October 28, 2026
I am so glad that Southern Baptist Convention President Willy Rice recently said on Fox News that he believed pastors needed to “step up” in the midterm political process.
I also appreciate his statement: “Because there are many political issues that are, at their heart, theological issues and moral issues that strike at the very center of what we believe to be true and what we believe people need to know in order to flourish personally and as a culture.”
See the Christian Index article: SBC President Rice urges pastors to engage political issues rooted in theology, morality.
As we think about this issue, the main point pastors need to understand is that they have a biblical and constitutional right and responsibility to speak freely as pastors.
It is significant that the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy, the pastor in Ephesus, that he had a responsibility to preach the truth. Note 2 Timothy 4:2-5.
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
When we consider that passage, we see that Timothy was called to preach the truth, address the issues of his day, and remember that evangelism goes with it. That's right, it is not just one or the other; it is both! Preaching a biblical worldview and evangelism go together!
We are also reminded that we are not just to preach the truth, but to preach it in love! Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
This basically says that we must preach the right thing the right way.
We are reminded in Romans 2:4 that the goodness and kindness of God lead to repentance. We must address the social and moral issues we are facing in America today, even in politics, from a biblical and theological perspective.
When we preach on cultural issues in the church, we should always connect those issues to the gospel! It is like what Charlie Kirk said: “Jesus is the answer!” He spoke on many college campuses and discussed moral and cultural issues facing our nation.
Not only do we have biblical rights, but we also have constitutional rights. The First Amendment states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
However, we also have the Johnson Amendment, named after then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson. This provision, added to the tax code in 1954, prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including religious nonprofits and churches, from engaging in political campaign activity.
My research shows that, as enacted, this prohibition includes monetary donations to political candidates, as well as statements that specifically endorse or oppose a particular political candidate.
So, the real issue for pastors and churches involves political endorsements.
In 2008, Alliance Defending Freedom encouraged pastors to endorse political candidates from the pulpit and send recordings of their endorsements to the IRS.
It was called the “Pulpit Freedom Initiative,” and ADF hoped it would provoke an IRS response. The organization was looking for a legal test case in which a church would be penalized, giving it the legal standing to sue the government. This would provide an opportunity for the Johnson Amendment to be declared unconstitutional in court.
What is amazing is that churches faced no penalties for participating. ADF would have welcomed a court case to demonstrate that the Johnson Amendment violated a church's constitutional rights to religious freedom and free speech.
Then, in 2025, a lawsuit titled National Religious Broadcasters v. Bessent challenged the constitutionality of the Johnson Amendment under the First and Fifth Amendments.
On July 7, 2025, the IRS entered into a proposed consent judgment in a joint court filing. The agency took a new position, acknowledging an interpretation that internal communications by houses of worship, such as sermons or religious services addressing political matters, would not automatically violate the Johnson Amendment.
Then, in March 2026, a Texas judge struck down the suit. That decision has now been appealed by ADF to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. So, for now, things are basically the same.
Even with the lawsuit and the judge's ruling, there is still a need for churches and pastors to do two things: teach a biblical worldview on issues facing our culture and teach what government is and our biblical responsibility in America.
If we focus on these two matters, we will not be engaging in political endorsements anyway. And if the Johnson Amendment is eventually overturned or changed by Congress, it will still be up to each church to decide how far to go on this issue.
We must remember that we have a biblical and constitutional right to speak the truth in our pulpits and in the public square. If we do so following Christ's example, we can make a difference by being salt and light in government!
We must teach our congregations that we live in a republic, not a monarchy. Our first responsibility is to participate!
God is the One who has established three institutions on this earth: the home, the church, and, yes, government. Read Romans 13 for a better understanding.
See the Christian Index article: Commentary: A biblical perspective of God's will for government.
Let's keep pressing on for Christ everywhere! There is no doubt that evangelism, education, and engagement in the political process can make a difference!
Now is the time to understand the times and know what God is calling us to do!
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Mike Griffin is the Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
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