Why should preacher free speech rights be tramped on? Let alone the pulpit where others than the preacher often speaks. The church is to teach us about morals and values. One big item is abortion and the gay marriage issues. If candidates are promoting those things, the churches responsibility is to confront the issues and the candidates. Our society keeps degrading when we say nothing. U.S. history clearly shows strong Christian values in the formation of the country.
WallBuilders | Presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage. is a great place to find out what the founding fathers actually believed and some is surprising because of much historical revisionism that has gone on esp since the 1920's. One does not have to like it or be comfortable with the church informing of what is right. Everyone wants to live life as they want to rather than how they are suppose to.
This gagging the pulpit started with some policy that Pres LB Johnson proposed and was written into a law with No discussion (sound familiar?). The IRS has not invoked it even once even though they threaten. There are around 300,000 churches that would know they are totally free to say what they want when the courts struck it down when it gets challenged. The law will not be challenged until the IRS actually uses it.
Churches and pastors can go to
www.SpeakUpmovement.org to find out the rules and particulars.
This rule has certainly not stopped politicians getting in the pulpit and spouting their drivel such as Clinton,, Jesse Jackson, and Barack's so-called pastor Rev Wright.