According to a joint court filing in a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service by the National Religious Broadcasters Association, pastors who endorse political candidates from the pulpit shouldn’t have to risk putting their churches’ tax-exempt status in jeopardy.

The “Christian” media group sued the IRS in August 2024, alleging violation of its First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion.

An article by David Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, noted that experts in nonprofit law said the IRS’ statement could lead to a big increase in politics being espoused in churches. The piece quoted Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. The professor, who has studied regulation of church political activity, said, “It basically tells churches of all denominations and sects that you’re free to support candidates from the pulpit. It also says to all candidates and parties, ‘Hey, time to recruit some churches.’”

The article went on to cite the National Council of Nonprofits, which warned that allowing tax-exempt groups to endorse candidates could lead to a future where political groups use nonprofits as a kind of legal disguise.

Diane Yentel, the group’s president, said the IRS’ statement was “not about religion or free speech, but about radically altering campaign finance laws. The decree could open the floodgates for political operatives to funnel money to their preferred candidates while receiving generous tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers who may not share those views.”

Christian history indicates that neither Jesus nor any of his disciples ever endorsed political candidates. But most of what’s labeled as “Christianity” in America does not even remotely reflect the teachings of Jesus. Over the last few decades, the Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and evangelicals have largely devolved into little more than lobbying arms of the Republican Party, thanks in large part to the pro-birth movement.

Chalk this up as reason No. 4,547 why I will never darken the doorstep of a church again. If I wanted to hear some talking head ramble on ad nauseam about politics, I could just as easily stay home on a Sunday morning and watch any number of programs offered by the mainstream media.

Granted, opportunities often arise to leverage current events as examples aimed at reinforcing the lessons of the gospel. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the clergy lack the prudence to make such a determination without venturing into the weeds of transforming a sermon into a soapbox. For a pastor to endorse a political candidate is the antithesis of the gospel. It’s a heretical abuse of position to utilize the pastoral pulpit as a bully pulpit.

Endorsing candidates, fueling extremist rhetoric, engaging in divisive politics, and inciting hatred should have no place in Christianity. In the United States, however, the church has become so immersed in the temporary things of this world that the faithful become offended when you try to bring them out of it. Hence, many pastors lower themselves to being political pundits. Nevertheless, the fact remains: Christians are called to live in this world, but not of it.

If you find yourself proudly holding up a Bible or carrying a sign with a scripture quotation while participating in a protest rally or violent insurrection, yet you neglect to practice the authentic message of the gospel, then you’ve missed the point of Christianity entirely — and somebody needs to correct you, not enable you. Unfortunately, the type of clergy who would endorse a political candidate during a Sunday sermon aren’t qualified to offer such a correction.

Only a pastor who has completely lost touch with the gospel would be content with offering a political endorsement, thereby potentially fostering division from their pulpit. It’s a good way to spot the wolves wearing sheep’s clothing. Personally, I consider such individuals to be narcissistic, wannabe gurus who masquerade as clergy. Jesus simply referred to them as “vipers.”

Often labeled as “Christian deconstructionists,” lost sheep who grow tired of the political infiltration of the church eventually make their way to other faith communities or leave organized religion entirely (like yours truly).

Having grown sufficiently weary from the noise, and with a fervent longing for a more authentic encounter with the sacred, they search for God elsewhere.

Now that the IRS has opened the floodgates, permitting more vipers to inject venom into religion, it’s reasonable to assume more wandering souls will make their way to greener pastures.

The writer is a speaker, consultant and former Kansas legislator.