Churches grapple with what tax code allows regarding election issues

Published: 2006-10-10

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With another election looming, politicians, religious leaders, candidates and the Internal Revenue Service are again contemplating a perennial American political question: Where is the line that divides the appropriate and inappropriate interplay of religion and politics? As politicians try to reach voters by tapping into religious organizations, the efforts raise red flags with the IRS, which is wary of tax-exempt organizations that may be endorsing candidates and political parties. Meanwhile, priests, ministers and rabbis seek to guide their congregations in how to apply the lessons of faith to politics, while steering clear of sometimes confusing IRS regulations for tax-exempt charities, lest they find themselves subject to lengthy investigations, legal challenges and costly fines.

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