The Johnson Amendment was designed to stop tax-deducted church money reaching politicians

Evidence

From her tone of voice, I can tell that Fitzgerald’s talk is haunted by the Johnson Amendment, the federal law that bars houses of worship, charitable nonprofits, and private foundations from endorsing and financially supporting political parties and candidates. Passed in 1954 at the urging of then senator Lyndon B. Johnson, the amendment was intended to prevent public money from passing through churches via tax deductions into the hands of politicians. In theory, according to the Johnson Amendment, religious organizations that engage in activities to directly sway elections could lose their tax-exempt status. It has been a favorite target of Christian nationalists, who regularly decry it as an infringement of their religious freedom. — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 73

Categorization

• DEFINE: Useful concise definition of the Johnson Amendment with origin and purpose.
• XREF: connects to: The Trump administration stopped enforcing the Johnson Amendment barring church politicking — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 133; Tax-code limits on political activity do not restrain religious advocacy groups — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 288

Broader Connections

• The Trump administration stopped enforcing the Johnson Amendment barring church politicking #expands (0.95) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 133
• Tax-code limits on political activity do not restrain religious advocacy groups #complicates (0.80) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 288