Nonprofit Nonpartisanship | Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor

Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor

• Clarity needed on church, state separation, Holland Sentinel, February 24, 2018, Christine Berghoef.
• Don't change my church into a PAC, mySA, December 30, 2018, Garrett Vickrey, Pastor of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio.
• Pews are sacred spaces, not partisan places, AL.com, December 3, 2018, The Rev. Terri Byrd, Coordinator of Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
• The Johnson Amendment's Fate After the 2018 Elections: The Fight Continues, National Council of Nonprofits, November 7, 2018, David L. Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy.
• An unchanging truth: Romance between church and state always tarnishes the Bride of Christ, Baptist News Global, October 12, 2101, Doyle Sager.
• Most Maine nonprofits prohibited from campaign spending, Portland Press Herald, October 1, 2018, Jennifer Gray, Director of Advocacy and Public Relations at the Maine Association of Nonprofits.
• Tax-deductible partisanship can cause rifts, St. Louis Business Journal, September 12, 2018, Deborah Dubin, CEO and President of Gateway Center for Giving, and Diane Drollinger, President and CEO of Network for Strong Communities.
• Connect your own dots, Southeast Missourian, September 8, 2018, Jeff Long, President of Habitat for Humanity affiliate.
• Johnson Amendment is good for churches, St. Louis Dispatch, September 4, 2018, Rev. Carol McEntyre, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Columbia. 
• Johnson Amendment vital to nonprofit trust, The Olympian, August 7, 2018, Trudy Soucoup, CEO of Homes First.
• Nonprofits serve communities, not candidates, Ravalli Republic, July 29, 2018, Liz Moore, Executive Director of the Montana Nonprofit Association.
• Could This Political Environment Get More Toxic for Nonprofits? The Answer Is Yes -- Unless You Act Today, Nonprofit Quarterly, July 24, 2018, Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits.
• All tax-exempt organizations must remain nonpartisan, The Columbian, July 15, 2018, Rhona Sen Hoss, Board Member, Washington Nonprofits. 
• Stop Congress from injecting partisan campaign politics into America's houses of worship, The Hill, July 13, 2018, Margaret Magee, President and Board Chair of the Franciscan Action Network and Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins, Director of the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness. 
• To defend against 'dark money,' keep the Johnson Amendment, The Spokesman-Review, June 23, 2018, Laura Pierce, Executive Director, Washington Nonprofits.
• How to save the Johnson Amendment and keep nonprofits nonpartisan, NYN Media, May 23, 2018, Emily Cote, Vice President of Communications and Engagement of the New York Council of Nonprofits.
• Don't politicize the work of churches, charities, Greenville News, Greenville, SC, March 20, 2018, Katy Pugh, Executive Director of the Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy.
• Taxpayers shouldn't subsidize political campaigns, Canton Daily Ledger, Canton, IL, March 19, 2018, Bill Knight, Retired WIU Journalism Professor.
• Setting the record straight on charities and political speech, The Hill, Washington, DC, March 14, 2018, Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits.
• Politics From The Pulpit? Just Say No, Civil Beat, Honolulu, HI, March 14, 2018, Lisa Maruyama, President and CEO of the Hawai`i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations.
• Don't mix politics into nonprofits, The Cardova Times, Cardova, AK, March 14, 2018, Kristin Carpenter, Executive Director of the Copper River Watershed Project.
• Keep Our Churches Purple, Sojourners, Washington, DC, March 13, 2018, Rev. Jennifer L. Hawks, Associate General Counsel at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
• Keeping Our Sacred Spaces Sacred, Ethics Daily, Nashville, TN, March 5, 2018, Lauren McDuffe, Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church of Morehead, Kentucky and Baptist Joint Committee Fellow.
• Don't politicize from the pulpit, The Community Word, Peoria, IL, March 1, 2018, Bill Knight.
• Nonprofits should educate voters, not endorse candidates, The Journal Record, Oklahoma City, OK, February 28, 2018, Marnie Taylor, President and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. 
• Trump vowed to destroy the Johnson Amendment. Thankfully, he has failed., Washington Post, Washington, DC, February 8, 2018, David Saperstein, Director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, and Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. 
• The 'purple places' where red, blue worship together, Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, December 13, 2017, Dr. Stephen Cook, Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church.
• Provision politicizing charities, churches must be stripped from tax reform bill, NorthJersey.com, Bergen, NJ, December 13, 2017, Linda M. Czipo, President and CEO of the Center for Non-Profits.
• This tax reform provision would deal a blow to nonprofits, Crain's Chicago Business, Chicago, IL, December 13, 2017, Dawn Melchiorre, Chief Program and Policy Officer of Forefront Illinois.
• Preserve charity, oppose tax bill, The Columbian, Columbia, WA, December 13, 2017, JoAnn Crabtree.
• Leave the Johnson Amendment Alone, The New York Times, New York, NY, December 10, 2017, Ellen P. Aprill, Professor of Tax Law at Loyola Law School.
• Congressman Nunes, protect nonprofits in tax reform bill, The Fresno Bee, Fresno, CA, December 10, 2017, Jan Masaoka, CEO of CalNonprofits, Bob Hand, Interim Executive Director of Resources for Independence in Fresno, and Sopac McCarthy Mulholland, President and CEO of Sequoia Riverlands Trust.
• Nonprofits should serve communities, not candidates, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, MT, December 8, 2017, Liz Moore, Executive Director of the Montana Nonprofit Association.
• Some people will anything to avoid talking politics, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, December 8, 2017, Ted Slowik.
• Pastors don't want to endorse candidates, Lexington Herald Leader, December 8, 2017, Rev. D. Anthony Everette, Pastor at the Wesley United Methodist Church.
• Republican Tax Plan Creates More Need While Limiting Non-Profit Support, Columbus Underground, December 8, 2017, Michael Corey.
• More money coming to undermine democracy, Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA, December 8, 2017, Stephen Ekholm.
• Two faiths, but one mind on keeping politics out of the pews, The Hill, Washington, DC, December 7, 2017, Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, and Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, P.h.D., Director of Interreligious Engagement at the Anti-Defamation League.
• As I See It: The threat to all nonprofits in proposed tax overhaul, Telegram, Worcester, MA December 6, 2017, Jim Klocke, CEO of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network.
• Keep Charities Charitable, U.S. News & World Report, Washington, DC, December 5, 2017, Stephen Spaulding, Opinion Contributor.
• Tax proposal targets the Johnson Amendment, Report from the Capital, Washington, DC, December 4, 2017, Jennifer Hawks, Baptist Joint Committee General Counsel.
• Congress could hardwire dark money into our democracy, The Hill, Washington DC, December 2, 2017, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Opinion Contributor.
• Retain Johnson Amendment, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, December 2, 2017, Michelle M. Girardot, CEO of Habitat for Humanity.
• The Johnson Amendment - it's worth saving, The Newnan Times-Herald, Newnan, GA, December 2, 2017, Winston Skinner, News Editor.
• House tax reform proposal politicizes nonprofits, Havre Daily News, Havre, MT, November 30, 2017, Paul Tuss, Executive Director of Pear Paw Development Corporation and Co-Chair of the Public Policy Council of the Montana Nonprofit Association.
• CT nonprofits fear GOP tax overhaul will reduce charitable giving, The CT Mirror, Hartford, CT, November 28, 2017, Ana Radelat.
• Congress's Assault on Charities, New York Times, New York, NY, November 26, 2017, Ray D. Madoff, law professor at Boston College and the director of the Boston College Law School Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good.
• Charities line up against tax bill, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, November 23, 2017, Joe Vaccarelli.
• States Warn of Budget Crunch Under Republican Tax Plan, The New York Times, New York, NY, November 22, 2017, Alan Rappeport.
• Here's 3 reasons why you should oppose the current tax reform bills, Philly Voice, Philadelphia, PA, November 22, 2017, Anne Gingerich, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
• For NJ Charities, Tax-Reform Bills Offer Little To Be Thankful For, NJSpotlight, Montclair, NJ, November 21, 2017, Linda M. Czipo, President and CEO of the Center for Non-Profits.
• GOP "war" on Johnson Amendment turns serious, Religion News Service, Washington, DC, November 19, 2017, Mark Silk.
• Why churches shouldn't endorse political candidates, Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, November 17, 2017, The Very Reverend Barkley Thompson, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, The Reverend Tommy Williams, Senior Pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, and The Reverend Doctor Steve Wells, Pastor of South Main Baptist Church.
• Johnson Amendment is worth saving, The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR, November 15, 2017, Bill Van Nostran, Pastor at First Presbyterian.
• Keep Johnson Amendment, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, November 11, 2017, Laura Pierce, Executive Director of Washington Nonprofits.
• Leave law as it is: No politics in nonprofits, church, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, AR, November 10, 2017, Stephanie Ellis, nonprofit director, and Megan J. Pike, ordained minister.
• There's a wolf in sheep's clothing hiding in the GOP tax bill, The Hill, Washington, DC, November 8, 2017, Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits and Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
• The Good (?), the Bad, and the God-awful: Nonprofit Bottom Lines on the House Tax Bill, Nonprofit Quarterly, Boston, MA, November 6, 2017, David Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy for the National Council of Nonprofits.
• Pastors, politics and parishioners: Thoughts for engaging the issues, Baptist News Global, Winston-Salem NC, October 25, 2017, Corey Fields, senior pastor of Calbary Baptist Church in Newark, DE.
• Changing Johnson Amendment would hurt religious institutions, Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, AL, September 28, 2017, Rev. Angela Wright.
• Why 4,000 church leaders want to keep politics out of the pulpit, Des Moines Register, Des Moines, IA, September 21, 2017, Rev. Alejandro Alfaro-Santiz, Co-Pastor at Trinity Las Americas United Methodist Church.
• Protect Johnson Amendment, The Herald Sun, Durham, NC, September 17, 2017, Jennifer E. Copeland, Executive Director of the N.C. Council of Churches.
• Keep it separate: Pulpit no place for partisanship, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Fayetteville and Springdale, AK, September 8, 2017, Rev. Stephen Copley, Chair of Faith Voices Arkansas and a United Methodist Pastor.
• Congress, defend the common law and common sense of nonpartisanship, The Hill, Washington, DC, September 7, 2017, Karen Gano, Board President of the National Association of State Charity Officials, and Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits.
• Destroying the Johnson Amendment Helps Special Interests, Not Churches, Huffington Post, New York City, NY, September 7, 2017, Rev. Timothy McDonald III, Senior Pastor of First Iconium Baptist Church and Co-Chair of People for American Way's African American Ministers in Action.
• Johnson Amendment: National Association of State Charity Officials Weighs In, Nonprofit Law Blog, San Francisco, CA, August 24, 2017.
• Protect the Johnson Amendment, Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, August 23, 2017, Scott Moore, Director of the Center for Missional Excellence at the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and a Conroe Independent School District Trustee.
• Oklahoma minister: Should congregations endorse political candidates?, NewsOK, Oklahoma City, OK, August 18, 2017, Bruce Prescott, retired Christian minister.
• A repeal of the Johnson Amendment would saldy bring politics into houses of worship, Dallas News, Dallas, TX, August 15, 2017, Rev. George Mason, Senior Pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church, and Rabii David Stern, Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El.
• Houses of worship shouldn't get into political game, The Norman Transcript, Norman, OK, August 14, 2017, Dr. Bruce Prescott.
• Keep the churches out of politics, TulsaWorld, Tulsa, OK, August 13, 2017, W.B. Moorer.
• Why Congress shouldn't repeal or weaken the Johnson Amendment, MinnPost, Minneapolis, MN, August 2, 2017, Kristi Rendahl, D.P.A, soon to be assistant professor and director of the Nonprofit Leadership Program at Minnesota State University.
• Johnson Amendment is Crucial to the Integrity of Our Churches, The Laconia Daily Sun, Lanconia, NH, July 25, 2017, Edward Engler.
• These adorable puppies need your help to keep the nonprofit sector nonpartisan, Nonprofit = Awesomely Fun!, Seattle, WA, July 24, 2017, Vu Le, Executive Director of Rainier Valley Corps.
• Measure easing regulation on pulpit politics is unpopular, Raleigh News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, July 22, 2017, providing a collection of five letters to the editor.
• Politicizing churches and nonprofits would harm NC communities, Raleigh News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, July 21, 2017, David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy & Advocacy, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.
• Jesus Calls Us to Be Political, Not Partisan - Keep the Johnson Amendment, Red Letter Christians, St. Davids, PA, July 14, 2017, Jeania Ree Moore, Director of Civil and Human Rights at the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, and Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
• Charitable nonprofits, Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT, July 11, 2017, Kate Rubalcava, CEO of the Utah Nonprofits Association.
• Let me tell you whom to vote for, Index-Journal, Greenwood, SC, July 8, 2017, Tony Hopkins, Senior Pastor of Greenwood First Baptist Church.
• Don't Tread on Us: Keep Toxic Partisanship Away from Nonprofit Missions, Nonprofit Quarterly, Boston, MA, July 7, 2017, Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits.
• Keep nonprofits nonpartisan, The Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck, ND, May 28, 2017, Dana Schaar Jahner, Executive Director of the North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and Kevin Dvorak, President and CEO of the North Dakota Community Foundation.
• Nonprofits should be free of partisan politics, Concord Monitor, Concord, NH, May 21, 2017, Kathleen Reardon, CEO of the N.H. Center for Nonprofits.
• How those who claim to protect the church are actually undermining it, Baptist News Global, Winston-Salem NC, May 10, 2017, Corey Fields, senior pastor of Calbary Baptist Church in Newark, DE.
• Keep non-profits out of partisan politics, AZCentral, Phoenix, AZ, May 7, 2017, Laurie Liles, President and CEO of Arizona Grantmakers Forum, and Kristen Merrifield, CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits.
• Keep Nonprofits Nonpartisan, New York Nonprofit Media, New York, NY, May 3, 2017, Sharon Stapel, President of the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York.
• A Message to Congress - Keep Charities and Foundations Nonpartisan, NJSpotlight, Montclair, NJ, April 19, 2017, Linda M. Czipo, President and CEO of the Center for Non-Profits, and Nina Stack, President of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.
• Politicians Should Look Elsewhere for Endorsements and Campaign Contributions, Kentucky Nonprofit Network, Lexington, KY, March 29, 2017.
• Take Action Today to Protect the Nonprofit, Religious, and Foundation Communities!, Nonprofit Law Blog, San Francisco, CA, March 27, 2017.
• Keep partisan politics out of the nonprofit sector, The Hill, Washington, DC, March 22, 2017, Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, and Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of the Council on Foundations.
• Let’s keep nonprofit sector neutral, The Journal Record, Oklahoma City, OK, March 1, 2017, Marnie Taylor, President and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.
• Keep clean lines between charity, politics, The Missoulian, Missoula, MT, March 1, 2017, Liz Moore, Executive Director of the Montana Nonprofit Association.
• Pros, cons of Johnson Amendment, Catholic Courier, Rochester, NY, February 27, 2017, John Garvey, President of The Catholic University of America in Washington.
• Keep politics far away from the pulpit, Amarillo Globe-News, Amarillo, TX, February 25, 2017, Jon Mark Beilue, AGN Media Columnist.
• Repealing the Johnson Amendment could lead to reduced donations to churches and charities, The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, February 24, 2017, Richard M. Clerkin, PhD, Executive Director of the Institute for Nonprofits at N.C. State University.
• Religion as a cover for dark money, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, February 21, 2017, Davis Merritt, Wichita journalist and author.
• A Rabbi Defends the Johnson Amendment, The Atlantic, Washington, DC, February 19, 2017, Rabbi David Wolpe, Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sanai Temple
• Community of Faith: On religious liberty and the Johnson Amendment, Missoulian, Missoula, MT, February 18, 2017, Rev. Jean Larson, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
• Don't Weaken the Existing Ban on Electioneering by 501(c)(3) Organizations, The Dodge Blog, Morristown, NJ February 16, 2017, Linda Czipo, President and CEO, Center for Non-Profits.
• Why we need the Johnson Amendment, Idaho Standard Journal, Rexburg, ID, February 13, 2017, Mathew Whoolery, instructor at Brigham Young University–Idaho.
• Keep Dark Money Out of Charity, U.S. News & World Report, Washington, DC, February 10, 2017, Roger Colinvaux, professor of law at The Catholic University of America and former counsel to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.
• Politicize our charities and churches? No, thanks, Religion News Service, Washington, DC, February 9, 2017.
• How Abolishing the Johnson Amendment Would Harm Religious Liberty, ReligiousLiberty.TV, February 9, 2017, Greg Hamilton, President, Northwest Religious Liberty Association.
• Politicize our charities and churches? No, thanks, Religion News Service, Washington, DC, February 9, 2017, Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
• Johnson Amendment repeal would ‘destroy’ church unity, The Baptist Standard, Plano, TX, February 8, 2017, Marv Knox, editor.
• Be careful what you wish for: Repeal of the Johnson Amendment could defile the pulpit with unholy politics, Washington Times, Washington, DC, February 6, 2017, Carl Thomas.
• Trump wants to force you — the taxpayer — to pay for campaigning from the pulpit, Washington Post, Washington, DC, February 3, 2017, Ellen April, professor of tax law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
• Don't listen to the complainers on the religious right. We need the Johnson Amendment, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, February 2, 2017, Randall Balmer, chairman of the religion department at Dartmouth College.
• How Trump Would Corrupt the Pulpit, The New York Times, New York City, NY, February 2, 2017, Steven Waldman.
• Religious law may be coming to America. But it’s not sharia; it’s Christian, Washington Post, Washington, DC, February 2, 2017, Catherine Rampell.
• You Can’t Have Your Cake …, Liberty, A Magazine of Religious Freedom, 2017, Jason Hines, Associate Editor for ReligiousLiberty.TV.
• Churches Have No Business Speaking in Favor of Political Candidates, Liberty, A Magazine of Religious Freedom, Silver Spring, MD, 2017, Charles Kester, attorney who went to Liberty University.
• Politics and Charities: Do Not Mix, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Washington, DC, November 2, 2016, Roger Colinvaux, professor of law at Catholic University of America.