NEWS

Why Trump's executive order on religion won't change how some pastors preach

Holly Meyer
USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order Thursday aimed at relaxing restrictions on politicking from the pulpit, said clergy now are free to say what they want without being targeted by the taxman.

But some pastors from across the USA say it won't affect how they preach to their congregations.

Trump's order, signed during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden, took aim at the so-called Johnson Amendment, a 1954 federal law that prohibits nonprofits, like religious congregations, from endorsing candidates and getting directly involved in political campaigns. If they do, churches can lose their tax-exempt status. Thursday's order eases enforcement by the IRS.

"We are giving our churches their voices back," Trump said.

► Related: Trump executive order targets birth control, church involvement in politics

The Rev. Glenn Denton, the senior pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tenn., said he has never let the Johnson Amendment get in his way. But he wants it eliminated, calling the provision unconstitutional.

"I was not going to stop preaching what I preached because of fear of losing my tax exemption," Denton said. "If you take the politics out of the Bible then we don't have much to preach — all of our teeth have been pulled."

Denton preaches on issues that cross into the political arena, including opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. He's also let Texas Sen. Ted Cruz' father preach at his church during the 2016 presidential primary campaign. Denton will speak against a particular candidate's platform from the pulpit, and in rare instances he'll share praise. But Hillcrest Baptist Church has never endorsed a candidate, and it's something Denton said he would be hesitant to do himself.

He appreciated the steps Trump took Thursday, but was disappointed the executive order didn't take on more.

"I do think it was too soft, but at least it maybe will cause some preachers to quit cowering in fear and say what God would have them say," Denton said.

The Rev. Thomas McKenzie, the priest at Church of the Redeemer in Nashville, said Trump's executive order won't change the way he preaches, either. He thinks pastors should be able to speak about politics, but should not endorse a candidate, especially from the pulpit since its for preaching the Gospel, and only rarely speak against candidates when dire circumstances demand it.

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McKenzie, who sees Trump's executive order as the president throwing a bone to his base, did write a viral blog post on his personal website opposing Trump on moral grounds during the primary season. But he did not preach about it.

"We don't sign a way our First Amendment rights when we are ordained," McKenzie said. "To me, the idea that the government can prevent a pastor from saying something about a political candidate seems wrong to me as an American."

Across the nation, the executive order drew mixed reviews from religious leaders and groups. The order also aims to make it easier for employers with religious objections to not provide contraception coverage. Some praised the executive order for protecting religious liberty. Others criticized it as pandering to the religious right. And some said it didn't go far enough.

The Johnson Amendment, named for then-Texas Sen. Lyndon Johnson, was born out of an election contest involving Johnson who thought 501(c)3 organizations were supporting his rival, said Vanderbilt University law professor Beverly Moran. Johnson didn't think tax-exempt groups should be able to funnel money into political campaigns, she said.

"Most churches really don't care about it, but when Jimmy Carter started running for president he sort of made it alright for Christian Evangelicals to be interested in politics and since then of course they've been very active in politics," Moran said. "They have resented this Johnson Amendment."

For more than 50 years, attempts to have Congress remove it have been unsuccessful. Since only Congress can change that law, overturning Trump's executive order would take a court challenge, she said. But Moran questions whether anyone would have legal standing to challenge it since the IRS is being directed not to target churches.

The political limits on places of worship have broad support. A Public Religion Research Institute survey says 71 percent of Americans oppose allowing them to endorse candidates while keeping their tax-exempt status. The Nashville-based LifeWay Research found a similar sentiment in its September 2015 survey with 79 percent of respondents saying it is not appropriate for pastors to endorse a candidate during a church service.

Moran thinks places of worship and clergy "absolutely" will step up their political speech in light of Trump's executive order.

One of those pastors could be the Rev. Mel Weaver, the pastor of Grace Chapel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Weaver has felt constrained by the restrictions, prompting him to keep quiet on some topics.

“We need to have the freedom in America to express ourselves better from the pulpit," Weaver said.

But Muqtedar Khan, a professor at the University of Delaware and a regular speaker at Islamic religious services, thinks the executive order could be a detriment to places of worship. He and others have tempered the political language they use by avoiding naming specific politicians or parties. Now, Khan said, there’s one fewer reason to hold back.

"I don’t like this, actually, because it’s quite possible sermons could become crass," Khan said. "I could just take off on the Republican Party or take off on the Democratic Party, very specific. It would be like a political rally. This is not good for the religious institutions." 

Back in Tennessee, Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, said in a statement Thursday that he's never been reluctant to speak about the Gospels and how they relate to the decisions and actions people make as citizens.

"I believe religious leaders can, and should, do this without endorsing specific candidates," Stika said.

Bishop David Allen Hall of the Temple Church of God In Christ in Memphis said Trump's executive order, which he sees as a political maneuver by the president, won't change how he preaches.

"I don't need him, I'm a preacher. I don't need him to anchor me," Hall said. "If I would like to speak to some issue that is politically sensitive, even from my pulpit as long as I talk about the moral aspects of it, I can say what I want to say. I dare the government. In this country, I thank God for those political freedoms."

Joel Shannon and Adam Duvernay contributed to this report. 

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.