(ChurchLeaders) Christians Engaged, a self-described “educational, Christian and nonpartisan” group based in Texas, is appealing after the Internal Revenue Service denied its request for tax-exempt status.
In a letter last month, Stephen Martin, director of exempt organizations, informed Christians Engaged it is disqualified from nonprofit status because it operates “for the private interests” of the Republican party and its “bible teachings are typically affiliated with” that party. The group, meanwhile, says it merely encourages Christians to get involved with the political process, and it accuses the IRS of “engaging in both viewpoint discrimination and religious discrimination.”