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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 September 2018
American Protestantism, long something of a sacred cow in American life and politics, now finds itself seriously threatened by government on several fronts. The battle is shaping up over church tax exemptions, and the stakes, for both church and society, are breathtakingly high.
In July, 1909, the Communications Office of the United Church of Christ announced that it intended to testify before a Senate subcommittee on legislation regarding the renewal of television licenses. Two weeks later the good churchmen received notice from the Internal Revenue Service that “substantial” efforts to influence legislation could “jeopardize” the church's tax exemption.
• The statutory restriction on the right of a church to influence public opinion on legislative matters as the price of tax exemption is also probably unconstitutional in my opinion. That is, however, another question and beyond the scope of this paper. The question should nevertheless be of interest to national church administration legal counsel, who, at least until quite recently, have shown notable timidity in suggesting challenges to the statute.
