Trump’s IRS to Allow Politics in Church Sparking Criticism

In a move sparking outrage among faith leaders, civil rights groups, and defenders of church-state separation, the IRS under President Trump has quietly overturned a decades-old rule that discouraged churches from endorsing political candidates.

The reversal, announced Monday, effectively guts the Johnson Amendment—a 1954 law pushed by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson to keep tax-exempt organizations from meddling in elections. The law was intended to prevent religious institutions from becoming partisan political machines. Now, critics say, it’s open season in the pulpit.

“This is an erosion of one of the key safeguards of American democracy,” said Rev. Dr. Alisha Greene, a Baptist minister in Atlanta. “Our churches are sacred spaces. They are not megaphones for political campaigns.”

The Beginning of the End for Church-State Separation?

The Johnson Amendment has long been a target for right-wing groups and religious conservatives, who argue that it muzzled free speech in the pews. But enforcement was historically lax. Many churches—especially progressive, Black, and civil rights-focused congregations—invited candidates and spoke on political issues with little IRS interference.

Still, few went so far as to issue outright endorsements. That boundary is now erased.

With Trump’s IRS giving the green light, pastors and priests can now openly back candidates from the pulpit—without fear of losing tax-exempt status.

Faith leaders across the country are warning this will fracture congregations already teetering on political division.

“You’re asking spiritual leaders to become campaign surrogates,” said Bishop Marcus DeWitt of Philadelphia. “That’s not ministry. That’s manipulation.”

A Gift to the Far Right—and a Blow to the Future of Faith?

While some evangelical churches aligned with Trump are celebrating the rollback, polls suggest young Americans are walking away from religion in droves—citing, among other things, the politicization of faith spaces.

“It confirms their worst fears,” said Dr. Lydia Morales, a sociologist studying religion and generational shifts. “That church isn’t about compassion, but about control.”

Democrats and watchdog groups warn that this change could turn worship services into campaign rallies—funded by taxpayers through the churches’ continued tax-exempt status.

What’s Next?

The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State are reportedly exploring legal options, arguing the policy shift violates constitutional principles and opens the door for electioneering abuse.

Meanwhile, critics are invoking scripture to push back. “Even Jesus, standing before Pilate, said His kingdom was not of this world,” said Rev. Greene. “We’d do well to remember that.”

As churches debate whether to embrace this new power—or reject it—one thing is clear: America’s sacred spaces just became the next political battleground.