Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Thirty-one clergymen want the IRS to investigate.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Clergy from nine denominations have accused two evangelical churches of illegal political activities involving an Ohio candidate for governor and want the Internal Revenue Service to investigate.
The 31 religious leaders from central Ohio met Sunday night and signed a letter asking the IRS to determine if the churches should lose tax-exempt status over what they claim to be improper campaigning for Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican.
"If a church wants to start a political organization and go out and work as a political action committee, it can do that," Rabbi Harold Berman of Temple Tifereth Israel in Columbus said Monday. "But then, it is not eligible for the tax benefits that a church or synagogue has."
The Rev. Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church in Columbus and the Rev. Russell Johnson of Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster improperly used their churches and affiliated entities for partisan politics, according to the complaint faxed to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson.
Injunction sought
The grievance asks the IRS to seek a court injunction "if these churches' flagrant political campaign activities do not cease immediately."
The clergy, from Christian faith and Judaism, said they were acting individually and not on behalf of their congregations
The two churches have all but announced their support for Blackwell's campaign, said Eric Williams, senior pastor of the North Congregational United Church of Christ in Columbus, which hosted Sunday's meeting.
"While I'm sure they're being truthful in saying we have not come out and endorsed him per se, I think, by implication, all the invitations, all the speaking engagements, the rhetoric clearly indicate, implicitly indicate their endorsement of him," Williams said.
Allegations detailed
The complaint alleges that Blackwell was the only gubernatorial candidate showcased in church-sponsored events conducted by Parsley and Johnson.
It also alleges that the evangelists' voter-registration campaign was done to support Blackwell. The churches "have designated programs to ensure that their voter registration drives target only conservative Christians likely to support a Republican agenda," the complaint said.
"You have a number of churches and charities involved with a number of road trips for Mr. Blackwell, all of which seem to be aimed at gaining him visibility for his political campaign," said Marcus Owens, a former director of the IRS tax-exempt division who helped the clergy draft the complaint.
Allegations disputed
Mark Youngkin, a spokesman for Parsley, disputed the voter registration allegations in an e-mail to The Columbus Dispatch, saying the efforts were conducted "without regard to political affiliation."
Johnson told the newspaper that his church and its affiliate, the Ohio Restoration Project, do not support candidates.
"It's sad to see the religious left and the secular left forge an unholy alliance against people of faith," Johnson said. "We have invited people to pray, to serve and to engage, and candidly, we will not be intimidated or bullied by these folks."
John Green, a political science professor at the University of Akron, said the complaint was unusual because it wasn't filed by watchdog groups that routinely monitor church and state issues.
"This complaint is detailed and complex enough that I think the IRS is going to say, 'We better look into this,'" said Green, author of the book "Religion and the Culture Wars."
Pastors who signed
The affiliations of the pastors who signed the complaint include the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.; the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); the Episcopal Church; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Judaism; the United Church of Christ; the United Methodist Church; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Blackwell faces Attorney General Jim Petro and Auditor Betty Montgomery in the Republican primary.
A phone message was left Monday for Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo. Attempts were made to contact IRS spokesman Chris Kerns in Ohio; however, the agency was closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.