When the Church reduces its responsibility for this nation to quietly casting ballots, while refusing to speak about who governs it, it has already surrendered the battlefield to darkness.

What silenced America’s pulpits was not the loss of Scripture, but the fear of speaking God’s truth where it threatens earthly power.

I. The Root of the Poison: A Political Deal in 1954

In 1954, Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, seeking to silence several organizations that opposed him, introduced what seemed like an insignificant tax amendment. That small clause was later inserted into the Internal Revenue Code, section 501(c)(3), which states:

“Any organization exempt from taxation — including churches — shall not participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”

On the surface, it looked like a simple “tax rule.” In reality, it planted a toxic seed deep within the American legal system.

Because Congress is not the author of the Constitution and holds no authority to amend it, it bypassed the constitutional process and, through economic conditions, indirectly rewrote the boundaries of free speech and religious liberty.

The Constitution’s text remained untouched. The original twenty-seven Amendments were never repealed. But through this tax code insertion, Congress turned freedom of religion into a conditional privilege:

“You may speak the truth — but if you speak about politics, we will take away your tax-exempt status.”

This is exactly how the enemy works — not through open destruction, but through silent substitution.

II. The Illusion of “Nothing Changed”

When people say, “The Constitution hasn’t changed,” they are only looking at the surface.
But if you trace it layer by layer, you’ll see what really happened:

1. The Constitution itself still says: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people… to petition the government.”
2. The Amendments remain an organic part of the Constitution — meaning every law must align with their spirit and intent.
3. The Internal Revenue Code, however, is a lower-level federal law controlled by Congress — the same body that has no right to modify the Constitution but has full control over taxation and exemptions.
4. The Johnson Amendment cleverly uses that economic power to impose a practical restriction. It doesn’t openly forbid the Church from speaking — it simply says, “You may speak freely, but if you do, you will lose your financial standing.”

Thus, the freedom once guaranteed by God and recognized by the Constitution was quietly tied to an economic threat.

Pastors who dared to mention candidates or policies risked losing their 501(c)(3) status.
If a church lost its tax-exempt status, its donors could no longer deduct their offerings — turning acts of faith into financial penalties.

That economic penalty indirectly reduced the church’s resources, weakened its ability to act, and caused many to hold back in fear.

It was as if a sign were hung at the entrance of every church:
“You may preach about heaven — but not about who governs the earth.”

This was not an open amendment to the Constitution. It was an invisible amendment — a sneaky, indirect, and almost untraceable way to alter the practical meaning of America’s founding covenant with God.

III. The Price of Silence: When God’s Army Was Disarmed

From that point on, the American Church was slowly trained to become “well-behaved.”
Believers were told, “Faith and politics must stay separate.” Pastors were warned, “If you mention politics from the pulpit, you could violate IRS law.”

And so, the fire on the altar began to fade. The Church still preached Scripture — but selectively.
It spoke of personal salvation, yet avoided the truths that challenge the rulers of this world.
The prophets’ voices turned into cautious whispers. The shepherds became accountants, guarding paperwork instead of souls.

The Church withdrew behind its own walls — talking about private faith but not public righteousness. It prayed for heaven to come but forgot God’s first command: “Fill the earth and subdue it.”When God’s army laid down its spiritual weapons, Satan walked in and claimed the ground.

IV. The Great Substitution: From Kingdom to Institution

Under the shadow of the Johnson Amendment, the Church’s focus shifted —from advancing the Kingdom of God to maintaining the operation of the church institution. From who governs the nation to how to preserve nonprofit status.

That was exactly the enemy’s plan. If he cannot destroy the Church, he will make it afraid of losing its comfort. If he cannot make believers deny God, he will make them silent about Him.

It was a spiritual substitution — a deceitful exchange of essence for form. The mission of proclaiming truth was replaced by the fear of losing privilege. And once the Church no longer speaks truth to power, it has already surrendered.

V.  A Call to Awaken: Rebuilding the Army of the Lord

If American churches choose to stay silent in order to keep their nonprofit status, they are trading the voice of heaven for the approval of man—and that is far more dangerous than any IRS penalty. When the Church stays silent, it gives tyranny permission to preach. When believers refuse to stand for truth, they hand their nation over to darkness. When the Church reduces its responsibility for this nation to quietly casting ballots, while refusing to speak about who governs it, it has already surrendered the battlefield to darkness.

God never called His people to hide inside safe walls. He called them to shine in a battlefield of truth and deception. The issue is not about politics in the worldly sense — it is about kingdom allegiance. It is not party versus party — it is God’s Kingdom versus the kingdom of darkness.

When America ceases to be Under God, it will inevitably fall Under Tyranny.

The Johnson Amendment is not merely a tax issue — it is a spiritual betrayal. It hollowed out the Constitution from within and silenced the army of God from the pulpit.

Yet the voice of God still calls:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)

If we break the silence, this nation can still turn back. If we remain silent, darkness will completely cover America.

May the people of God once again rise as His army, and let the sound of truth echo once more across the mountains and plains of America.