Many religious leaders think it’s unwise for clergy to use the pulpit for candidate endorsements or other partisan politicking.
Pastor Eric Williams, North Congregational United Church of Christ
Columbus, Ohio
I invite you to join me and many other partners in faith to stand firm against this latest attempt by ADF to cross the line and jeopardize the unique role and moral authority that leaders and communities of faith have exercised throughout the history of our nation…. I invite you to preach on September 21 about the freedoms that the laws and the Constitution of our nation provide to all leaders and communities of faith…. I will not use the pulpit of my congregation to serve the interests of any candidate or political organization. Instead, I will stand firm in faith for religious freedom. Please join me.
(Aug. 7, 2008 Letter to Clergy – Pastor Williams has urged clergy to speak in favor of church-state separation from their pulpits on Sept. 21. He is also asking the Internal Revenue Service to take action against the Alliance Defense Fund for recruiting clergy to defy federal tax law barring church partisanship. Tax law experts working with Williams have also asked the IRS to take action against ADF attorneys for violating IRS ethics rules.)
Pastor Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
Lake Forest, Calif.
Well, I don't think it's right for pastors to endorse [candidates] in the first place. I would never endorse a candidate. I would never campaign for a candidate…. I think as a pastor, my role is to pastor all the flock regardless of their political persuasion.
(CNN interview, July 25, 2008)
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, Director of Media Relations
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Church involvement in partisan politics is a bad idea…. A religious house should be a refuge, where one can step away from political madness in search of peace. Church leaders need to help people develop their consciences so they can make good decisions. They need to encourage public servants to be men and women of moral courage. They need to urge citizens to make wise decisions. They can’t do any of that if they turn half of them off…. When a church leader aligns himself with partisan politics, he becomes one more rancorous voice in the crowd instead of a voice of wisdom above it. Instead of being a prophetic voice that focuses people on the moral dimension of political issues, the leader makes the church seem just one of many ranters in the public square. Politics by its very nature is an institution of compromise; the church by its nature holds to that fact there are certain absolutes. There is, and must always be, a natural divide between them.
(Guest Commentary, Aug. 12, 2008, Religion News Service)
Pastor Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church
Houston, Texas
I really don't [plan to support any of the presidential candidates]. I like to keep that to myself. Part of it is how I was raised. My father…kept it out of the pulpit. I think that part of our goal is to reach as many people as we can. Our reach is very broad. Even in the church we are very diverse. There are Republicans, Democrats, independents —everything … I don't want somebody saying, “He's for this party or that party, and that turns me off.”... I don't mind being associated with [presidential candidates]. It's not the association. It's that I don't endorse one.
(Newsweek Web Exclusive interview, Jan. 25, 2008)
Bishop T. D. Jakes, The Potter’s House
Houston, Texas
I have NEVER told my church who to vote for. I am the proud Pastor of both Democrats and Republicans. As such, I hope to meet with all of the candidates and question them first-hand about many of their stances on moral issues, as well as these leadership issues I have mentioned above. I will make my decision and vote accordingly. My vote has been a private matter and I intend to keep it that way. This is not a good climate even for Pastors who do endorse candidates, as the waters between religion and politics have grown quite toxic.
(Bishop’s Blog, June 7, 2008)
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