Matt Staver Warns Pastors, Silence is Not an Option
Matt's DVD begins with the message we need to "restore the rule of law." This will happen when true patriot pastors take up anew what the founding pastors of the nation did. That is engage directly in political activity. The lawyer defines churches as different from other nonprofits which means they do not fit the profile of legal opinion we have always believed. The 1992 Pierce Creek Church is a splendid example according to Matt. This church did not actually lose its tax exemption. In legal vernacular, Staver gave his interpretation of this law. He says each day is a new day and the church can cease from doing unlawful things and be innocent on the next day. In lawyer speak this means if I break the law today, tomorrow is a new beginning and I am free from consequences. Matt delivers the old well worn reminders about what pastors can do. Legal sources have spoken the same advice for decades regarding what he reveals as his new insights. He says you can pass out voter guides and pastors have a personal right to engage in political activity. Nothing new in this assessment. Next Matt breaks out some new legal advice. He says a pastor can use his church stationary, take out an ad in a local paper listing his position as pastor of said church and endorse a candidate. Matt even advises pastors can announce from the pulpit who he is going to vote for and this is just fine as far as the IRS code is concerned. Other sources are not so accommodating to this legal view held by Matt. Matt claims you can invite a candidate to preach at your church and this is acceptable. The only drawback is that the "preacher" cannot tell folks to vote for him. Matt leaves out the legal advice that if one candidate is invited then the other side must be given the same opportunity. If all this sounds shady and skirting the law, at least it is not as bad as Matt's friends who claim we need to not pay attention to these IRS laws anyway. The lawyer warns pastors that the ACLU and American United for Separation of Church and State are trying to intimidate and silence pastors. He ends with the question, "Why are we intimidated?" The Liberty professor wants local churches to try these things out. If they are taken to court Liberty Counsel will be glad to represent the congregation. Liberty Counsel brags that it works for free. But you can bet that the publicity of defending a church in court will bring donations to Matt's school. Matt appears to be competing with Jay Sekulow for who is the most famous legal network for the Religious Right to solicit.
Matt Staver Warns Pastors, Silence is Not an Option | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
Matt Staver Warns Pastors, Silence is Not an Option | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
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