the provisions of Section 501 of the tax bill adopted in 1954. As presented by the Texas Senator, the provision would deny “tax exempt status to not only those people who influence legislation but also to those who intervene in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for any public office.”
The amendment was conceived after Senator Johnson faced difficulty during his re-election campaign where churches were thought to have been conducting electioneering in support of his opponent. The Republican-led House and Senate passed the legislation and the bill was signed into law by Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The President’s new Executive Order relaxes the Johnson Amendment restrictions on political activities by churches and other tax-exempt institutions. The Executive Order, however, does not only give churches and pastors free speech, but also allows churches to financially contribute to candidates and campaigns without IRS action.
If the PEW Research Center finds Evangelicals being the largest religious group associated with the GOP, then one could expect large monetary contributions in all future elections. While many of us find cable TV unbearable to watch during election season because of the many campaign commercials, imagine commercials featuring religious leaders like Pat Robertson telling us who we should elect in the next election.
