Fraudulent Letters Threaten Pastors Political Participation

At least two Iowan evangelical pastors received fraudulent letters threatening sanction by the IRS if their church became too politically involved.

Despite Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s win last Thursday in the Iowa caucus, at least two evangelical pastors in that state discovered that supporting him may not be easy.

In what Time magazine called a case of “dirty tricks,” the Iowa pastors each received fraudulent letters warning that their churches were risking sanction by the Internal Revenue Service if they became too involved in the political campaign.

The pastors said the letters were aimed at discouraging them from getting their church members to show up on caucus night reports Time.

Following a 30-minute conference call that included advice from prominent evangelical leaders and an attorney, the pair were assured they could continue to urge congregants to vote.