| Living Truth Ministries is now under withering attack from the IRS due to our vocal demand for truth and our obedience to God's Word, the Holy Bible, in exposing evil in the world. But we are not alone. In a recent publication of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), that organization's Chief Counsel, Jay Sekulow, detailed the shameful campaign by the Internal Revenue to silence pastors, churches, and individual believers. This issue is so important I wanted
Flashpoint readers to be appraised of this incredible development. |
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We Now Have The Cold, Hard Evidence That Confirms Our Worst Suspicions! The Internal Revenue Service has conducted an unbelievable campaign against our client, a small church in upstate New York. This campaign included secret photographic surveillance of the church grounds by an IRS agent.
When I first saw the actual IRS documents—obtained in our ongoing court battle with the IRS—I directed our
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| Chief Counsel Jay Seculow of the ACLJ reports that the IRS wants to silence Christian churches and ministries by launching unfair, politically directed audits and by levying heavy fines and seizures of property. |
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legal team to do whatever was necessary to stop the IRS right away before other churches and their members become victims.
It is important that we not telegraph our case to the IRS, but I wanted you to see for yourself just how far the IRS has gone to intimidate Christians. I have included on these pages a representation of just a fraction of the evidence we have uncovered so far.
IRS Forced to Reveal Truth
Our case defending Pastor Dan Little and the Church at Pierce Creek against the IRS has tremendous implications for religious freedom. Last year, when the IRS refused to provide us with crucial data during the discovery process, this case took on even greater significance.
So we went back to court and obtained an order forcing the IRS to turn over requested documents dating back to 1980. This precedent-setting court decision has sent shock waves through the legal community. Just weeks ago, the IRS sent the first batch of information to our Washington, D.C., office. As ACLJ attorneys Colby May and Mark Troobnick began sorting through more than 6,000 pages of documents, they uncovered the IRS's attack campaign against our client. This rare inside look at IRS files also revealed their agenda to monitor churches and censor any speech they deem to be too political.
ACLJ Exposes Ongoing Attack
Over the course of more than two years, the Church at Pierce Creek felt intimidated by the IRS's continuing requests for more information. First, the IRS issued a "Church Tax Inquiry" letter, followed closely by a "Notice of Church Examination." Then, church leaders were called to a meeting with officials at IRS offices in Syracuse, New York, which was followed by the IRS's decision to conduct an "Examination of the Church."
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Reverend Dan Little and his tiny congregation in upstate New York know firsthand how powerful the IRS is as a weapon against "politically and religiously incorrect" ideas. |
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Within weeks, IRS officials were contemplating their course of action against the Church at Pierce Creek: "revocation of (tax) exemption or proposed assessment of excise taxes...or both." The IRS then set out to do both, and much more, as the scope of the "investigation" continued to grow.
According to the IRS files, the next phase of the investigation included "additional questions to submit to the church regarding list of contributors." Then, the Branch Chief authorized surveillance of the church and its pastor. Photographs were taken of the church, the pastor's house and even the car the pastor drove. The IRS agent also conducted surveillance at the pastor's private business.
IRS Has Become A Political Weapon
The IRS claims it was simply trying to establish that the Church at Pierce Creek was, in fact, a church. But that alone does not justify the IRS letters, the on-site investigation by an IRS agent, and the photographic surveillance of the pastor's home.
The IRS was after one thing—to gag "politically incorrect" churches. How else can you explain the fact that the IRS investigated the political activities of the Church at Pierce Creek, requested that the church provide them with names and addresses of church members, and even prepared a summons to obtain a list of contributors to the church!
This attack is not confined to one church. We have uncovered an internal IRS publication that alerts IRS agents to watch for specific code words and phrases (such as "pro-life" or "conservative") used in connection with statements about the moral requirements for holding public office. This means a pastor speaking from the pulpit about political candidates that support the rights of the unborn could be targeted by the IRS for the same kind of treatment leveled upon the Church at Pierce Creek.
IRS Must Be Stopped
When an agency of the government tells our pastors what to preach, conducts surveillance of churches and then take steps to obtain the names of church members, it is our duty as Christian citizens to take action.
That is why the Center is committed to defending Pastor Little and the church at Pierce Creek—all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. A high-ranking IRS official has called our case "one of the five most important cases" dealing with tax issues. I believe this may be the most significant case in decades concerning the IRS and religious liberty.
Our work thus far has already established new legal precedents protecting the rights of Christians. For the first time since its inception, the IRS is being forced by a court to turn over evidence of its tactics against Christians. Finally, a court has recognized that the IRS may have violated the "equal protection" rights of believers. We have a unique opportunity to create a "safe harbor" that can protect churches from the threat of having their tax status revoked because of what is said from their pulpits.
We Need Your Help
I can't overstate the importance of this legal battle. Already, we have invested thousands of hours in this case. but there is much more work to be done. In fact, we are back in court this month because the IRS still refuses to answer new discovery requests!
This is a monumental task. After all, we are up against the IRS, the most feared department of government which has amassed more extra-constitutional power than any agency in history.
That is why I am counting on your help. Please pray for our team. Pray that anything hidden will come to light.
And remember: Your continued support of the Center will enable our team of attorneys to fight the IRS while we defend faith and freedom in hundreds of cases across the nation.
Together, I am confident we can win this battle. Thank you for standing with us!
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(Published first in Case Notes, by the American Center for Law and Justice, P.O. Box 64429, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23467.) |
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