Interfaith Alliance slams report calling 
for an end to ban on endorsing candidates from the pulpit

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for an end to ban on endorsing candidates from the pulpit

Washington, D.C. – Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy slammed a report calling for an end to the long-time ban on clergy preaching politics from the pulpit. The report was issued by the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations. Gaddy issued the following statement in response to the report:

“The fact that this particular grouping of people has come together to call for eliminating the ban on politics from the pulpit is of little surprise. No one should misunderstand this report as representative of all people of faith or as authentic to our nation’s historic understanding of the boundaries between religion and government. Indeed, the report does not even represent the whole of the commission’s advisors, particularly those — whom I am proud to call colleagues — who wrote their own position paper opposing the conclusions of the commission report.”

“The rights of clergy to preach about the most pressing issues of the day and to provide moral guidance to their congregations are not in danger and rightly must be protected. But those rights are very different from standing at the pulpit — shrouded in your faith — to announce that your congregation should vote for one candidate or party over another. There is an implicit message in doing so — sometimes explicit — that clergy are speaking in the name of God and an explicit message that breeds divisiveness in a congregation that should be together united in faith.”

“Frankly, there is already too much religion in politics. When candidates invoke religion, or ask clergy to do it for them, it is usually about advancing the candidate and rarely about benefiting religion. Changing the laws of the land to allow a further intertwining of religion and politics will only serve to endanger both. Having served as an active pastor for more than 50 years, I cannot think of a more effective way of harming houses of worship across our nation than to allow partisan politics to compromise the integrity of the inclusive message of houses of worship.”


Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.