Family Research Council Endorses Free Speech Fairness Act
The Family Research Council has endorsed legislation that would restore free speech and religious liberty to churches and other nonprofits by allowing them to make political statements as long as they are made in the ordinary course of the organization’s regular and customary activities in carrying out its exempt purpose.
Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, introduced the “Free Speech Fairness Act”.
“For nearly two decades, Family Research Council and FRC Action have sought to repeal the Johnson Amendment, which has been used to intimidate pastors and censor the pulpit,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. “Pastors should be free to speak from a biblical perspective on cultural issues and candidates — censorship of free speech should never occur. This is why I wholeheartedly support the Free Speech Fairness Act.”
FRC President Jody Hice, who sponsored the legislation when serving in Congress, agreed.
“The First Amendment guarantees every American the right to free speech and free practice of religion,” he said. “It is the very bedrock of our republic; the federal government has no authority to infringe upon those rights simply because one has entered a house of worship. For decades, however, an unconstitutional provision in the U.S. Tax Code called the Johnson Amendment has silenced religious leaders from speaking openly from the pulpit.”
Hice recalls how the amendment infringed on his own free speech rights.
“As a pastor before coming to Washington, I was personally harassed by the IRS,” he said. “My church’s tax-exempt status was threatened because I dared to preach openly on political issues important to my congregation. Our founding fathers left us unalienable rights to be enjoyed and defended.”
Perkins thanked the bill’s sponsors for their courage. The Family Research Council has endorsed legislation.
–Alan Goforth
