Tax breaks are wonderful and alot can be said about their usefulness to the church. Ministries are almost always on tight budgets. They pinch pennies and try to do the best they can for people who are in need. It is a great relief for charities not to pay taxes.
However, I think that "tax exempt" has become the steering wheel for the mechanics of the voice of the church. We as the church have embraced the concept of separation of church and state without seeing the truth. The truth, as I see it, is that the state has not separated itself from the church! Government "interfers" with the church by intimidating and threatening a removal of the tax exempt status for those who take a firm stand against politically correct thinking. The relief of taxes has bound us to the govermental winds like a kite on a string. There is no real security or freedom.
Questions remain: When is the church going to stand up and believe God to supply their needs and stop relying on the governments' allowances to get us by? When will Christians become so bold for the Lord that they will refuse to live in the shadow of the Government dollars? When will we live as people who are free to speak even if it brings conflict? When will we stop depending on the handouts of our "Big Brother?" When will God alone be our strong tower, our provider, our refuge, our truth, and our Lord and Master?
Like I said before, alot of good can be done being tax exempt. But what is not being done that God would like to be done? If we took our hand out of the pocket of the government maybe we would become a greater instrument of true heart change in those who see our duplicity. If we stood on our own with only God as our source, maybe we would find our voices singing His glory and truth and honor!
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