Did Harrisburg church intervene In mayoral election? AU says IRS should investigate

A church’s intervention in the Harrisburg, Pa., mayoral election should be investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

WITF, a radio station in Harrisburg, on Friday Oct. 30 aired an audio clip of a service that took place at Bethel Village AME Church.

During the service, Pastor Martin D. Odom introduced Democratic candidate Linda Thompson to the congregation, remarking, “She is a person who knows the ins and outs of city government. Won’t you put your hands together and give God some praise for our city council president and the next mayor of the city of Harrisburg, the Honorable Linda Thompson?”

Thompson, according to the WITF report, delivered a 10-minute speech from the pulpit during which she responded to questions about her financial affairs that had become an issue in the election.

After the service, the WITF correspondent asked Thompson about Odom’s comments, asserting that it sounded like an endorsement of her candidacy. Thompson replied, “There’s the written word and there’s the prophetic word. And as a minister, he was prophesizing. And for that, you and I have no control over it.”

The Internal Revenue Code prohibits houses of worship and other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office. AU says the church’s hosting of a campaign speech by one candidate and Odom’s endorsement appear to violate federal tax law.

“This was a clear attempt by a church to promote a candidate,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Hailing a candidate as ‘the next mayor’ is fine rhetoric for a political rally, but it has no place emanating from a pulpit.”

In its letter to the IRS, Americans United requested an investigation.

“This event appears to be a clear breach of federal tax law,” wrote Lynn. “The church offered one candidate an opportunity to deliver a campaign address to the congregation, and the top official of the church praised her knowledge of the ‘ins and outs of our city government’ and introduced her as ‘the next mayor of the city of Harrisburg.’”

Americans United’s Project Fair Play seeks to educate religious leaders and laypeople about the provisions in federal law that bar churches (and other non-profits) from intervening in elections. In cases of flagrant violations of the law, Americans United reports the activity to the IRS.

AU has filed 98 such reports (including this one) since 1996.

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.