Church and State and Taxes

One of the best things that’s happened since I stepped down from our synagogue is that I can now say pretty much what I want. I have always sharply criticized politicians and offered shrill opinions on the issues of the day. But the rules prevented me from advocating for candidates. If we gave a platform to somebody running for office, we had to do the same for his or her opponent. It made for a blander political program than I would have liked.

Now, as you may have noticed, the gloves have come off. I advocate for candidates, say bad things about their opponents, and generally behave like the rabid politico I am. The world generally ignores what I say, but it doesn’t dispute my right to say it…yet. Life 2.0 has freed me from my shackles. You may despise my politics, but I am free at last, and opinions flow from me like the Arkansas River.

My successors, however, will no doubt operate differently. In 1954, America made a deal with its churches. Also its synagogues, mosques and other religious entities. It would preserve the tax-exempt status of those institutions as long as they remained within the guard rails. That meant pastors and other religious folk could speak about the issues, but they could not instruct their parishioners on how to vote. That compromise worked for seventy-one years.

On balance, I think that was a good idea. It may have gotten in my way in Tulsa, and I’m sure that it has been widely ignored. Deeply encoded in the birth of the mega-church was the desire to influence political outcomes. There is always a way to make that happen. It has certainly occurred in American Jewish Orthodoxy, where rabbis have circulated political advisories for generations and profoundly influenced politics in New York.

But the fundamental idea seems right on the money. A religious institution should stand apart from elections to avoid the entanglements that would narrow its horizons. Churches and synagogues should engage in the world but avoid becoming tools or instruments by serving the purposes of a party or a candidate. They should also avoid the possibility of retribution by a successful candidate who resents their opposition. We don’t want to tempt the state to be at war with the church. Politicians from both parties endorsed this approach, with Barry Goldwater cheerleading for the Republicans.

But this era of agreement is now ending with a thud. As you may have heard, the IRS decided this week to untie the hands of American clergypeople. Secular non-profits will still be bound, but pastors (and imams and rabbis and priests) will be free to say whatever they want. When I say IRS, I mean the Sauron in the White House, who never saw a guardrail that he didn’t want to trash.

The immediate result will be a radical change in the way that churches manifest their politics. It won’t be pretty, but it will serve the purpose of allowing Sauron to retain his hold on power That might be especially important as Musk gathers his minions to contest the authority of Donald Trump. But the eventual loser will be the church itself as it is targeted on both the right and the left. Those tax exemptions will be the first to fall as enraged secular liberals vent their principled frustration. Right-leaning churches will be next in line, torn from within by contending zealots.