<p>President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that enables churches to support political candidates without risking their tax-exempt status. ;</p>
<p>The order, which also protects non-profits from being forced to include abortion services in their insurance policies, was signed at a National Day of Prayer event. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;This order would provide regulatory relief&rdquo; to organizations like Hobby Lobby and Little Sisters of the Poor; organizations that have been &ldquo;persecuted by ObamaCare&rsquo;s preventive services mandate,&rdquo; said a White House senior official. ;</p>
<p>The order directs the IRS to &ldquo;exercise maximum enforcement discretion to alleviate the burden to a 1954 tax provision that prohibits churches from directly endorsing or opposing a political candidate.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The provision &ndash; known as the &ldquo;Johnson Amendment &ndash; can only be repealed by Congress. What President Trump&rsquo;s order does is direct the IRS not to investigate cases of political activism by churches and other tax-exempt organizations.</p>
<p>The directive may be subject to legal challenge and does not necessarily extend past Trump&rsquo;s presidency. ;</p>
<p>Faith &; Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed says the order ;&ldquo;lifts a cloud of fear over people of faith and ensures they will no longer be subjected to litigation, harassment, and persecution simply for expressing their religious beliefs&#8221; and calls it a &#8220;giant step in the right direction in protecting the First Amendment rights of Christians and other Americans of conscience and faith.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Faith is deeply embedded into the history of our country, the spirit of our founding and the soul of our nation,&rdquo; said Trump. &ldquo;We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied, or silenced anymore.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The Johnson Amendment, named for President Lyndon B. Johnson, applies to all tax-exempt organizations. According to congressional aides, the repeal of the amendment is being written into the tax legislation currently being developed by House lawmakers. ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&rsquo;s Note:</strong> I&rsquo;m not sure it&rsquo;s a great idea for a church to support a political candidate, but it&rsquo;s only fair they be given the option. Up until now, even organizations like Planned Parenthood were able to support candidates, as well as unions and a great variety of non-profits with less to lose than churches.</p>