The Southern Tidings magazine published an article titled A Beast, Not a Lamb in their January edition which cautions SDA Churches against becoming political, endorsing candidates, and issuing public statements about politics. The author is Amireh Al-Haddad.
Amireh Al-Haddad
Closing statement:
In a campaign year that looks to be as heavily religious as it does political, it is every member’s duty to be cautious and protect the Church’s tax exempt status. While there is currently an executive order directing the IRS to ignore campaign prohibition violations by churches, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America has intentionally decided that our churches exist for the spiritual and not the political. We urge churches to continue to obey these rules.
• Under IRS code all 501(c)(3) organizations (churches) are prohibited in a very strict manner from participating either directly or indirectly with any political campaign on behalf of any candidate or elected public official. This includes any official running in local, state, or federal elections.
• Prohibition goes beyond candidate endorsement. Prohibition includes contributions to campaign funds, as well as public statements of position, either written or verbal.
• Allowing a candidate to use the church’s assets or property (facilities) is also prohibited.
• Church leaders cannot make partisan statements in publications (including websites or social media connected with the church office) or at functions.
• In an election year, always check the IRS rules for specific issues involving candidate appearances in your church.
• The IRS rules detail what is permissible and prohibited.
This is not an exhaustive list of prohibition. The Church only has one tax exemption. We all share it; every church, pastor, and member are connected. It is important to remember that when you violate any one of these rules, you risk jeopardizing the Church’s tax-exempt status. If you have questions, you can always contact the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department or check the IRS website at www.irs.gov.
The Best Advice:
Concentrate on the spiritual realm rather than the political realm when at church.
Amireh Al-Haddadis the director of public affairs and religious liberty for the Southern Union Conference. She encourages people who are experiencing religious liberty problems to contact the department, Monday-Thursday, at ReligiousLiberty@southernunion.com or 770-408-1800.
Observations:
This appears to be sound advice, that SDA Churches would refrain from endorsing political candidates and/or making political Statements.
We wonder if a recent statement by a speaker at Andrews during an October political symposium may have triggered this warning about politics and IRS guidelines. That unfortunate suggestion—that SDA Churches should declare themselves sanctuaries for illegal aliens—drew national attention, and brought significant reproach upon the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We also wonder if it drew attention from the IRS—although we have no information on that at this time.
We appreciate the call to concentrate on the spiritual realm rather than the political realm. Fulcrum7 has made this same suggestion on three occasions.
The article preceding the above statement lists Christian nationalism as a mounting threat to religious freedom. That appears to have merit. What is not mentioned in the article is the rise of social justice warriorism and regional Conference partisanship among many Adventists in North America. That should be just as troubling to a non-partisan religious liberty director.
The North American Division has issued statements on a host of political/cultural hot-button issues in the last four years, consistently coming down on the leftward side of the issues. We agree that they should refrain from this established penchant, not only in 2020, but until the Lord returns.
We believe that religious-liberty representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church should also refrain from political partisanship, if they hope to have any pretense of professionalism and objectivity.
We like the reminder that our Church enjoys 501c3 status as a combined unit, and we should all work to preserve it. This is needed.
Politics is causing a deep spiritual harm in our country. We’ve allowed politics to take up emotional space in our lives that it’s not meant to take up, and it’s time to remind ourselves that this world and its attendant pride of life is passing away (1 John 2:17). The more we care about this world, the less we are able to care about the one to come (1 John 2:15).
****
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).