Written by Don Byrd

At last check, nearly 4,000 religious leaders – from denominational leaders to lay leaders – have signed the letter to Congress at faith-voices.org demanding that the so-called Johnson Amendment remain in place. That law prohibits tax-exempt organizations including houses of worship from officially endorsing candidates for office or otherwise engaging in campaign activities for or against a candidate.

It’s time to make your voice heard before the petition is closed. Sign now!

If you teach Sunday School, lead a children’s group, are a deacon, serve in an denominational agency, or are any other brand of leader in your house of worship, add your name to the list of religious leaders who are saying no to the idea of turning our houses of worship into political entities exploited by campaigns and parties.

Let Congress know that you believe the current law has served well both the church and the state.

So far nearly 900 Baptist leaders have signed, and from every state except Wyoming, North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Nevada. So if you are a Baptist, sign the letter – let’s get above 1,000 Baptist signatures before this letter goes to Congress! And if you know Baptists from one of those states, first sign the letter yourself and then send this post to them. Let’s have a Baptist signer from every state in America, speaking clearly that “we must not allow our sacred spaces to be transformed into spaces used to endorse or oppose political candidates.”

For more on why the current law should not be repealed or weakened, see the Baptist Joint Committee’s resource page, “Community Not Candidates.”