Dissertation
God’s Chosen Candidate? The Pulpit Freedom Sunday Initiative as A Christian Right Social Movement and Its Impact on Religion and American Politics
Dissertation Committee: Jean Schroedel (Chair), Jon Shields, Mark Blitz, Michael Uhlmann (deceased)
Dissertation Committee: Jean Schroedel (Chair), Jon Shields, Mark Blitz, Michael Uhlmann (deceased)
I am currently working on my dissertation which examines the controversy over a provision in the U.S. tax code known as the Johnson Amendment. The Amendment prohibits nonprofit organizations from, “participat[ing] in, or interven[ing] in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” Violation of the provision includes the loss of tax-exempt status.
According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal organization, the Amendment inhibits the First Amendment rights of churches. Since 2008, the group has sponsored the Pulpit Freedom Sunday initiative which encourages clergy and churches to officially endorse candidates from the pulpit. Moreover, they ask that such sermon-endorsements be sent to the I.R.S. in order to invoke a constitutional issue.
The movement has grown since that time and has even caught the attention of the Republican Party and President Trump. The president promised to “totally destroy” the amendment and an attempt was made by Republicans in the House of Representatives to repeal the Amendment using the 2017 "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act." This dissertation sets out to examine three key players: the Christian legal organizations that promote the initiative, evangelicalism’s propensity as a social movement to support it, and the clergy’s willingness to become involved.
I emphasize the importance of normative claims often left out of modern political science. In so doing, I take seriously the theological, legal, and philosophical influences on evangelical clergy that choose to break the law and engage in partisan politics (i.e. violate existing statutory and regulatory law). The dissertation begins with an important discussion of key normative issues. These issues include the tension between religion and constitutional liberal democracy, church and state relations, and also an exposition of the theological claims made by evangelical Christians.
The dissertation incorporates a survey of clergy that support the Pulpit Freedom Sunday initiative as well as in-depth interviews with clergy and members of the ADF. It also includes a content-analysis of sermons endorsing candidates.
According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal organization, the Amendment inhibits the First Amendment rights of churches. Since 2008, the group has sponsored the Pulpit Freedom Sunday initiative which encourages clergy and churches to officially endorse candidates from the pulpit. Moreover, they ask that such sermon-endorsements be sent to the I.R.S. in order to invoke a constitutional issue.
The movement has grown since that time and has even caught the attention of the Republican Party and President Trump. The president promised to “totally destroy” the amendment and an attempt was made by Republicans in the House of Representatives to repeal the Amendment using the 2017 "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act." This dissertation sets out to examine three key players: the Christian legal organizations that promote the initiative, evangelicalism’s propensity as a social movement to support it, and the clergy’s willingness to become involved.
I emphasize the importance of normative claims often left out of modern political science. In so doing, I take seriously the theological, legal, and philosophical influences on evangelical clergy that choose to break the law and engage in partisan politics (i.e. violate existing statutory and regulatory law). The dissertation begins with an important discussion of key normative issues. These issues include the tension between religion and constitutional liberal democracy, church and state relations, and also an exposition of the theological claims made by evangelical Christians.
The dissertation incorporates a survey of clergy that support the Pulpit Freedom Sunday initiative as well as in-depth interviews with clergy and members of the ADF. It also includes a content-analysis of sermons endorsing candidates.
© 2020 Joey A. Torres