In his testimony last week before the Religious Liberty Commission, Dallas pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress recalled how First Baptist Church was investigated by the IRS in 2021. That investigation, which dragged on for 14 months, found no wrongdoing but cost the church thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend itself.
“It was on May 6, 2021,” Jeffress testified, “that the IRS informed our church that they were initiating an inquiry into the tax-exempt status of our church because of our patriotic service.”
That annual Sunday service, called the “Celebrate Freedom Sunday,” included speeches from then-Vice President Pence as well as Housing Secretary Ben Carson.
In his testimony, Jeffress told the White House panel it’s “none of the government’s business” to regulate the content of church sermons.
“What I preach from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas — or any pastor preaches from his church — is none of big government's business,” he added.
That comment appeared to be a reference to the Johnson Amendment, the federal law that prohibits endorsing political candidates in a church setting.
First Baptist was investigated by the IRS after an atheist group, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, fired off a letter to the federal agency alleging Jeffress violated the Johnson Amendment by endorsing Pence for president in 2024. Jeffress prefaced his support for Pence by joking he probably shouldn't say it.
Citing a YouTube video of the Sunday service, FFRF said Jeffress addressed Pence from the pulpit where he said, to loud applause, the congregation and millions of Americans want him to “move down the hall a few doors” when President Trump’s second term ends, which would have been in 2024.
In his testimony, Jeffress said the church "carefully followed all the IRS regulations" and "did not make any endorsement” at the patriotic service.
Jeffress also pointed out to the commission that then-President Biden appeared at a church in Philadelphia, where the pastor endorsed Biden, before Election Day in 2020. That event, at Sharon Baptist Church, even included a campaign banner on stage, Jeffress recalled.
Many urban black churches and their pastors have traditionally been a dependable source of support for Democrat politicians, both locally and nationally, when Election Day nears.
During the 2024 president election, AFN reported how black pastors were caught using talking points from the Kamala Harris campaign to brag about her campaign fundraising.
