In the United States, churches and religious organizations are supposed to be above politics. In fact, churches can risk losing their tax-exempt status if they promote individual political candidates.
The Denver Post has published an in-depth examination of how Colorado houses of worship are handling the challenge in this, the most contentious presidential race in decades.
A recent Pew Research study found that the tax law doesn’t prevent many churches from wading into the fray. The study found that64 percent of recent churchgoers have heard a clergy member speak out on at least one political issue.
But Rev. Brady Boyd, senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, doesn’t think it’s the church’s place to get involved. “I think when we get down into the mud of politics, it doesn’t help our church,” he said.
Denver’s Rabbi Joseph Black agrees. “I don’t see my role as that of convincing someone how they should vote,” Black said. “I see my role as creating a community that can work together.