In America, we’ve become so accustomed to hearing about how pastors can’t talk about politics from the pulpit that we seldom stop to question why. We would expect this level of censorship from authoritarian governments such as Cuba, China, and Venezuela, but the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States protects everyone’s ability to speak freely.
It's true. Neither the Constitution nor the Bible restrict political discussions in houses of worship, so why does the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
It shouldn’t shock you that the reason pastors can’t endorse or even discuss political campaigns originated with a jaded politician. In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson proposed an amendment to the tax code (a.k.a., The Johnson Amendment) that greatly restricted the free speech of pastors and churches.
Although there is a shroud of secrecy around how Congress was able to push through this legislation without any discussion about how this would affect churches, his motives are less obscure.
Senator Johnson of Texas, the future president of the United States, forced the amendment out of his anger that two local non-profits had voiced support for his primary opponent.
There you have it. “The IRS rule that strips tax exemption from churches engaged in electioneering was born of Lyndon Johnson’s Texas politics, not the U.S. Constitution . . .” according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
Where Does the Constitution say that Churches Can’t Talk About Politics?