The headline read: “Pastors’ rights to preach politics in church could expand”. Wait till you see what our mayor said.

To give you a little background, a recent Texas court case would change how religion interacts with politics. The law being challenged was known as the Johnson Amendment.

Until now, nonprofits — including churches — have been forbidden to “participate in or intervene in … any political campaign on behalf of … any candidate for public office.” To do so was to risk losing the tax-exempt status that nonprofits have.

In 2024, in this lawsuit — several religious groups demanded to be able to endorse political candidates from the pulpit during religious services.

They wanted to support political candidates without being in danger of losing their tax-exempt status.

The ruling in favor of the religious groups is quite a surprise. Opponents see it as being against the separation of church and state. Supporters see it as restoring free speech rights.

Regarding this change, Nate Schatzline, a longtime pastor at Mercy Culture Church in Fort Worth, Texas, was excited — he said, “The government can’t stop the church from getting civically engaged.” A story in the Gazette talks with local pastors to find out what they think.

The Rev. Steve Holt, senior pastor of The Road Church in Colorado Springs, supports the idea, and said he’s happy it’s making progress. The Rev. Lee Ann Bryce, lead minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ, rejects relaxing the IRS tax rules for churches.

Pretty typical of supporters and opponents. But our mayor, also a pastor, weighed in with a statement on his social media page (including a link to the article) Mayor Yemi Mobolade’s that says, “As both a pastor and now as a mayor, I have seen firsthand the importance of keeping the pulpit free from political endorsements”. This recent change in IRS tax code, allowing churches to publicly endorse political candidates, is deeply concerning.

History, both American and church history, offers sobering examples of the harm done when faith institutions are entangled with partisan politics. Faith can and should inspire how we lead, shaping our values, our compassion, and our courage. … But political campaigning belongs outside the sanctuary.

When the church remains a place of unity, free from partisan divides, it can better fulfill its true calling: to be a light in a divided world.

As a Black woman, it’s hard for me to see the church intersect with politics without thinking about the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, in the book, “The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song” author Henry Louis Gates Jr. tells the reader,

“Without the role of the Black Church, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, with King by his side at both, and future congressman John Lewis himself an ordained Baptist minister, present in 1965 – would never have been enacted when they were. There is no question that the Black Church is a parent of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Freedom meetings, direct action meetings and voter registration drives were all held in Black churches. Political activity was centered in and emanated from the Black church.

This mode of approaching politics from the church became the norm for emerging movements all over our country. In more recent times, Colorado political activity centered in all kinds of churches has certainly included endorsing political candidates. Pastors are on endorsement pages of Democrat and Republican candidates all over the state.

Churches across our state host visits with largely Democrat leaders, giving legislative updates to left-leaning or Democrat filled congregations. Which is definitely a campaign activity.

However, if what our mayor says is true, then almost every left-learning and/or Black Church in Colorado has been in violation of encouraging partisan divides.

Now, if we truly believe this statement by Mobolade is unbiased, we must say those left-leaning and Democrat filled churches are unable “to be a light in a divided world.”

I refuse to do that. I also refuse to join whatever kind of game that this is.

Rachel Stovall is an event manager, entertainer and community advocate.