Over the edge?
I'm looking for an honest answer from (1) a Biblical perspective and (2) a Constitutional perspective. This pastor is challenging the IRS by endorsing a candidate from the pulpit. Read more details here. After you read the background, let me know what you think about:
- Is there a situation where this would be a Biblically appropriate action? If so, where/when?
- Is there a situation where this would be Constitutionally permissible?
I'm particularly interested in how this aligns with the First Amendment because the right to free speech is not proscribed from ministers. The First Amendment is as follows:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This pastor's actions highlight the tension inherent in the First Amendment. How do you work through it? Are this pastor's actions in endorsing candidate "over the edge"?
The issue is a simple one and it is not whether church members have free speech. They most definitely do. It is an issue that requires sound judgment which is all too often lacking in the church. There are far more important (eternal) things to address from the pulpit than politics.
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