OP/ED: Divine Opportunity or a Political Trap? What the IRS Ruling really means for the Black Church—and why we must mobilize now

By Rev. Dorothea “Dee” Dawkins-Haigler

The Black church has never just been a house of worship or a sanctuary for the soul. It was the strategy room for liberation and a headquarters for justice. From slavery to civil rights to today’s fight for voting rights, our churches have housed not only the gospel but served as incubators for grassroots mobilization.

Historically, the Black church has always been more than a place to pray. It was the heartbeat of the Civil Rights Movement, the launching pad for voter registration drives, and the only place where Black bodies and Black ballots were affirmed as sacred.

From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Fannie Lou Hamer, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, and the late Rev. C.T. Vivian, the pulpit has always been political. What the recent IRS ruling does is simply legitimize what many Black pastors have long understood: silence is not neutrality. Silence is complicity.

The decision, issued quietly but with seismic implications, now allows houses of worship to endorse political candidates from the pulpit during religious services—without fear of losing their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

Let’s be clear: most Black churches have never fully separated the spiritual from the social or the political from the prophetic. But this ruling provides something new—covering. It removes the lingering threat of government penalties and empowers clergy to speak more freely, more boldly, and more directly about who and what aligns with the values of our people.

This is more than a policy shift. It is a divine opportunity. The only question is—will we seize it?

What the IRS Ruling Actually Says

Despite decades of restriction under the Johnson Amendment—a 1954 law that barred nonprofits from endorsing political candidates—the IRS has clarified that churches, mosques, synagogues, and religious congregations may now speak politically from the pulpit to their own congregations, during religious services, without risking their tax-exempt status.

There are limits:

• Religious institutions may not make endorsements through websites, mass mailers, advertisements, or social media.
• They cannot contribute money or resources directly to campaigns.
• And most notably, this exemption does not apply to secular nonprofits or community organizations.

But within the four walls of worship, the IRS has now recognized what the Black church has always practiced: prophetic truth-telling is part of ministry

A Return to Our Prophetic Roots

This moment doesn’t grant us new power—it simply removes the muzzle.

For generations, the Black church has stood in the gap between people and power, between oppression and opportunity. Our sanctuaries have long doubled as sanctuaries for justice.

The Rev. Marvin Crawford, pastor of First Saint Paul AME Church in Lithonia, Georgia—and a physician and professor of internal medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine—puts it this way:

“Our faith demands engagement. This ruling affirms what we’ve been doing—standing with the people. Whether from the streets or the pulpit, we will speak truth to power and teach our people how to vote their values, not just their party.”

With the IRS decision, our voices are no longer legally at risk. We can give marching orders, not just moral guidance. We can name names, speak clearly, and lead unapologetically.

And let’s be honest: “It’s no longer illegal to endorse a candidate from the pulpit—now it’s irresponsible not to.”

A Legal Gap—and a Growing Tension

It must be said: this exemption only applies to houses of worship. Other 501(c)(3) nonprofits—charities, foundations, civic groups—remain fully bound by the Johnson Amendment. They still cannot endorse candidates or risk losing their status.

Some in the nonprofit world have already begun exploring whether they can reclassify their work as religious or faith-based to gain the same protections. That tension is real.

But the Black church doesn’t need to rebrand. We’ve always done the work. We’ve never needed permission to be prophetic—we needed protection. Now we have it.

What This Means for Our Pulpits

With this new clarity, churches can now:

• Endorse candidates by name during services
• Host forums, town halls, and campaign rallies under the protection of the law
• Expand Souls to the Polls efforts and civic education without walking on eggshells
• Provide direct political guidance based on spiritual values and community needs

This is our moment to speak plainly. We have permission. We have covering. And most of all, we have work to do.

Pastor CJ Butler, of Cedar Creek Community Church in Columbia, South Carolina, speaks to this moment:

“We’ve always known that our vote is sacred and our pulpit is powerful. We don’t tell people who to vote for—we remind them who they are. This moment lets us be unapologetically prophetic again.”

Rev. Susan Buckson, pastor of Allen Temple AME Church in Atlanta, brings it home with conviction:

“Our pulpits have always preached liberation. This ruling lets us continue that work out loud, with legal protection. We must seize the moment, mobilize our communities, and make sure our values shape the laws that govern our lives.”

“If your preacher’s afraid to tell you who fights for you—find a new preacher.”

What We Must Do Next

This ruling gives us more than a green light—it gives us a charge:

• Develop sermon series that teach civic responsibility and spiritual power
• Organize policy roundtables, candidate briefings, and justice Sunday services
• Train church-based voter protection volunteers and poll chaplains
• Create church-wide voter plans, endorsements, and action Sundays rooted in faith

This election cycle cannot be business as usual. If the Black church remains silent now, we risk losing both our moral voice and our political leverage.

As a preacher, political strategist, and lifelong servant of the people, I believe this IRS decision was not just a bureaucratic change—it was a divine release.

It gives us permission to speak fully, to lead boldly, and to organize without fear.

The Black church has never needed approval to be prophetic. But now we have protection—and that means there’s no excuse left to stay silent. This is not the time for whispers or watered-down truth.

This is the time for pastors to stand tall, for churches to mobilize intentionally, and for our people to move with power and purpose. This IRS ruling removes the muzzle—but only we can raise our voices.

The Black church helped birth a movement. This ruling says we can now name the labor pains and the political midwives without penalty.

The pulpit has power. The pews have people. And the path forward is clear.

This is not the time for timid sermons, coded language, turning a blind eye or cooning. It’s time to speak truth, mobilize masses, and take our souls to the polls with clear conviction and direction 

The battle is spiritual. The battleground is political. And the church is ready.

Rev.Dorothea Dawkins-Haigler is a minister, political strategist, radio host, and former Georgia State Representative. She is a global advocate for justice, founder of Clergy for Kamala, and host of The Wake Up with Dee Morning Show on News and Talk WAOK Monday-Friday 7-10 a.m. EST