Bush's IRS Cracks Down on Pasadena Church

A liberal Pasadena church facing an IRS investigation over alleged politicking sounded a defiant note Sunday, with its leaders and many congregants saying the probe amounted to an assault on their constitutional rights and that they were inclined to defy the agency's request for documents.

At the pulpit Sunday, Bacon got straight to the point, eliciting loud laughter from the congregation:

I want to begin my sermon by once again expressing my gratitude to the Internal Revenue Service. Those brothers and sisters really know how to shine a spotlight on a struggling church and swell the number of worshipers.

Bacon told the congregation that, although he recognized that the church could not endorse or oppose a political candidate,

neither could it remain silent in the face of dehumanization, injustice and violence. . . History is shamefully littered with the moral bankruptcy of people who were Christian in name but not behavior

Neutrality and silence in the face of oppression always aids the oppressor.

When he was done, Bacon received a minutelong standing ovation.

Read More