Church and state in deeply religious Oklahoma have long been interconnected.
The Legislature starts each day of session with a Christian prayer and a devotional. Lawmakers often reference the Bible while debating bills. On April 18, three days before Easter, the House adopted a resolution declaring “Christ is King.”
Among the congregations to face criticism for toeing the line between politics and pastoring are Sheridan Church in Tulsa, led by unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate and Pastors for Trump founder Jackson Lahmeyer. The congregation has hosted some of the biggest names in right-wing political circles, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Eric Trump.
“If I had a dollar for every time my church was reported to the IRS, I would be a very wealthy man,” Lahmeyer told Oklahoma Watch reporter J.C. Hallman in March.
In 2023, NonDoc reported on potential violations of the IRS code at the Liberty Baptist Church in Edmond, where church officials encouraged congregants to support former Edmond mayoral candidate Brian Shellem.
The lines could get even more blurred, thanks to a partial rollback of the Johnson Amendment.
Last Monday, July 7, the IRS stated in a court filing that churches and other houses of worship may endorse political candidates to their congregants without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. The decision stemmed from a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and the National Religious Broadcasters Association.
The IRS stopped short of allowing all nonprofits to endorse candidates to their members, as requested by the plaintiffs, instead agreeing to stop investigating violations of the rarely enforced rule. In the court filing, the agency compared church endorsements to a “family discussion concerning candidates.”
Law professors told The New York Times the ruling could prompt candidates and parties to start recruiting churches during campaigns. Questions are also likely to arise over the scope of the ruling. For instance, could churches violate the law if they post an endorsement on Facebook?
“It’s not going to be limited to just their membership,” Ellen Aprill, a professor emeritus at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, told the outlet. “Even Las Vegas doesn’t stay in Las Vegas these days. Everybody has a web page.”
Have thoughts or questions on this issue, or an unrelated story idea you want Oklahoma Watch to pursue? Let me know at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.
— Keaton Ross
Recommended Reading
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- Oklahoma State Park Restaurants Set to Close Again: Just two years after reopening under private management, restaurants in six state parks are shutting down. Critics say the closures reflect a broader pattern of underinvestment in public recreation. [KOSU]
- Keith Stitt Asks Supreme Court to Review Tribal Jurisdiction Ruling: Keith Stitt, the brother of Gov. Kevin Stitt, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Oklahoma can prosecute Native Americans for crimes committed on tribal land. The case challenges a state court ruling that upheld state jurisdiction despite the McGirt decision. [NonDoc]
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