Hosemann Ally Threatens Churches

State Senator England makes the threat

Photo by Andrew McQuaid on Unsplash

Politicians in Mississippi have a long tradition of visiting churches throughout the state and talking to Christian voters. But as old as the tradition is, so is the government's threat to churches.

In its ongoing dirty campaigning fashion, Team Delbert has hit a new low, now intimidating Churchgoers online and threatening the church’s non-profit status for inviting his political opponent, Sen. Chris McDaniel, to church.

Sen. Jeremy England, a state senator on the coast and one of the most outspoken supporters of the moderate-at-best Delbert Hosemann, went to Facebook on Monday, saying, "If you go to a church that allows a visiting politician to take up a spot behind the pulpit on Sunday to address the congregation, I suggest talking to your pastor and your church elders." England’s long rant continued and even went into the comments, with England agreeing with one post saying, "Maybe that church should have their non-profit status looked into."

It is sickening that elected politicians would threaten and intimidate Christians for inviting candidates to church, but not surprising from the Delbert team. When you don’t have a conservative record to run on, you turn to mudslinging. And the cornerstone of Delbert’s campaign has been built on mud.

But threatening the 501(c)3 status of churches is not a new trick from the left. In 2015, when Obama was president, Texas pastors famously received subpoenas to turn over their sermon notes so that politicians could review them for content they deemed "political", and if pastors refused to comply with the subpoena, they were threatened with arrest.

I personally believe that the development of the 501(c)3 status and the government forcing churches to apply and be approved for the status was a deliberate and vile acts of de facto government control over churches.

But we as Christians MUST get involved in the political process, regardless of the threats from politicians.

I believe churches for far too long have been silenced and told "politics is too dirty for Christians" or "Let’s just keep politics and religion separate." But THIS is the reason why our government has continued to strip away our God-given rights. When Christians refuse to get involved in politics or are intimidated by politicians to stay out of politics, why would we be surprised when we end up with politicians who refuse to legislate based on our Christian beliefs?

I urge you to not only get involved in the political process but also get out and Vote this coming Tuesday, August 8th. Vote for the politicians who aren’t afraid to face Church members like Chris McDaniel, not the ones threatening the churches. And after the election is over, stay involved in the process.

Christian music artist Warren Barfield said it best in his song "The Time is Now":

I learned to walk in the ways of light and truth 

And I was told not to speak til I was spoken to 

I've seen somethings that a man just can't ignore 

And this world's gone see what I am standing for 

I've kept my peace, I can't hold my tongue anymore 

You can't buy my silence, you can't steal my voice 

You can't keep me quiet, I will bring the noise 

Try to beat me down, tell me to shut my mouth 

But there's a time to speak and the time is now.