… or you might get slapped.
Now, I’ve heard of of parishioners and ministers disagreeing. But to resort to threats of violence? That’s a whole new ball game.
Just to be clear, Mr. Youngblood didn’t actually slap anyone. He said this:
In his Oct. 7 sermon, the audio of which was posted online, Youngblood speaks of the woman who complained, saying he’d “like to slap her” and that her husband should rise up and “correct her.”
“What makes me madder is that this person’s husband won’t correct them,” he said. “I don’t like rebellious women. I don’t like rebellious men, either. They’re even worse.”
Dissension began because:
A woman who attended the City Church service on Sept. 30 told a pastor she believed it was illegal for a church to display material that promotes specific political action. That pastor told her it wasn’t illegal, and in an Oct. 7 sermon another pastor, Steve Youngblood, castigated her for raising objections about the pamphlets that back the removal of Justice David Wiggins.
“Don’t call yourself a Christian and do that,” Youngblood said in the sermon. “We need to draw a line in the sand. We need to begin to say that at City Church this is how we’re going to be.”
Under a 1954 federal law, it is illegal for tax-exempt organizations, including churches, to promote political candidates or ballot issues. Those who violate the law can lose their tax exempt status, which allows tax deductions on money given to a church and allows a church to avoid paying property taxes.
Ah. A church/state/tax exemption situation. Those can be sticky. This is where the issue is today:
“I’m just saying in this particular church we’re going to make a stand for what’s right and against what’s wrong and we’re not going to be bullied by an individual or by a government,” he said.
After contacting the Vote Yes To Retain Iowa Supreme Court Justices group, the woman who objected to the pamphlets was referred to the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, a nonprofit group that defends religious freedom and supports the right to same-sex marriage. Though she initially said she would be willing to be interviewed, she changed her mind when contacted by the AP on Friday. She said the stress from the situation has caused her health issues and she didn’t want to talk further.
“The woman who blew the whistle on all this feels unable to talk to the press because that sermon was so intimidating and humiliating,” said the Rev. Jane Willan, minister at Zion United Church of Christ in Burlington, who has talked with the woman and her husband.
Willan filed a complaint with the IRS on Oct. 10 alleging the church is involved in a political campaign.
It would be wonderful for the IRS to take a stand in at least one of these cases because as it is, it appears to be a toothless paper tiger when it comes to monitoring tax exempt organizations.
