"Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act" Sends Messages that a Pastor's Role is to Be Political: Is this Good for Christ's Church?

Time Magazine recently ran an article that talked about the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. I read it excitedly, because I wanted to see who made the list, since I'm an evangelical. I was confounded by it. The thing about this list is that a large number of the people on this list are people I've never heard of, but are people up high in the political machinery. Speechwriters. Financiers. Lobbyists. I hadn't heard of any of them. The other number were Pastors and Speakers and Theologians, like TD Jakes, Bill Hybels and J.I. Packer. I'd heard of all of those.

This is troubling for a number of reasons. First of all, it sends the message that Evangelical Christianity is linked in some ways arm-in-arm with politics, especially Right Wing Conservative Politics. This is a dangerous message, mainly because there are hordes of people, like me, who don't buy into that. But the fact that Time chose the representatives that way shows that they believe that Evangelical Christianity is innately political.

This is even more distrubing, especially considering a new act introduced into Congress called HR215, otherwise known as the "Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act."

The current law allows any religious leader here in America the freedom to preach any message that he/she desires with one exception. If he/she expresses an opinion, or makes a statement that is considered to "influence legislation" or "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office," they risk the tax exempt status. This law, if passed, will repeal that.

This will allow religious leaders to make overt forays into politics from the pulpit without penalty. I'm not sure what this will do, but it sure does sound bad. It sounds as though some religious leaders consider pushing specific legislation an important function of the local church.

I'm pretty sure the point of the local church is not to preach about laws that need to be introduced to Congress. Isn't it to talk about the unique and powerful message about who God is, who Christ is, about sin and restoration and salvation? I mean, isn't it?

If the local church loses its perspective on this issue - which in some ways it appears like it is doing because somebody is pushing for this law - then won't we have a really, really, really big problem?

What do you think?