Religion-Based Tax Breaks: Housing to Paychecks to Books
The Times has been doing a series on "how American religious organizations benefit from an increasingly accommodating government" and the 4th installment is available here. The current article calls bullshit on media darling Rick Warren, the megachurch pastor best known for publishing the bestselling nonfiction book in our nation's history: The Purpose Driven Life.
The article details the millionaire's lawsuit against the government to avoid paying taxes on his housing. Hopefully, the adoring media will begin waking up to Warren who blatantly campaigned for Bush in 2004, compared homosexuality to sex with a horse, and used his power to censor another author's book.
You can read the the New York Times article here. And here's Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the series.
"TAX BREAKS FOR THE CLERGY: Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, Calif. The church’s founder fought for tax breaks for clergy members, citing their service to society. Such breaks help both poorly and well-paid ministers, but are not available to low-paid teachers or secular charity workers."
Bill McCartney
