I’ll get right to it. Accepting tax breaks from the government makes an institution regulated by the state, including your church. A church regulated by the state is by definition a state church. Real Christian churches should not be regulated by the state.
The average laity may not realize it, but in the average American church the message that’s preached has regulations. Specifically, they can and do lose their tax exempt status if they say anything good or bad about a political candidate. They can actually lose it for saying anything good or bad about almost anything at all actually.
That’s not all – it never is. Perhaps more devastating than this, is the fact that because of some of the more ambiguous rules a large majority of those same churches that have their sermons regulated also no longer manage accounting for their own sent missionaries (a practice that is anemic these days, unless we include the ultra-short, ultra-expensive, ultra-convenient, great-adventure-sight-seeing-vacation sort). Again, for fear of losing their tax exempt status they delegate this to other government regulated institutions called “para-church” agencies or “sending” organizations. And of course more regulation.
Like a gift that keeps on giving there’s still more. Those donors who are trusting their “tithe” to regulated pastors (or whatever your church calls them) who are now only able to use that tithe on regulated causes. Those donors are also regulated! They need to report it all to the IRS to get “their” tax deduction.
You’ve got that right, not only does the IRS (remember Lois Lerner?) know exactly who you donate to, but they choose who you are allowed to donate to!
Now, the solution to this problem is easy. Stop taking advantage of tax-exempt status & the tax deductions that go with it.
I wonder how many of these state churches would do things differently if they were not regulated? I wonder how long before not permitting same-sex marriage will result in loss of tax-exempt status? I really wonder why real churches ever accepted this intrusion in the first place!?!
OK, I don’t really wonder about any of those things. Working backwards, they did it in the first place, because of money. The government will intrude further as soon as at it can get away with it, which will depend heavily on the 2016 elections. Finally, I honestly don’t believe Christians would have surrendered marriage & traditional families had they not been so reliant on the government. The church/state partnership has existed for as long as The Church has existed and in all of those years it has NEVER gone well for true-believers. It has consistently split allegiances and attracted the power hungry rather than the power-filled.
Of course we may never know what would happen if the churches of America trusted God more than government. The consequences of that decision are so vast it’s impossible to even guess. I’ve personally had that decision affect me and my family in at least a dozen different ways. The regulation is so complicated and interpreted in so many different ways that large portions of elders meetings, mission committee meetings, and planning meetings are dedicated to how best to appease the almighty tax-exempt status. Dissenting elders try to play the tax-exempt trump card almost as often as they proof-text their pet decision. How many layers can come between these groups and the Holy Spirit before the Holy Spirit becomes entirely irrelevant?
The fact is, there are plenty of barriers between an individual and hearing God. Every desire acts against our own discernment. This problem only gets exacerbated when we combine a bunch of individuals. Mix in money and Uncle Sam and it’s virtually impossible for those things to do anything but fail, and fail miserably.
I am hopeful that: “Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues” – (Revelation 18:4) does not mean every American church, but it’s hard to be sure. As hard as it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, as impossible as it is to serve two masters, so it is for a human institution to represent Christ’s body. If that’s true, then what church could ever be good?
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27
More Spirit & Truth believers is what our Father wants, not more “temples” of concrete, but if we must have a concrete temple, we should not willingly subject it to IRS regulations for a few pieces of silver. Please, let us know if you attend one of the few churches in the nation that reject government regulation. One of the few American “underground” churches. I’ve heard about a few and I’d really like to know how yours is doing and what difference the liberty makes in the comments below.
It’s not only tax exemptions that influence the mainstream American style church but also, sadly, wealthy members whose “tithe” gives them a great deal of “voice” much greater than their less financially well off brethren. I personally know of two occasions in the past when members used their tithe to strong arm ‘er I mean “influence” the church into making decisions that they favored.
It’s just another reason along with with what you’ve shared about John 4: 21-24 that has led me to seek my own personal walk and relationship with Christ. I will never again be a member of a church.
Thank you Trace for your thoughts. I have personally witnessed both sides of that. For instance, a godly man with financial influence who resisted an attempt to overthrow the mission of his congregation. He could not beat the gang that formed, even though he was the most wealthy (by far) man in the church. His character was assassinated, and within less than a year the “church” was scuttled by a group of “less wealthy” folks that rose to power by disparaging the wealthy as “scoffers” and control freaks. The true control freaks were the gang that coveted other people’s blessings and attempted to “reorganize” the talents in a way that suited them (Les wrote about similar “witchcraft”).
In hindsight, and even to some degree foresight, it became readily apparent that the pastor and several other Ahab types had come under the influence of several seductive Jezebels. About 6 months before the complete collapse of the congregation we left. We had come to realize that in the midst of all of the complaining about “being tired” from “leaders” that were doing barely more than showing up, but refused to give up their power, that they would never give up their power until they had thoroughly scuttled the congregation (hence this article). The church closed with monthly operating expenses of < $1000, and more than $8000 in the bank. Weekly attendance when I left was usually close to 50. It was a needy congregation, not a lucrative one, which was what the gang members were trying to change. Now the key players in its demise have "donated" the previous congregation's equipment to a new church plant and conveniently secured "positions" for themselves in the process. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what I learned through all of that. Ironically, it seems to me that the "rich guy" might have been so concerned about being perceived as "that guy" that he went the other way and deferred too much to others rendering himself impotent in the process. I still admire that guy, because he rejected the temptation to be "that guy", but in reality it's not enough to use money for influence to be evil. It requires actual support from the principalities and powers of this present darkness. Those principalities can not have their way with strong believers, but only those with deep and exploitable weaknesses. This is why Jesus said that good trees cannot bear bad fruit. No matter how you do your calculations or discern the motivations, shutting down an established congregation, with that much money in the bank, only to take the resources to a different place and "start over" at "church planting" is pretty rotten fruit. The congregants that were abandoned are every bit as scattered (John 17:12) and hurt as those that have to watch a leader fall into blatant immorality. In fact, what's the difference at all? Rotten fruit can be tough to spot, but a self-destructed congregation is a good sign. I hope to complete an article I'm writing about Jezebel and Ahab. That theme has come up so often that I really want to contribute my own agreement with many others warning about the dangers of spiritual weaklings and the witches that control them.
Don’t begrudge a rich man, any more than a poor man, but begrudge those that allow themselves to be flattered and manipulated into scuttling congregations, and perhaps even those guilted into avoiding responsibility for their contributions by Jezebel. There’s a common theme with these people. They claim to want to “disciple” others, and even pretend to have been “discipled” themselves, but those they call their “heroes”, “teachers”, and “role-models” are merely the vulnerable “Ahabs” they’ve targeted. Those that love the Jezebel’s flattery, and from whom the Jezebels leach influence. They do “Ahab” abounding favors, and will really stop at nothing. The “Ahabs” love it, and if empowered to do so, will even employ these people with the congregation’s money, to serve them. They’ve never known true discipleship because they reject anyone that rebukes them in any form, but they do seek disciples… Which in their mind are simply those that they can get to do things for them, repaying them for their position in their corrupt pyramid scheme.
As though I haven’t said enough about it, there’s a great message on Jezebel and Ahab here.
Thank you for further commenting on this topic, especially the alternate situation of the godly man of influence.
It’s very easy to get myopic but that’s the importance of Christians sharing life experiences with each other.
Rereading my comment I think came on harsher than I meant to and ended on a rather sour note.
Appreciate the suggestions, the messages here are like water wells in the desert. keep’em coming.
Take care, Stay Strong.
You do know that the odds that you’d find any Christian leaders willing to even imagine themselves ever surrendering their tax-exempt status are about the same as winning the billion dollar power-ball don’t you? Many believers have gotten used to “hedging their bets” with a nice tax deduction. Are you trying to make the world hate you?
Hi Les,
Awesome! You made his point for him.