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(AP) - A pastor in Warroad, Minn., is among more than two dozen around the nation who are testing the prohibition against preaching politics from the pulpit.

      The Rev. Gus Booth told the Warroad Community Church on
Sunday that not only should they vote for Republican John McCain,
they should also campaign for him.

      Booth was participating in an event called "Pulpit Freedom
Sunday" that was organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a group
of conservative legal advocates who say that clergy should be allowed to preach about the "moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office."


      In his sermon, Booth said McCain's positions line up more closely with Biblical
teachings on homosexuality and abortion than do those of Democrat Barack Obama.


All told, 33 pastors in 22 states were to make pointed
recommendations about political candidates Sunday, an effort
orchestrated by the Alliance, which is based in Arizona. 

      The conservative legal group plans to send copies of the
pastors' sermons to the IRS with hope of setting off a legal fight
and abolishing restrictions on church involvement in politics.
Critics call it unnecessary, divisive and unlikely to succeed.

      Congress amended the tax code in 1954 to state that certain
nonprofit groups, including secular charities and places of
worship, can lose their tax-exempt status for intervening in a
campaign involving candidates.


      Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense
Fund, said hundreds of churches volunteered to take part in
"Pulpit Freedom Sunday." Thirty-three were chosen, in part for
"strategic criteria related to litigation" Stanley wouldn't
discuss.
      

 Pastor Jody Hice of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Ga.,
said in an interview Sunday that his sermon compared Democrat
Barack Obama and Republican John McCain on abortion and gay
marriage and concluded that McCain "holds more to a biblical world
view."

      He said he urged the Southern Baptist congregation to vote for
McCain.

      "The basic thrust was this was not a matter of endorsing, it's
a First Amendment issue," Hice said. "To say the church can't
deal with moral and societal issues if it enters into the political
arena is just wrong, it's unconstitutional."

      At the independent Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Okla.,
pastor Paul Blair said he told his congregation, "As a Christian
and as an American citizen, I will be voting for John McCain."

      "It's absolutely vital to proclaim the truth, and not be afraid
to proclaim the truth from our pulpits," Blair said in an
interview.


      Because the pastors were speaking in their official capacity as
clergy, the sermons are clear violations of IRS rules, said Robert
Tuttle, a professor of law and religion at George Washington
University. 


But even if the IRS rises to the bait and a legal fight
ensues, Tuttle said there's "virtually no chance" courts will
strike down the prohibition.


      "The government is allowed, as long as it has a reasonable
basis for doing it, to treat political and nonpolitical speech
differently, and that's essentially what it's done here," Tuttle
said.

  Under the IRS code, places of worship can distribute voter
guides, run nonpartisan voter registration drives and hold forums
on issues, among other things. However, they cannot endorse a
candidate, and their political activity cannot be biased for or
against a candidate, directly or indirectly - a sometimes murky
line.


      The IRS said in a statement it is aware of Sunday's initiative
and "will monitor the situation and take action as appropriate."


      The agency has stepped up oversight of political activity in
churches in recent years after receiving a flurry of complaints
from the 2004 campaign. The IRS reported issuing written advisories
against 42 churches for improper politically activity in 2004.


      The ban on churches intervening in candidate campaigns survived
a court challenge when a U.S. appellate court upheld the revocation
of tax-exempt status of a New York church that took out a newspaper
ad urging Christians to vote against Bill Clinton in the 1992
presidential election.


      Opposition to Sunday's sermon initiative was widespread. A
United Church of Christ minister in Ohio rallied other religious
leaders to file a complaint with the IRS. 


Roman Catholic Archbishop
John Favalora of Miami wrote that the archdiocese abides by IRS
rules in part because "we can do a lot for our communities with
the money we save by being tax-exempt."


      Three former IRS officials also asked the agency to investigate
the initiative, questioning the ethics of lawyers asking ministers
to break the law.


      Two-thirds of adults oppose political endorsements from churches
and other places of worship and 52 percent want them out of
politics altogether, according to a survey last month from the Pew
Forum on Religion and Public Life.


      "It is good public policy that in exchange for the valuable
privilege of a tax exemption, you cannot turn your church or
charity into a political action committee," said Barry Lynn,
executive director of Americans United for Church and State, which
intends to report the participating churches to the IRS, along with
any other churches acting independently.
      

Gallery

A pastor in Warroad, Minn., is among more than two dozen around the nation who are testing the prohibition against preaching politics from the pulpit.

Warroad pastor endorses McCain, testing IRS rules

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