O.C. Church, 7 Others Listed in Complaint to IRS
A Santa Ana church is among eight accused by Americans United for Separation of Church and State of intervening in partisan politics by distributing Christian Coalition voter guides two days before last month’s election.
In a complaint to the Internal Revenue Service, the group charges that the churches violated federal tax law prohibiting nonprofit organizations from distributing partisan campaign material. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, said a Christian Coalition fund-raising letter is “the smoking gun linking the guides to an orchestrated, illegal, pro-Republican campaign effort.”
In addition to Calvary Chapel in Santa Ana, churches named in the complaint are: Bayside Christian Fellowship in Green Bay, Wis.; Crossroads Cathedral in Oklahoma City; First Assembly of God in Worcester, Mass.; Lighthouse Baptist Church in St. Maries, Idaho; MetroChurch in Edmond, Okla.; Sonrise Church in Hillsboro, Ore.; and Wheaton Evangelical Church in Wheaton, Ill.
“The way we see it, [the guides are] not partisan,” said Dave Rolphe, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel, a church with 20,000 members. The guide, he said, tells voters about candidates’ positions on issues of concern to Christians, such as school vouchers, so they can make informed choices. “We’re not here to influence the way someone votes.”
He said he hasn’t seen the Christian Coalition fund-raising letter.
“I try to stay off everybody’s junk mail list,” he said. “We’re not affiliated with the Christian Coalition. They’re just another group among many.”
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