Preaching Power: When the Pulpit Turns Political
In a move that has sparked equal parts celebration and concern, the IRS has confirmed that pastors can legally proselytize for politicians. While some see this as a long-overdue affirmation of religious freedom, others worry it marks another crack in the already fragile wall between church and state.
Let's be honest: politics has always flirted with the pulpit. But now it seems the line between spiritual guidance and campaign messaging is all but gone. What happens when sermons become stump speeches? As if they haven't already... And when Sunday services become rally points? When salvation gets tangled up in slogans? Does any of this make sense?
This isn't just about religion or politics. It's about the way money and power manipulate our cultural compass. Once faith becomes a political tool, it risks being stripped of its moral core, reduced to just another megaphone for the loudest—and often wealthiest—voices in the room.
The Founders envisioned a country where conscience was free and sacred—where the government couldn’t dictate belief, and religious institutions wouldn’t dictate law. But today, with dark money flowing into nonprofits, campaign endorsements slipping into sermons, and tax-exempt status hanging in the balance, that separation feels less like a constitutional principle and more like a forgotten footnote.
We should all be asking: Is this freedom, or is it a hijacking? When churches become campaign stops, and politics becomes pulp doctrine, who really benefits—and who gets left behind?
Culture is a reflection of what we value. If power, not principle, becomes the guiding force in both our politics and our faith, then maybe it's time to stop applauding the fusion—and start warning against the fire.