The IRS’ persecution of a Christian nonprofit should terrify all of us

[Valin]

NY Post

Joshua D. Holdenried

July 21, 2021

A decade after the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status, the agency recently pulled a similar stunt with a faith-based organization named Christians Engaged. The IRS called it quits after a public backlash, but people and groups that are out of favor with the left should be wary of renewed government discrimination.

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The IRS fixated on the group’s Christian belief in the Bible. As the agency explained in its denial letter this year, “ible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican] Party and candidates.” It also commented on the fact that several of the group’s leaders are active members of the GOP. The agency interpreted these facts to conclude that Christians Engaged isn’t entitled to tax-exempt status.

(Snip)

The good news is that Christians Engaged fought back and won. It brought the IRS’s original denial to the attention of prominent public officials in both houses of Congress, who asked the agency what it was doing and why. In a matter of days, the IRS backed down and approved Christians Engaged’s nonprofit status.

But Americans shouldn’t have to depend on public outcries from the powerful to secure their rights, especially against a government agency that President Joe Biden hopes to double in size. The IRS still needs to be held accountable, because this latest targeting scandal surely won’t be the last.