Politicking by Churches Raises Increased Concerns

As increasing number of religious congregations are venturing into partisan politics and possibly getting involved in illegal activities, scholars and tax experts tell The Wall Street Journal.

“There have never been more audits than in the last three or four years” involving churches, said Marcus Owens, a Washington lawyer who represents some congregations and is a former director of the IRS’s exempt-organizations division.

The Journal examines several ministers’ comments about Barack Obama, noting that the United Church of Christ, which oversees the church he attends, is under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. The church has previously denied wrongdoing.

The IRS won’t say exactly how many congregations it is currently investigating, but the agency reported last year that it was reviewing complaints involving 44 churches and 56 other nonprofit groups related to the 2006 election cycle. It also acknowledged that it had found 26 cases of improper political activity.