Over the past several election cycles, political leaders have increased their efforts to drag our churches into partisan politics to score political points. Sadly, examples of their efforts are becoming common place during campaign seasons.

  • In 2004, the Republican National Committee asked churches to turn over their membership rolls.
  • A pastor in North Carolina expelled congregants who supported John Kerry for President.
  • A pastor in Florida, after hosting Democratic elected officials, saw nothing wrong with turning a worship service into a political rally.
  • In 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry used a Fort Worth church as a backdrop for a bill signing;
  • A group called the “Texas Restoration Project” is using hundreds of thousands of dollars from secret sources to organize pastors to support selected Republican candidates.

Activities such as these represent a threat to the integrity of our religious institutions. Our houses of worship should not be used for political rallies or photo-ops for politicians trying to win votes.

In response to this troubling trend, the Texas Faith Network is launching the Respect Our Faith campaign. This campaign seeks to establish and promote ethical standards that can guide both religious leaders’ involvement in electoral politics and political leaders’ involvement with religious communities.


The following links provide helpful information about healthy and constructive ways religious congregations can be involved in the electoral process – and how they can avoid inappropriate activity:



Internal Revenue Service
Rules on Partisan Activity and Religious Groups
http://www.irs.gov/charities/churches/index.html

The Interfaith Alliance
Election Year Guide For Houses of Worship (pdf)

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
Politics and the Pulpit 2004: A Guide to the Internal Revenue Restrictions on the Political Activity of Religious Organizations
http://pewforum.org/docs/index.php?DocID=57
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Respect Our Faith is a grassroots campaign of clergy and
religious lay people organized by the Texas Faith Network.