FAITH
Friday, May 5, 2017
East Oregonian
Trump limits IRS action on church politics
By CATHERINE LUCEY
and RACHEL ZOLL
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
—
Declaring he was giving
churches their “voices
back,” President Donald
Trump signed an executive
order Thursday aimed at
easing an IRS rule limiting
political activity for reli-
gious organizations — a
move that fell far short of a
more sweeping order some
supporters had expected.
As he marked the
National Day of Prayer at the
White House on Thursday,
Trump signed the order on
religious freedom, which
directs the Treasury Depart-
ment to not take “adverse
action” over churches or
religious organizations for
political speech. The rule
has rarely been enforced.
Still, opponents said the
restrictions have a chilling
effect on free speech.
“This financial threat
against the faith community
is over,” Trump said. He has
long promised the conser-
vative Christian supporters
who helped him win the
White House that he would
block the regulation, known
as the Johnson Amend-
ment, though any repeal
would have to be done by
Congress.
The amendment, named
for
then-Sen.
Lyndon
Johnson, was put into force
in 1954. The policy allows
a wide range of advocacy
on political issues, but in the
case of houses of worship,
it bars electioneering and
outright political endorse-
ments from the pulpit.
The IRS does not make
public its investigations of
such cases, but only one
church is known to have lost
its tax-exempt status as a
result of the prohibition.
Trump’s order also asks
federal agencies to consider
issuing new regulations that
the White House says could
help religious groups that
object to paying for contra-
ception under the Affordable
Care Act health law. And it
asks the attorney general to
issue guidance on federal
religious liberty protections.
The order did not match a
Trump and
the Johnson
Amendment
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
From left, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Health and Human Services Secre-
tary Tom Price, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Veterans
Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pause in
the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday prior to President
Donald Trump signing an executive order aimed at easing an IRS rule limiting
political activity for churches.
broader, much more detailed
draft leaked earlier this year
that included provisions
on conscience protection
for faith-based ministries,
schools and federal workers
across an array of agencies.
Robin Fretwell Wilson, a
legal scholar who advises
legislators on balancing
LGBT rights and religious
liberty, said the language in
the document was so vague,
it was unclear what impact
it would have.
“I’m not seeing a lot
more shield around people
of faith from this,” said
Wilson, a professor at the
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
Leaders of some faith
groups condemned the
order, saying it would
damage congregations by
politicizing them. But the
American Civil Liberties
Union announced late
Thursday it had dropped
its initial plan to file a
lawsuit to prevent the order
from taking effect, saying
“today’s executive order
signing was an elaborate
photo-op with no discernible
policy outcome.”
Trump spoke to religious
leaders in the Rose Garden,
where he also announced
he’ll visit Israel, Saudi
Arabia and the Vatican —
including a meeting with
AP photos by Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden
of the White House in Washington Thursday.
Pope Francis — on his first
foreign trip. In the audience
were members of the Little
Sisters of the Poor, who run
more than two dozen nursing
homes for impoverished
seniors, and object to having
to pay for birth control in
their health plans.
Several religious leaders
who
supported Trump
praised the order as a first step
in what would be a lengthy,
difficult process of reworking
a web of regulations that
many religious conservatives
consider unfair.
Tony Perkins, head of
the conservative Family
Research Council, which
has advocated for a repeal
of the IRS restrictions on
political speech, said Trump
has started “a multi-phase
process” on religious liberty
that will “keep the promises
the administration has made
to people of faith.”
But Michael Farris, chief
executive of the Alliance
Defending Freedom, a
conservative
Christian
legal group that advocates
for broad religious liberty
protections,
said
“we
strongly encourage” the
president to go further.
“Though we appreciate
the spirit of today’s gesture,
vague instructions to federal
agencies simply leaves
them wiggle room to ignore
that gesture, regardless of
the spirit in which it was
intended,” Farris said in a
statement.
Worship
Community
Redeemer
Episcopal
Church
Service of Worship - 10:00 am
Children’s Sunday School - 10:20 am
Fellowship - 11:00 am
www.pendletonpresbyterian.com
241 SE Second St. Pendleton
(541)276-3809
www.pendletonepiscopal.org
Open Hearted...
Open Minded
Sunday Holy Communion 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday Holy Communion Noon
Weekly Adults Spiritual Life Group
Come meet Jesus at
3202 SW Nye Ave Pendleton, OR
541-276-7590
Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sunday Bible Classes 9:45 AM
Sunday Youth Group 6:00 PM
Mon. Community Women’s Study
9:30 AM & 6 PM
Awana Kids Club (K-6th grade)
Wed Men’s Study 6 PM
MOPS meeting the 1st Thur of the Month 6 PM
FAITH LUTHERAN
CHURCH
in Mission for Christ LCMC
Bible Study.........9:00 AM
Sunday Worship......10:30 AM
Red Lion Hotel
( Oregon Trail Room )
www.faithpendleton.org
OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR
www.graceandmercylutheran.org
Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m.
Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery Provided)
Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School
Check Out our Facebook Page or
Website for More Information
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
Fr. Dan Lediard, Priest. PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
541-289-4535
Tom Inch, Pastor
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
(First United Methodist Church)
191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
LCMC
Sunday Worship
10:30 a.m.
Mid-Week
Children & Youth
Weekly Adult
Life Groups
1711 SW 44th St.
541-276-6015
www.pendfmc.org
Sunday worship at
11:00 AM
Sunday Worship
10:00am
420 Locust St. • Boardman, OR
Wednesday Healing School
6:00pm
Colin Brown, Pastor
541-481-6132
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
Saturday Services
Pendleton
1401 SW Goodwin Place
276-0882
Sabbath School 9:20 am
Worship Service 10:45 am
BRIEFLY
Aglow meeting
features special
prayers
WALLA WALLA —
Dave Colby is the speaker
at the Walla Walla Aglow
Community Lighthouse
meeting.
Colby, who ministers
to the sick at the Tri-Cities
healing rooms, will be
praying for the ill during the
special meeting. Everyone
is invited to attend Saturday,
May 13 at 10 a.m. at Carrie
Community Center, 711
Carrie St., Walla Walla. A
freewill offering will be
taken for the event, which
includes lunch.
Aglow, which started
in 1967, is an international
organization that seeks to
minister to its members
and share God’s word in
the community. In addition
to the regular monthly
meetings, there are weekly
prayer groups and Bible
studies.
For more information,
call Kathy Owsley at
509-540-2684, Lora Sykes at
509-540-0212 or visit www.
ecwaglow.
Methodist church
hosts Alaskan
missionaries
PENDLETON — A
missionary couple serving
in Ketchikan, Alaska, will
present a special message
at the United Methodist
Church in Pendleton.
Terry and Ev Erbele
will share about their work
Sunday at 9 a.m. at the
church, 352 S.E. Second
St., Pendleton. In addition,
a livestream of Sunday
services are available
at www.facebook.com/
FUMCPendleton.
Also, the Methodist
Brunch Bunch meets
each Sunday after church
services. The no-host
group meets at The Saddle
Restaurant & Lounge, 2220
S.E. Court Ave., Pendleton,
for food and fellowship.
For those who have already
eaten are welcome to
have a cup of coffee and
conversation.
For more information,
contact 276-2616 or
preachervet@gmail.com.
First United
Methodist
Church
Pendleton
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
All Are Welcome
PENDLETON BAPTIST
CHURCH
Community
Presbyterian Church
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at 11:30
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
-Presbyterian Church (USA)-
201 SW Dorion Ave. Pendleton
WASHINGTON
(AP) — A look at the law
in question, known as the
Johnson Amendment:
WHAT IT DOES:
The law prohibits
tax-exempt charitable
organizations such
as churches from
participating directly or
indirectly in any political
campaign to support or
oppose a candidate. That
means no donations to
candidates’ campaigns
and no public statements
explicitly on behalf of or
against a candidate.
WHAT IT DOESN’T
DO: It doesn’t stop
religious groups from
weighing in on public
policy or organizing in
ways that may benefit one
side in a campaign. Plenty
of religiously grounded
organizations or move-
ments — Roman Catholic
bishops, the Christian
Coalition, you name
it — have delved fiercely
into political causes, and
preachers of the left and
right are not shy about
exhorting their followers
to political action. The law
requires them to stop short
of endorsing candidates,
but their leanings are often
not a mystery.
WHY IT MATTERS:
To supporters, the law is
central to the constitu-
tional separation of church
and state. To opponents,
it’s a gag on the
constitutional guarantee of
freedom of expression.
WHAT TRUMP DID:
Trump said his action
is meant to ensure that
people are not penalized
for their “protected
religious beliefs” and that
religious institutions are
not “unfairly” targeted for
political speech. In effect,
the order discourages
the IRS from going after
churches aggressively for
their political expression.
But the law stays on the
books; an executive order
cannot change it.
Page 7A
352 SE 2nd Street, Pendleton OR
Sunday Worship 9am • 541-276-2616
Worship Broadcast on KUMA 1290 @ 11am
Worship Livestream at
www.facebook.com/FUMCPendleton/
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
PENDLETON
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH
Sunday Service: 10am & 6pm
Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm
Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm
We off er: Sunday School • Sign Language
Interpreters • Nursery • Transportation • & more!
Pastor Dan Satterwhite
541.377.4252
417 NW 21st St. • Pendleton, OR 97801
www.facebook.com/
PendletonLighthouseChurch
Faith Center Church
Worshiping God
FIRST SERVICE 8:30 AM
SECOND SERVICE 10:30 AM
712 SW 27 TH ST.
541-276-1894
www.fcogpendleton.com
BAHA’I FAITH
“The Unity of All Mankind”
Pendleton Baha’i Center at
1015 SE Court Place
Devotions Sundays @
11:00am; Everyone invited!
(541) 276-9360 visit us at
www.pendletonbahais.org
Youth Classes: Nursery - 6th grade
Sun & Wed
Jr & Sr High Discipleship Program Wed
Overcomer’s Outreach
Tuesday at 6:00pm - Annex
A Christ-centered, 12-Step
Recovery Support Group
Pastor Sharon Miller
401 Northgate, Pendleton
541-278-8082
www.livingwordcc.com
To share your worship times call Terri Briggs 541-278-2678
Loving People
108 S. Main • 276-9569
Sunday Worship
10:30 am
Sr. Pastor,
Ray O’Grady
pendletonfaithcenter.org
Grace Baptist Church
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Nursery provided for all
services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 pm
Wed Prayer & Worship -
7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
P eace L utheran C hurch
210 NW 9th, Pendleton ELCA
Join us Sundays
9:30
Sunday
Worship
9:30
am am
Sunday
Worship
10:30 am Fellowship
11:00 am Sunday School
& Adult Class
~Come and be at Peace ~
on 1290 KUMA noon each Sunday