The government was forced, eventually, to back down, however, having said that - I visited a church one Sunday morning in the District of Columbia where the pastor endorsed a political candidate during the service. I caught up with and asked the church counsel after the service ended, whether or not their pastor was aware that he could cause the organization to lose its 501[c]3 tax exemption status. She replied, we have told him over and over again to stop endorsing candidates but he will not listen.

The scrutiny is on black churches and black organizations, pointing back to the days when Rev. Jesse Jackson (my mentor) spoke in church pulpits all over the country. All of us had better be careful about what we say, who we have to speak in our pulpits and what they say, for we are being watched!

In DC a few years ago (You folks know more about it than me), a minister who was running for the office of mayor (I forget his name) made derogatory comments about gays during a church sermon. Someone sitting in the congregation leaked the information to the press, and the rest was history. The minister candidate eventually apologized for what he preached at his church! Many times we do not know who is sitting in our congregations!