Unwanted Allies
We knew this was coming… and it’s kind of funny. All Saints Episcopal Church has been resisting efforts by the IRS to investigate an anti-war speech given by it’s minister just before the 2004 election. Now conservative churches who want to exercise their free speech in the pulpit are coming to All Saints defense… even if it’s unwanted support. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

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Bob Edgar, a retired Democratic representative from Pennsylvania who is general secretary of the National Council of Churches, said the investigation of All Saints feels to him like an attempt to scare churches away from expressing moral views on political issues, and he argued that many conservative churches are far more blatant in their efforts to sway voters.

But he was adamant that the members of his organization would fight any erosion of the law banning direct political endorsements by churches.

“We believe in the separation of church and state, and this should not be used to let these groups break that down,” Edgar said.
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Bob Edgar believes in the separation of church and state as long as that separation serves his own political purposes… and this is the most idiotic part of the debate: Where is the line that separates the two?

There’s no real principle involved here, the line moves depending on your politics. Edgar and clan think it’s OK to advocate clearly partisan positions from the pulpit as long as you don’t explicitly support a candidate. Conservative churches want unlimited freedom in the pulpit and still retain their tax exempt status.

Both sides should put their money where their mouths are: If they want to play politics then they should forfeit their tax-exempt status. It’s really that simple.