The IRS reversed seven decades of precedent this summer by repealing the Johnson Amendment, which prohibited religious nonprofits from partaking in electioneering. Since Congress in 1954 approved an amendment proposed by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, any pastor, preacher, priest, reverend, imam, or rabbi who told his congregants how to vote risked having the 501(c)(3) tax exemption stripped from his religious organization. In 2016, presidential candidate Donald J. Trump promised to scrap this regulation if elected—a promise now fulfilled.
One might think that the consequences of this political liberation of religious speech will be heard from pulpits across America. Don’t bet on it. It will likely change nothing.
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