Rethinking Tax Exempt Status for Churches, My Cover Article for Christianity Today

My latest article is the cover story for the January/February print edition of Christianity Today.

It started, quite inauspiciously, with a tweet thread that one of the editors asked me to expand upon. And then, a week before publication, the magazine’s editor, Mark Galli, wrote an op-ed calling for the impeachment of President Trump, kicking off a medium-intensity internet firestorm. Indeed, Franklin Graham, the son of Christianity Today‘s founder, evangelist Billy Graham, condemned the op-ed, claiming that the magazine has been turned into a tool “by the left for their political agenda.” I’m not sure my article will do much to assuage Franklin’s skepticism.

In any case, here’s an excerpt, though do go and read the full piece on the website.

The history of religious land-use laws is enlightening here. Using the federal government to protect tax-exempt status for churches is not a recipe for a stable, long-term equilibrium. It only works as long as Christians can maintain a white-knuckled grip on power, fighting to maintain their tax advantages by tooth, claw, court case, and ballot. The gospels tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is certainly a strange way of doing it. After all, why did Jesus, when asked if he owed taxes to Rome, say, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17)? It is far better to live peaceably with all people, giving “to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes” (Rom. 13:7).

It might not be such a bad thing to lose tax-exempt status. We should consider, at the very least, the cost of maintaining this kind of cultural privilege. The true church of God, after all, is not reliant on its special status in the tax code. We can walk by faith and not by government largess.

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2 thoughts on “Rethinking Tax Exempt Status for Churches, My Cover Article for Christianity Today”

  1. Jeffrey Weakley

    “Christianity Today” Attacks Tax Exemption for Churches

    Jan. 16th, 2020
    by Jeffrey A. Weakley

    The Jan./Feb. 2020 edition of “Christianity Today” published an article by Paul Matzko of the Cato Institute which argues that churches in America should no longer be tax exempt. It is clear that Mr. Matzko and “Christianity Today” do not understand the Biblical position on this issue.

    It is a simple point. Sovereigns tax subjects. So if churches are taxed in America, this would mean that these churches are subjects to the government. But the Bible tells us that Jesus is the head of the church, not the state.

    “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him [Christ] to
    be the head over all things to the church,”
    Eph. 1:22

    “11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
    some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
    12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
    ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
    13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
    knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
    measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
    14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and
    fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
    sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
    wait to deceive;
    15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him
    in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
    16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and
    compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according
    to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
    maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in
    love.”
    Eph. 4:11-16

    This is why our founding fathers recognized freedom of religion. They recognized that both the civil government and the church are separate institutions which have been ordained by God; and that each of these institutions is under God and answerable to God. This is the foundation for our idea of separation of church and state.

    If the government were to claim the power to tax the church, then it would be declaring that it is sovereign over the church, thus displacing Christ as head of the church. And all who would encourage the government to usurp Lordship over the church do display their ignorance and sin against God. I will always defend the Lordship of Christ over His church. May God protect His church from those who would destroy our freedom of religion by putting our churches under the government. To do this would give us state churches. And this is exactly what our founding fathers did not want.

    • Paul McDermott

      That’s thw wildest nonsense I ever read. The Churches SHOULD be taxed. They’re parasites.

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