“The IRS has succeeded in gagging Christians.”

"The IRS has succeeded in gagging Christians."Rev. D. James Kennedy has stated:
"The federal government has proved a tremendous impediment to the ongoing work of Christians. In all the laws that they have passed against Christian schools, gagging the church, taxation, and all kinds of things that they have done, they have made it harder for the church to exercise its prerogatives and to preach the gospel. "Take the last presidential election. There were numbers of things that I knew that I was never able to say from the pulpit because if you advance the cause of one candidate or impede the cause of the other you can lose your tax exemption. That would have been disastrous not only for the church, but for our school and our seminary, everything. So you are gagged. You cannot do that. The IRS, a branch of our government, has succeeded in gagging Christians." Is there a remedy? Yes! The church can be re-empowered and regain the former glory and influence she once held in America. But in order to do so the church must stop acting as an underling, as a subordinate, as a dependent, of the State. The church must cease asking for State favors.
Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. (3John 1:7) Rather than being a "favor" or a "benefit", what the church has done through State incorporation and seeking the IRS' 501c3 status, is it traded its birthright for a mess of State-licensed pottage.
The church has taken the hushmoney. But there's a way out. The church can give it back! The church can give back the government "benefits" that no church ever needed in the first place.
By spending a little time here, you'll learn some important facts, problems, and myths about the corporate 501c3 status. You'll discover what happens to churches and ministries when they ask for these State favors and operate as "nonprofit tax-exempt religious corporations." You're likely to learn some things that will shock and amaze you.
You'll also learn why it's completely unnecessary for a church to incorporate and become 501c3, and why most of what you've been told about the so-called "benefits" of incorporation and 501c3, as it applies to churches, is a pack of lies, and that these lies were fabricated by attorneys and accountants to create a multi-billion dollar "church compliance" industry.
Accessing Information and Navigating This SiteIf you already know the general category of information that you're looking for, you can select from the links on the top-left of this page. Or you can take a guided tour of this site by clicking the "NEXT" button at the bottom of this page.
Under the Articles link at the top of this page you'll find some thought-provoking incorporated 501c3 church articles that have appeared in newspapers and magazines; and there are also a few audio files of radio interviews that have been done on this issue.
Are you trying to get reliable facts on whether you should:
501c3 a Church 501c3 a Ministry
Incorporate a Church Incorporate a Ministry Become Tax Exempt Become Tax Deductible Start a Nonprofit Religious Organization Are you looking for trustworthy information on how to:
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Most churches in America have organized as "501c3 tax-exempt religious organizations." This is a fairly recent trend that has only been going on for about fifty years. Churches were only added to section 501c3 of the tax code in 1954. We can thank Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church. As part of his political agenda, Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping "public policy." Although Johnson proffered this as a "favor" to churches, the favor also came with strings attached (more like shackles). One need not look far to see the devastating effects 501c3 acceptance has had to the church, and the consequent restrictions placed upon any 501c3 church. 501c3 churches are prohibited from addressing, in any tangible way, the vital issues of the day. For a 501c3 church to openly speak out, or organize in opposition to, anything that the government declares "legal," even if it is immoral (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, etc.), that church will jeopardize its tax exempt status. The 501c3 has had a "chilling effect" upon the free speech rights of the church. LBJ was a shrewd and cunning politician who seemed to well-appreciate how easily many of the clergy would sell out. Did the church ever need to seek permission from the government to be exempt from taxes? Were churches prior to 1954 taxable? No, churches have never been taxable. To be taxable a church would first need to be under the jurisdiction, and therefore under the taxing authority, of the government. The First Amendment clearly places the church outside the jurisdiction of the civil government: "Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Religion cannot be free if you have to pay the government, through taxation, to exercise it. Since churches aren't taxable in the first place, why do so many of them go to the IRS and seek permission to be tax-exempt? It occurs out of: Ignorance ("We didn't know any better") Bandwagon logic ("Everyone else is doing it") Professional advice (many attorneys and CPAs recommend it) Does the law require, or even encourage, a church to organize as a 501c3? To answer that question let's turn to what the IRS itself has to say. Churches Need Not ApplyIn order to be considered for tax-exempt status by the IRS an organization must fill out and submit IRS Form 1023 and 1024. However, note what the IRS says regarding churches and church ministries, in Publication 557: Some organizations are not required to file Form 1023. These include: Churches, interchurch organizations of local units of a church, conventions or associations of churches, or integrated auxiliaries of a church, such as a men’s or women’s organization, religious school, mission society, or youth group. These organizations are exempt automatically if they meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3). Churches Are "Automatically Tax-Exempt"According to IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A): Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations. (a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501(c)(3) status. (c) Exceptions. (1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to— (A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches. This is referred to as the "mandatory exception" rule. Thus, we see from the IRS’ own publications, and the tax code, that it is completely unnecessary for any church to apply for tax-exempt status. In the IRS’ own words a church "is automatically tax-exempt." Churches Are "Automatically Tax-Deductible"And what about tax-deductibility? Doesn’t a church still need to become a 501c3 so that contributions to it can be taken as a tax deduction? The answer is no! According to IRS Publication 526: Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below, must apply to the IRS. In the IRS’ own words a church "is automatically tax-deductible." Churches Have a Mandatory Exception To Filing Tax ReturnsNot only is it completely unnecessary for any church to seek 501c3 status, to do so becomes a grant of jurisdiction to the IRS by any church that obtains that State favor. In the words of Steve Nestor, IRS Sr. Revenue Officer (ret.): "I am not the only IRS employee who’s wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn’t owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they’ve always had anyway. Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don’t seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control." from the Forward of In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kershaw