Kerby Anderson

One of the campaign promises Donald Trump made was to remove the Johnson Amendment that has limited the free speech of pastors from their pulpits. A little history is in order.

When Senator Lyndon Johnson was running for reelection in 1954, he wanted to prevent outside groups from interfering in his campaign. The amendment he added back then prevents any 501(c)(3) organization from participating in any political campaign. His goal wasn’t to muzzle pastors, but this amendment has been sometimes used to intimidate pastors and prevent them from addressing any political issue from the pulpit.

If President Trump is able to eliminate the amendment, will pastors be more likely to speak out on the moral and social issues of the day? Michael Brown doesn’t think so. He reminds us that the Johnson Amendment doesn’t prohibit pastors from speaking out against abortion, LGBT activism, and political corruption.

Churches really aren’t facing the risk of losing their tax-exempt status if pastors apply biblical principles in their sermons to the important issues of the day. It isn’t so much fear of the IRS as it is fear of reactions from the congregation that keep many pastors from speaking out.

One survey by George Barna found that nearly all pastors (about 90 percent of them) believe that the Bible does speak to the moral issues of the day. But when you ask if they have actually taught on those subjects, most acknowledge they have not done so. However, when Barna surveyed Christians to see if they wanted their pastors to address these difficult moral and cultural issues, around 90 percent said yes.

This year, Congress and the president may finally remove the Johnson Amendment. Pastors and churches will no longer be able to use this amendment as an excuse to avoid speaking out on the moral and social issues of the day. I hope that pastors will see this as an opportunity to educate their congregation.