Partisan pulpit: Pastor’s defiance spurs debate on election law – By Pamela Manson (UPI) / Sept 21, 2022
Sept. 21 (UPI) — As the 2022 midterm election approaches, a controversial Tennessee pastor is defying a federal law that prohibits nonprofits — including houses of worship — from supporting candidates.
The Johnson Amendment has wide support from the public and religious leaders, who want to keep partisan politics separate from their faith.
Violations can lead to the Internal Revenue Service revoking an organization’s tax-exempt status.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State say Pastor Greg Locke, of the Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., violated the law by telling his congregants in a sermon from the pulpit that they could not vote for Democrats. The Washington-based advocacy organization has asked the IRS to investigate.
