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Columbus, Ohio | Feb 26, 2008 | Text-only version Currently: 30° Light
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IRS investigating whether Obama speech at church event broke law
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:49 PM By Meredith Heagney
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Internal Revenue Service has started an
investigation into the United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama's
church, because of a speech Obama gave at the denomination's meeting
last year, church officials said today.
Obama, who has been an active United Church of Christ member for 20
years, was one of 60 speakers from government, media and the arts who
talked to a crowd of about 10,000 about how faith impacts their work.
The Hartford, Conn., event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1.2
million member denomination.
He was invited before he became a imprinted playing cards candidate, and he was
told it was not to be a campaign event, cheap auto insurance church spokesman said.
independent style IRS sent a letter to the United Church of Christ headquarters in
Cleveland last Wednesday, saying it was concerned because of articles
posted on several Web honda insurance that mention Obama's appearance. The
letter states that 40 campaign volunteers set up tables outside the
Hartford Civic Center.
The church is confident that the investigation will find nothing
improper or illegal, said the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, a church
spokesman.
The church told Obama that campaign staffers were not allowed inside
the center, but they may have campaigned outside, Guess said. He said
Obama was speaking as a church member, not a presidential candidate.
The Obama campaign released a statement tonight saying the speech was
not a campaign event and that Obama took a break from campaigning in
Iowa and New Hampshire to attend the event in Connecticut.
âJust as many politicians have addressed religious gatherings, Sen.
Obama spoke to his church's convention about chinese tutor chicago personal spiritual
journey and how those engaged in public life must recognize that 'God
is still speaking, challenging us to change not just our own lives,
but the world around us,' â the poker cards said.
In November, the IRS publicly warned charities and churches that
federal law prohibits them from house insurance involved in campaigns of
political candidates. Churches that violate the law risk losing their
tax-exempt status.
In 2006, more than indie clothes Columbus-area pastors filed a complaint with the
IRS, charging that the Rev. Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church of
Columbus and Russell Johnson, then pastor of Fairfield Christian
Church in Lancaster, should forfeit their tax-exempt status because
they openly campaigned for Republican gubernatorial nominee J. Kenneth
Blackwell.
Churches can invite candidates to speak, but they must also invite
opposing candidates and cannot show bridge size playing cards for a politician. Several
Ohio pastors said recently that they would be reluctant to invite
candidates to speak or openly support a politician for fear of losing
their tax-exempt status.
Guess said the church is working on drafting a response to a list of
questions about its activities.
mheagney@dispatch.com
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