It was raining, and chilly, when Hope Christian Church celebrated Pulpit Freedom Sunday this past weekend. Some 150 congregants gathered for the special 8 a.m. service, where Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. stood at the lectern and announced, \u201cToday, 1,500 pastors and counting are purposely preaching a message that violates the 501(c)(3) status of our tax code.\u201d Tax-exempt nonprofits\u2014houses of worship included\u2014are forbidden from endorsing or opposing political candidates and parties.<\/p>\n
For the last five years, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has organized one Sunday a year for churches to protest these restrictions. In his sermon, Jackson joined ADF in breaking the law, saying: \u201cI am going to tell you why I cannot support Barack Obama for president.\u201d<\/p>\n
The non-denominational Hope Christian Church identifies itself as a \u201cmulti-ethnic, international community.\u201d Its 3,000 members gather throughout the week in a converted office park in Beltsville, Maryland, a predominantly African American suburb between Baltimore and D.C. Among its staff members are many black pastors, including Jackson. While more than 95 percent of black voters supported Obama in 2008, Jackson\u2014who worries individuals \u201ccelebrate race over grace\u201d\u2014hopes his flock will not do the same in 2012. \u201cListen to me, black Christians,\u201d he warned. \u201cYou are foolish enough to vote against your God just because someone\u2019s skin is black.\u201d<\/p>\n