{"id":84,"date":"2008-10-29T19:42:47","date_gmt":"2008-10-29T19:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/10\/no-speech-police-just-commonse.html"},"modified":"2008-10-29T19:42:47","modified_gmt":"2008-10-29T19:42:47","slug":"no-speech-police-just-commonse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/10\/no-speech-police-just-commonse.html","title":{"rendered":"NO SPEECH POLICE : JUST COMMONSENSE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta name=\"ProgId\" content=\"Word.Document\"><meta name=\"Generator\" content=\"Microsoft Word 11\"><meta name=\"Originator\" content=\"Microsoft Word 11\"><link rel=\"File-List\" href=\"file:\/\/\/C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBarry%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml\"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"place\"><\/o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"State\"><\/o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"City\"><\/o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" name=\"country-region\"><\/o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument>  <w:View>Normal<\/w:View>  <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>  <w:PunctuationKerning\/>  <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>  <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>  <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>  <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>  <w:Compatibility>   <w:BreakWrappedTables\/>   <w:SnapToGridInCell\/>   <w:WrapTextWithPunct\/>   <w:UseAsianBreakRules\/>   <w:DontGrowAutofit\/>  <\/w:Compatibility>  <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4<\/w:BrowserLevel> <\/w:WordDocument><\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=\"false\" LatentStyleCount=\"156\"> <\/w:LatentStyles><\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid=\"clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D\" id=\"ieooui\"><\/object>\n\n<style>st1\\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }<\/style>\n\n<![endif]--><\/p>\n<style><!-- \/* Style Definitions *\/ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal\t{mso-style-parent:\"\";\tmargin:0in;\tmargin-bottom:.0001pt;\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\tfont-size:12.0pt;\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\tmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";}@page Section1\t{size:8.5in 11.0in;\tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;\tmso-header-margin:.5in;\tmso-footer-margin:.5in;\tmso-paper-source:0;}div.Section1\t{page:Section1;}--><\/style>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 10]>\n\n<style> \/* Style Definitions *\/ table.MsoNormalTable\t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\tmso-style-noshow:yes;\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\tmso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\tmso-para-margin:0in;\tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\tfont-size:10.0pt;\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\tmso-ansi-language:#0400;\tmso-fareast-language:#0400;\tmso-bidi-language:#0400;}<\/style>\n\n<![endif]--><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-indent: 0.5in;\">Jay, I know you would like to seethe tax code provision barring endorsement of candidates by non-profitsrepealed.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>We have a big difference ofopinion about that. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"\"><\/span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, I do not see why you believe thatunder the current law the &#8220;line between issue advocacy and electioneering isnot clear cut&#8221;.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>If a minister reallywants to talk about any moral issue he or she just says, for example: &#8220;I opposethe federal income tax because it is just a socialistic redistribution ofwealth&#8221; and then adds: &#8220;so do your homework and find out<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>what candidates for public office wantrepeal and vote for them&#8221;, that&#8217;s legal.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span>If the pastor says the same thing but closes &#8220;and that African AmericanSenator who is running for President seems to like income redistribution&#8221; hehas an IRS problem. It is clear that the pastor wants you not to vote forBarack Obama.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>That&#8217;s what BishopSerratelli&#8217;s pastoral letter was all about.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span>What else could he possibly have meant?<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><span style=\"\"><\/span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Any &#8220;chill&#8221;on just speaking out against abortion is clearly self-imposed.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>If the minister is not trying to be cute orcoy, he just tells people that he thinks God doesn&#8217;t like abortion and thenurges parishioners to vote accordingly.&nbsp; He adds no names, no pictures, no coded messages.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><\/o:p><span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>Of course,in <st1:state w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>,&#8221;but for&#8221; the church deciding to put up that anti-abortion display, how wouldthe passerby you envision have any reason to think about the issue at thattime.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>Of course, it was the church thattried to send its &#8220;moral&#8221; as well as &#8220;vote McCain&#8221; message to the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>As to RickWarren, he is entitled under the tax law, to do just what he did and proclaimhis support for Proposition 8.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>You areright that many <a href=\"http:\/\/inchatatime.blogspot.com\/2008\/10\/open-letter-to-traditional-values_28.html\">other religious leaders <\/a>are speaking out strongly inopposition.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>I just disagree with <st1:city w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Warren<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> on the merits (orin this case lack of merits).<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>I don&#8217;tknow any liberals who claim the Bible literally supports same sexmarriage.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>What they do say is that theBible is not to be the basis for deciding what civil rights exist inTwenty-First century <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>That&#8217;s called the separation of church andstate.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>I like it.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jay, I know you would like to seethe tax code provision barring endorsement of candidates by non-profitsrepealed.&nbsp; We have a big difference ofopinion about that. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, I do not see why you believe thatunder the current law the &#8220;line between issue advocacy and electioneering isnot clear cut&#8221;.&nbsp; If a minister reallywants to talk&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion","category-gay-marriage","category-separation-of-church-and-state"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NO SPEECH POLICE : JUST COMMONSENSE - Lynn v. Sekulow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/10\/no-speech-police-just-commonse.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NO SPEECH POLICE : JUST COMMONSENSE - Lynn v. Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jay, I know you would like to seethe tax code provision barring endorsement of candidates by non-profitsrepealed.&nbsp; We have a big difference ofopinion about that. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, I do not see why you believe thatunder the current law the &#8220;line between issue advocacy and electioneering isnot clear cut&#8221;.&nbsp; If a minister reallywants to talk&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/10\/no-speech-police-just-commonse.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lynn v. Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-10-29T19:42:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rev. Barry W. 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Sekulow","og_description":"Jay, I know you would like to seethe tax code provision barring endorsement of candidates by non-profitsrepealed.&nbsp; We have a big difference ofopinion about that. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, I do not see why you believe thatunder the current law the &#8220;line between issue advocacy and electioneering isnot clear cut&#8221;.&nbsp; If a minister reallywants to talk&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/10\/no-speech-police-just-commonse.html","og_site_name":"Lynn v. Sekulow","article_published_time":"2008-10-29T19:42:47+00:00","author":"Rev. Barry W. 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Sekulow","description":"A debate blog about church, state, faith and politics with Jay Sekulow and Barry W. Lynn","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#\/schema\/person\/98ebaf547801cce8ce6fff4c27f51fc8","name":"Rev. Barry W. Lynn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/32b\/32b0f12cad840c65bff61ad01e2664aax96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/32b\/32b0f12cad840c65bff61ad01e2664aax96.jpg","caption":"Rev. Barry W. Lynn"},"description":"Since 1992, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn has served as executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the preservation of the Constitution's religious liberty provisions (www.au.org). In addition to his work as a long-time activist and lawyer in the civil liberties field, Lynn is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, offering him a unique perspective on church-state issues. An accomplished speaker and lecturer, Lynn has appeared frequently on television and radio broadcasts to offer analysis of First Amendment issues. News programs on which Lynn has appeared include PBS's \"NewsHour,\" NBC's \"Today Show,\" Fox News Channel's \"O'Reilly Factor,\" ABC's \"Nightline,\" CNN's \"Crossfire,\" CBS's \"60 Minutes,\" MSNBC's \"Countdown with Keith Olbermann,\" Fox News Channel's \"Hannity & Colmes,\" ABC's \"Good Morning America,\" CNN's \"Larry King Live\" and the national nightly news on NBC, ABC and CBS. On the radio, Lynn serves as host of \"Culture Shocks,\" a daily look at various issues affecting society and the culture. In the 1990s he served for two years as regular co-host of \"Pat Buchanan and Company\" and after that did a weekly syndicated radio program, \"Review of the News,\" with Col. Oliver North. Lynn is a regular guest on nationally broadcast radio programs, including National Public Radio's \"All Things Considered,\" \"Morning Edition\" and \"Talk of the Nation,\" as well as having appeared on national networks such as CBS Radio, CNN Radio, ABC Radio and AP Radio. Lynn began his professional career working at the national office of the United Church of Christ, including a two-year stint as legislative counsel for the Church's Office of Church in Society in Washington, D.C. From 1984 to 1991 he was legislative counsel for the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2006, Lynn authored Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault On Religious Freedom (Harmony Books). In 2008 he coauthored (with C. Welton Gaddy) First Freedom First: A Citizen's Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State (Beacon Press). Lynn writes frequently on religious liberty issues, and has had essays published in outlets such as USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Nation. Lynn also has op-eds published frequently by the McClatchy and Scripps-Howard newspaper chains. A member of the Washington, D.C. and U.S. Supreme Court bar, Lynn earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1978. In addition, he received his theology degree from Boston University School of Theology in 1973. Lynn, who was born in Harrisburg, Pa., and raised in Bethlehem, Pa., lives in Chevy Chase, Md., with his family.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/blynn"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}