05/29/2004: "Shutting down free speech in Big Sky country"

Barry Lynn (see below) isn't the only one in the business of threatening churches who take positions on public issues he doesn't like. This time it's a gay rights group in, of all places, Montana:

Gay rights advocates filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Political Practices against the Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church Wednesday, saying the church inappropriately held an event to support a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Montanans for Families and Fairness, a coalition that includes InterMountain Planned Parenthood, PRIDE and the Montana Human Rights Network, said in the complaint that the church failed to report to the state commissioner it used its "in-kind" resources to support the proposed constitutional ban.

Petitions supporting the proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage in Montana were circulated at a church event Sunday night. The initiative will be placed on the November ballot if 41,000 voters sign a petition in favor of the measure.

"They made an expense on behalf of this thing," said Rob Hill, campaign director for the coalition that filed the complaint. "We believe they have to file with the commissioner's office. They haven't done that."

Montanans for Families and Fairness said the church should have reported its contributions to the ballot initiative to the state by Wednesday. Citing state law, Hill said the church became an incidental ballot committee when it authorized expenditures for the event and needed to file disclosure reports with the state no later than five days after the church authorized those expenses.

"This church used its resources to plan the event, gather the audience, provide a multimedia event and then petition its congregation, all in support of the discrimination amendment," said Karl Olson, chairman of the coalition.

Olson said churches that "engage in this type of activity" must file the appropriate paperwork with the state.

In addition to incurring fines, the church could be in danger of losing its nonprofit status with the IRS if it engages in political advocacy, he said.

Political Practices Commissioner Linda Vaughey said Wednesday that she has five days in which to determine if a violation occurred.

Someone should tell Olson that if "political advocacy" were against the tax code for churches, every mainline denomination in America would be shovelling cash into the US Treasury.