HOUSTON – In a series of tweets, Mayor Sylvester Turner defends the city from Second Baptist Church’s pastor Ed Young’s sermon.
Over the weekend, Young encouraged his congregation to vote out Houston and Harris County elected officials over crime, police staffing, and bonds.
“In all probability, Houston is one of the two of three most dangerous cities in the world to live in,” Young said from the church pulpit in a video posted on the church’s website. “Ladies and gentlemen if Houston and Harris County is to survive, we better throw those bums out of office. They are not doing the job that we have called them to.”
CLICK HERE TO VIEW YOUNG’S SERMON
“Houston is not the most dangerous city in America,” Turner said on Twitter. “That is factually not true, and people should not say it to gain some political benefit. Facts from the pulpit should still matter.”
Texas Southern University’s Distinguish Law Professor James Matthew Douglas and Prairie View A&M University Eddy Carder, Ph.D., J.D., say Young comes extremely close to violating the Internal Revenue Service’s restriction on political statements for tax-exempt 501(c)(3)s.
The IRS states, “under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”
“If he starts endorsing, if the church begins to endorse candidates, then that crosses the line,” Douglas said. “He’s talking about what he thinks ought to happen now if it makes it happen then he has crossed the line but talking about it didn’t cross the line.”
“He danced a very delicate dance,” Carder said. But he added since Young doesn’t name a politician or party, the church shouldn’t be endangered of losing its exemption status.
Young isn’t the first clergy member to touch on politics at the pulpit, Carder said.
“The fact of the matter is the same standard really applies regardless of one’s ideological perspective. Tax-exempt status is in jeopardy whether the minister conservative or liberal, whether right wing or left wing, moves into the area where they are becoming more of a political spokesperson rather than a religious spokesperson. So, really, those rules are to be applied regardless of one’s faith perspective,” he said.
However, Carder said anyone in Young’s congregation, or the public could file a complaint with the IRS.
“An argument could be made on the other side that he reaches a large audience. That he represents a great level of leadership in the community, in the state, in the nation and even beyond the bounds of the nation,” he said.
Carder adds if someone does file a complaint the IRS would have to consider the scenario and weigh its options but he doesn’t think the comments warrant it.
“Though in the eye of some he might have flown close to the sun, I don’t think his wings were affected whatsoever,” said Carder. “The best conclusion I think is the generalities were permissible even though it might be examined, my impression is he was very safe in what he said.”