Write About Now

In an interesting counterpoint to the July New Yorker article about an IRS investigation of Ohio churches and their support of conservative political candidates, a front-page LA Times article reported this weekend that a more liberal church is now under the same kind of scrutiny.

The article is unapologetically biased in favor of the church in question, All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, where Reverend George Regas recently delivered a sermon including a mock debate between President Bush, John Kerry, and Jesus on the war in Iraq.

“Look, All Saints’ politics are pretty clear, and it’s not hard to guess which presidential candidate Regas might have been more sympathetic to,” reporter Steve Lopez writes. “But it’s hard to believe that the IRS wouldn’t have better things to do and bigger fish to fry.”

However, Lopez also notes that the pastor of nearby Missionary Baptist Church, in a 2004 letter to President Bush, proudly claimed to have converted 80% of his congregation from Democrat to Republican and promised to “work untiringly” for Bush’s reelection. You have to admit it’s interesting that one congregation is receiving federal attention and the other is not.

And it’s easy to forget that sometimes we can also be biased: We feel strongly that federal courthouses should post the 10 Commandments…… but not excerpts from the Koran. Public school should include prayer! we cry–but to the Christian God only. And a conservative minister should have the right to preach his politics, but liberal pastors should not.

For the record, and because I know you were concerned I wouldn’t offer an opinion, I will repeat a sentence from my July post on this subject: It seems inappropriate (and illegal according to non-profit laws) for any religious leader to use his church building or his influence to sway members to vote certain ways on certain issues.

It seems simple to me—tell me where I’m wrong.