Biblical Citizenship

 Christians Engaged is a Christian nonprofit organization based in Texas that exists to educate and empower everyday Christians to pray for our nation and elected officials, vote, and be civically engaged.  In May 2021, the IRS denied Christians Engaged’s application to be recognized as a tax-exempt nonprofit because of its education of “believers on national issues that are central to their belief in the Bible as the inerrant [Word of God],” including “the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, freedom of speech, defense, and [sic] borders and immigration, [and] U.S. and Israel relations.”

In June 2021, First Liberty appealed the IRS’s determination against Christians Engaged, arguing the IRS “errs in three ways: 1) [it] invents a nonexistent requirement that exempt organizations be neutral on public policy issues; 2) [it] incorrectly concludes that Christians Engaged primarily serves private, nonexempt purposes rather than public, exempt purposes because he thinks its beliefs overlap with the Republican Party’s policy positions; and 3) [it] violates the First Amendment’s Free Speech, and Free Exercise, and Establishment clauses by engaging in both viewpoint discrimination and religious discrimination.” Christians Engaged President Bunni Pounds said, “We just want to encourage more people to vote and participate in the political process. How can anyone be against that?” 

A few weeks later the IRS reversed itself and granted 501(c)(3) status to Christians Engaged.