For Additional Headlines - go to our News Section »

• Jackson Fights State Budget Cuts
  made by String
• New Bill Gets Teachers Fired Up
  made by retired one
• Surgeon's Wife Arrested for Drugs
  made by yerpointis
• How to Get the Kids Excited About Your Upcoming Family Reunion
  made by yerpointis
• What Music Means to Teens
  made by e cig

• St. Joe Company Moving to New Airport Site
• Inmate Beaten at Graceville Correctional Facility Dies
• Surgeon’s Wife Arrested for Drugs
• Enforcement Cracks Down on Spring Breakers; 126 Arrested
• Pot Bust on Panama City Beach
• New Bill Gets Teachers Fired Up
• Second Victim Identified in Traffic Fatality on I-10 in Walton County
• Wewahitchka Woman Hit and Killed
• ABT Arrests 125 on the First Night of Spring Break Enforcement
• La Vela Numbers

Church Politics
10/27/08 - 08:45 PM

WMBB News Department

 RSS Feed

The church community is active with all sorts of charities and community activities.  This year it seems they’re also becoming more active in another are of life, politics.  You may have noticed that some churches in the Panhandle have political signs on their property.  Many of them are for Florida’s Constitutional Amendment number 2.  If Amendment 2 passes it will change Florida’s Constitution to describe marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman with no other union recognized.

The First Baptist Church of Panama City and the Carlisle Baptist Church in Callaway both display signs encouraging people to vote in favor of Amendment 2.  Randy Kuhn, the pastor at Carlisle Baptist, says he always encourages his congregation to vote, but believes the issue over how to define marriage is particularly important.

“Once you change the definition of marriage to be free to not only mean one man and one woman, but to be one man and one man or one woman and one woman, you also open the door for it to mean one man and two women or one woman with three men,” Kuhn said.

He says people turn to the church and the Bible for guidance with their lives, why not for guidance with politics?

“It tells us that we are to be light in our culture.  That’s the very reason we’re engaged in the political process.  We believe the Bible addresses all areas of life including this particular area.”

Yet, some Bay County residents say they don’t want to hear political views expressed from the pulpit.

“I really would just rather it be everyday individuals when you talk to them.  I don’t think it should be pastors telling you something,” said Orgretta Wells.

You can vote on this amendment and five others when you head to the polls for early voting or on election day next week.

According the IRS, tax exempt organizations like churches are allowed to take positions on public policy issues.  They cannot, however, directly or indirectly participate in any political campaign for, or against, any candidate for elective public office.

Click here if you’d like to see the IRS political guidelines for tax exempt organizations.