Pastors ‘Tricked … Into Silence For Too Long,’ Says Experts Fighting For Legal Change

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A post published by Liberty Counsel Action (LCA) in early April argued that pastors and religious leaders have been tricked into silence, leading to mass problems for our population.

LCA are calling for an end to the Johnson Amendment, arguing that it has been seemingly weaponized to silence religious leaders, particularly Christians, by threat of financial ruin. The Johnson Amendment is used to regulate what tax-exempt organizations are allowed to do within the political realm, according to NPR.

“It has suppressed the truth, hindered moral accountability within our government, and prevented the church and nonprofit organizations from fulfilling their role to guide our nation’s future,” LCA wrote in their statement. “When our nation desperately needs a moral compass, the Johnson Amendment puts a muzzle on pastors and churches, which is exactly what it was created to do. We have the opportunity right now to repeal this anti-Free Speech IRS law and return free speech to churches and places of worship.”

Who Is Fighting To Repeal The Amendment?

North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Harris and Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford introduced the Free Speech Fairness Act, which would repeal the 1954 amendment, which aims to mitigate the IRS from silencing religious voices in the political arena. (READ THE FULL BILL BY CLICKING HERE)

Religious Freedoms Are On The Up

“This 1954 amendment to the IRS Code originated with then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson as a political vendetta to get back at a nonprofit organization that opposed his candidacy. His clear intent was to silence nonprofit organizations, including churches and pastors, from speaking about political campaigns,” the statement adds. (READ MORE: Remembering His Holiness Pope Francis, Servant Of The Servants Of God)

The momentum behind repealing the Johnson amendment comes amid a rapid growth in religious freedoms across the U.S.  You may have noticed a resurgence of faith in public spaces. This is purposeful. Yes, we’re in a Great American Revival, but the U.S. Supreme Court also overturned a short-held ruling known colloquially as the “Lemon test,” which cut Christ out of classrooms and other public spaces from roughly 1980 until 2022.

That is why so many lawmakers are now listening to their voters and installing religious freedom acts into state law. Examples include things like Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signing a slew of pro-family laws that bring Christ back to classrooms. President Donald Trump boasted one of the largest, most Biblically-centric Easter celebrations in modern political history. We are in a spiritual revolution, and it is blurring the lines between our churches, communities, and country. (MORE NEWS: ‘America Has Put Our Trust In God’: Trump Delivers Blunt Message To Those Trying To Rid US Of Faith)

In the last couple of years, you may have noticed a resurgence of faith in public spaces. This is purposeful. Yes, we’re in a Great American Revival, but the U.S. Supreme Court also overturned a short-held ruling known colloquially as the “Lemon test,” which cut Christ out of classrooms and other public spaces from roughly 1980 until 2022. That is why so many lawmakers are now listening to their voters and installing religious freedom acts into state law.