I've heard some buzz, in the wake of the decision of the United Methodists not to endorse gay clergy and same sex marriage, that there may be attempts to to remove, from churches and religious institutions, their tax exempt status.
My guess is that such efforts will lead to nothing.
But, I began thinking about it.
Other than the fact that churchpeople want to have privilege, at the expense of others, if you're in favor of tax exempt status for churches, why? On what basis? Other than your own self-interest?
What, in the Word, is your rationale? What, in the Constitution, justifies it?
As is clear, to me at least, from the case of the Methodists, privilege doesn't empower the growth of the Kingdom. The United Methodists are growing in Africa, where Christianity is not privileged and, in some cases, even persecuted. The organization is declining rather rapidly here, where it is privileged.
So, why fight for tax exempt status. Why, apart from worldly concerns, want it?
What would truly be bad for the Kingdom if churches lost their tax exempt status?
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