"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18

501c3: The Devil's Church How The Greed of Pastors Has Created More Corrupt Church Buildings Than America Has Ever Seen Before This 210-page book is free to read here on our website, or available for purchase in paperback or Kindle from the Amazon Store. Click the image for more details.

Other Content: Questions & Concerns Letters from Pastors, Elders, and Churchgoers

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
-Matthew 13:22

A 501(c)(3) corporation is a non-profit organization that gains a tax-exempt status under section 501(c) in the U.S. Internal Revenue (IRS) Code [26 U.S.C. §501(c)]. Many types of non-religious clubs and groups are eligible for 501c3 incorporated status, but part 3 in the tax code was developed for religious, educational, and charitable entities. There is a false assumption by many churchgoers today that in order to be an "official church," one must obtain 501c3 status, but this could not be further from the truth. There is no law anywhere that requires any church to get 501c3 status, and as we will see later, it is most often done for financial benefit. In this book, we will learn about the dangers of 501c3, why so many pastors seek to get it, and why it causes so many problems for churchgoers.

The IRS website states the "Exempt Purposes" of 501c3:
"The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals. The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency."
-Internal Revenue Service, "Exempt Purposes - Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3)," retrieved May 18, 2018, [https://bit.ly/2p9Vi3M]

In all fairness, that seems reasonable, so why would there be any harm in having a 501c3 corporation? It seems like they are just there to help people, and get government support while doing so. Indeed, there is nothing generally wrong with having a 501c3 corporate contract, UNLESS it is specifically for the born again church of the Lord Jesus Christ; then there are MANY offenses that most pastors and elders are completely unwilling to understand.

Before we begin, there are three important facts that need to be stated:

No U.S. law exists that requires any single citizen to file a federal income tax form. (We do not cover that topic on our website. See the following documentary for more info: Freedom to Fascism) The Biblical church is not a legally recognized entity; therefore, it is not taxable. (i.e. There is no reason to file for "tax exemption" when you do not owe any taxes.) Enticing to give via tax write-offs is not Biblical giving. (Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Many readers may be confused about point #2 because they do not understand the concept of a corporation.

incorporated (adj): formed or constituted as a legal corporation
corporation (n): an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members
(See 'incorporated' & 'corporation', Random House Dictionary, 2019, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

A corporation can exist for just about anything; however, I want readers to notice that it is a legal existence which is independent (i.e. separate from) the existences of its members, and that is very important because it means the members are not the foundation on which the corporation exists. (i.e. The members are irrelevant.) Perhaps a more simple way to understand a corporation is that it is like a frame for pictures hanging on a wall; once the frame (i.e. corporation) is established, the government does not care whose pictures (i.e. members) are in the frame, nor if there is any picture in the frame at all, because the frame remains no matter what goes in it.

For example, let's consider a book club: Book clubs exist all around the country, but the government will only recognize something to exist if they have it on file in their database, which means that even though book clubs exist by the attendance of their members, through the glasses of the court, they do not exist. Book clubs do not need the government's acknowledgment to exist; it simply means that the court does not know or care about what the book clubs say or do, so long as they are not breaking any laws. In order for the state to recognize the existence of a book club, the club has to have a legal document declaring its existence, which is known as a "corporate status" or "corporate entity," and until the book club gets a corporate contract, the book club cannot be taxed or sued.
(Individual members can be taxed or sued, but the organization cannot be taxed or sued until they get a corporate status; meaning that individual citizens in the U.S. already have corporate status, but that's another topic we will not cover in this book.)

Likewise, if a group of believers (which is called the "church" in Scripture) gather together to study, they cannot be taxed or sued for simply meeting together. In the same sense, churches do not need to have the court acknowledge their existence. Their non-existence in the eyes of the court simply means that the court does not care what they say or do, meaning that the state has no business in their affairs.

To put it another way, your family cannot be taxed or sued for having a family reunion. However, if your family went to the government and got a corporate entity registered in the state database under "Bob's Family Reunion," now all those who attend the incorporated "Bob's Family Reunion" can be taxed and/or sued in a court of law.

Because I know many people struggle to understand this concept, I will provide a hypothetical example: Let's suppose Bob and his family get together under the corporation entity "Bob's Family Reunion," and Uncle Bob, in his foolishness, decides to get wild and fling food around at other family members. During Uncle Bob's food-flinging frenzy, he accidentally gets some food on the dress of a woman across the room, and it damages her $500 dress, to which, in her justified anger, she sues for the money to replace her expensive evening dress.

When the woman sues, does she sue Bob for the money? Under normal circumstances, she would sue Bob, and Bob would be solely responsible for the damages, but the problem is that Bob was acting under Bob's Family Renunion INCORPORATED (Inc), and so because it was an official Bob Family Reunion Inc. meeting, therefore, the woman sues Bob's Family Reunion, which means the members of Bob's family are collectively responsible to pay the damages.

Now simply apply that same concept to a church organization, and you can begin to the see the problems. I understand, the thought of such a thing is absurd, but this is real-life absurdity that exists in just about every church building you see on street corners across the country that willingly give themselves over to this absurdity by registering a corporate entity on their church building through 501c3 when they have no need or obligation to do so.

As I have already stated, there is no law anywhere that requires any church to get a 501c3 corporate contract; so the obvious question we need to ask is, "Why would elders and pastors want to get 501c3 status?" They can give all the excuses they want, but there are only two basic reasons for getting it:

TRADTION: Over the past few decades, 501c3 has just become something that church buildings and their elders do without considering (or caring about) the consequences.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [lies] , after the tradition of men [e.g. 501c3], after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

MONEY: A "tax-exempt" status means that individuals and businesses can write off donations on their taxes and increase their own profits, which increases the frequency and size of donations and checks that appear in the offering plates.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:10

What most churchgoers do not like considering is that it comes down to ignorance, laziness (i.e. because they did not bother to do the research first), greed (i.e. covetousness), or all of the above. There are no other reasons; it's not like church elders have a casual hobby of filling out government tax forms for fun. For men who are in positions of leadership and education for church buildings, they ought to be ashamed of themselves, but sadly, most of the time, they just make excuses and ignore the facts.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing [lies and deception]? Selah. [stop and consider the matter]
-Psalm 4:2

The typical 501c3 churchgoer or preacher I have spoken with denies these things, and says the reason they got 501c3 incorporated was so they did not have to file a federal income tax return for the church. Whenever you hear a preacher or churchgoer make this excuse, you can know for certain they have no clue what they are talking about because a church building does NOT have to file a tax return anymore than a book club has to file a tax return; in the eyes of the state, the church DOES NOT EXIST, therefore, they are legally "invisible," which means their church did NOT owe any taxes, and that also means they NEVER needed tax exemption. In short, the only reason they were eligible to be taxed in the first place was because they registered their church building under 501c3, which means the state is offering "tax exemption" as payment when you give up your right to be invisible. (i.e. It's a trap.)

So that leads us to a very important question, "Why would any church building want to go get permission from the government to be exempted from a tax they did not owe to begin with?" The true New Testament church is not taxable, so why do they need "tax exempt" status? I'm not the only one who has asked these questions; even Steve Nestor, retired Senior Officer for the IRS, alongside many IRS employees, have all wondered the same thing:
"I am not the only IRS employee who's wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn't owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they've always had anyway. Many of us [other of his fellow IRS employees] have marveled [been surprised] at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don't seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control."
-Steve Nestor, IRS Senior Officer, IRS Publication 526, quoted by Peter Kershaw, In Caesar's Grip, self-published, 2000; See also Thomas Lake, Romans 13 In a Constitutional Republic, Xlibris Corporation, 2011, p. 9, ISBN: 9781456846886

Before we get into the details, it's important to note the Lord Jesus Christ told us to beware of leaven (Mat 16:6-12), and in that context, leaven is corruption of false doctrine which comes from the sin of man's heart. I want readers to understand that I know of many non-501c3, KJB churches that are leavened, or in other words, 501c3 is NOT the root of the problem; it is only a symptom of the underlying problem.

There are many people out there who read this book and decide they are going to go on some "holy crusade" against 501c3 because they foolishly believe that if you remove 501c3, the problem with church buildings will be solved. That could not be further from the truth. Those people are ignorant because they foolishly judge according to the outward appearance, instead of judging righteous judgement.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

In this book, we will see that 501c3 is not the source of leaven, but rather, the churchgoers and preachers got the 501c3 status because they were ALREADY leavened. Leaven comes from the hearts of men; it does NOT come from getting 501c3 status.

Church buildings are leavened BEFORE getting 501c3.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
-Galatians 5:9

First, we need to acknowledge that many pastors and churchgoers are in denial about the truths of the 501c3 corporation. Barbara Ketay, a lawyer at the Biblical Law Center, wrote the following:
"O.K. Pastors, Evangelists, Missionaries, Deacons, Trustees, Elders... listen up! Let's stop all the hocus-pocus, the illusions, the scams, the fairy-tales and the outright lies regarding what the 501(c)(3) incorporated church is and is not. For a change, let's deal with facts. For those of you who don't understand 'facts,' in the legal arena, facts are used and are supported by documented evidence which would be admissible in a legitimate court of law. Facts are not hyperbole! [exaggeration]"
-Barbara Ketay, "The 501(c)(3) Incorporated Church: The Real Truth," Biblical Law Center, retrieved May 18, 2018, [biblicallawcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/THE-501c3CHURCH.pdf]

Ketay is speaking very passionately about this issue because she is trying desperately to get pastors and elders to wake up and see what is staring them in the face, and it should be noted that she is correct in her statement, having a good understanding about the philosophy behind the concept of a corporation. This is not to say that all lawyers have a good understanding of corporations, but Ketay has proper understanding, and this can be backed up by Supreme Court rulings; for example, in the 1906 case of Hale v. Henkel:
"A 'corporation' is a creature of the state. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. It receives certain special privileges and franchises and holds them subject to the laws of the state and the limitations of the charter. Its powers are limited by law. It can make no contract not authorized by its charter. Its rights to act as a corporation are only preserved to it so long as it obeys the laws of its creation. There is a reserved right in the Legislature to investigate its contracts and find out whether it has exceeded its powers. It would be a strange anomaly to hold that a state, having chartered a corporation to make use of certain franchises, could not in the exercise of its sovereignty inquire how these franchises had been employed, and whether they had been abused, and demand the production of the corporate books and papers for that purpose."
(See Hale v. Henkle, 26 Sup. Ct. 370, 201 U.S. 43, 50 L. Ed. 652; See also Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases, West Publishing Company, Vol. 1, 1914, p. 1060)

The very existence of a corporation is a privilege granted by the creator of the corporation, as was cited in Myatt v. Ponca City Land & Imp. Co.:
"A 'corporation' is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law. Being a mere creature of the law, it possesses only those properties which the charter of its creation confers upon it, either expressly or as incidental to its very existence."
(See Myatt v. Ponca City Land & Imp. Co., 78 Pac. 185, 196, 14 Okl. 189, 68 L.R.A. 810; See also Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases, West Publishing Company, Vol. 1, 1914, p. 1060)

A corporation's power is limited to that which its creator allows, not by any Constitutional rights, as cited in Converse v. Emerson, Talcott & Co.:
"A 'corporation' is but the creature of the statute, and it can exercise no greater powers than those which are expressly conferred upon it by its charter or which must be necessarily implied from its charter."
(See Converse v. Emerson, Talcott & Co., 90 N. E. 269, 272, 242 Ill. 619; See also Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases, West Publishing Company, Vol. 1, 1914, p. 1060)

There are many more court cases I could cite, and I know all these quotes may be confusing for some readers, so let's summarize these points in a simplistic manner:

• The creator of a corporation is the State.
• The State is the sole authority and sovereign head over the corporation.
• The corporation is subject to the laws of the State which limits its powers.
• The corporation has no constitutionally protected rights.
• The corporation is an artificial person.
• The corporation submits to a State Charter declaring it is a creature of the State.
• The corporation is created for the benefit of the public.
• The corporation is a State franchise.
• The corporation is a privilege granted by the State.

It's been far too long that pastors, evangelists, deacons, elders, missionaries, and churchgoers have sat in ignorance on this matter, so read this carefully: You have a 501c3 INCORPORATED status, which means your church is a CORPORATION of the state, and here is the message that I, lawyers, and the IRS are all trying to get you to understand about the contract you signed:

• The creator of your church is the State.
• The State is the sole authority and sovereign head over your church.
• Your church is subject to the laws of the State which limits its powers.
• Your church has no constitutionally protected rights.
• Your church is an artificial person.
• Your church submits to a State Charter declaring it is a creature of the State.
• Your church is created for the benefit of the public.
• Your church is a State franchise.
• Your church is a privilege granted by the State.
(The word church can also be replaced with ministry or mission.)

Any born again Christian can immediately see the Biblical violations a 501c3 incorporated church is committing, and if any preacher claims not to understand this, I would call that willful blindness, which means he has a heart problem (i.e. there is sin in his heart, which causes his blindness). It is pride that blinds such men. There is absolutely NO Biblical justification for this, but pastors and elders continue registering themselves under 501c3 for the sake of tradition and money, or in other words, they sacrifice their spiritual soul for a corporate soul.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Pride" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
-Mark 8:36

Once the elders/pastors get 501c3 approval, it does not matter who the pastor says is his creator when he is behind his pulpit because he signed a document denouncing the Lord Jesus Christ as his creator, and put the state in Christ's seat. It does not matter who the pastor says is the sole authority and sovereign head over the church because he signed a document declaring that the State has sole authority over the church. (i.e. They have tossed Christ off the throne.) It does not matter who the pastor says gives Christians liberty because he signed a document stating that no liberties can be taken within the church unless approved by state-granted privileges. The screams of violation against the Gospel of Christ are already deafening, and we have only seen a small fraction of the truth behind 501c3.

Ketay continues to point out:
"A 501(c)(3) corporation, being an artificial person, is not considered a person under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (religious liberty clause) or under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution (protection against self-incrimination clause). Therefore, an incorporated church has NO First or Fifth Amendment rights. In the case Johnson vs. Goodyear, 127 Cal.4 (1899): 'A corporation, being an artificial person, only has rights within the meaning of the due process [judicial decision] and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and similar provisions of State constitutions and within the meaning of state statutes.'"
-Barbara Ketay, "The 501(c)(3) Incorporated Church: The Real Truth," Biblical Law Center, retrieved May 18, 2018, [biblicallawcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/THE-501c3CHURCH.pdf]

In case you may not have understood this, it means your church has NO constitutional rights once you sign up for 501c3. You have no First Amendment freedom of speech or freedom of religion rights, and you have no Fifth Amendment rights, which means the state can hold you as a witness against yourself to sentence you for any crime they choose. (This is not to say our government will do that, but I'm pointing out that they have the legal power to do that under the 501c3 contract.)

After the 501c3 contract is established, you are now a corporate soul, which means you only have privileges (not freedoms) that are granted by the judicial system according to the regulations of your contract. At that point, the IRS has full power to remove your privileges whenever they choose, and for any reason.

I have listened to many churchgoers cry out to me about their constitutional rights in their 501c3 church building, and insist they have religious freedom because of the First Amendment, but that NO LONGER APPLIES after 501c3. If you are a pastor, evangelist, or minister who signed the bottom line on a 501c3 corporate contract, you have outright LOST your constitutional rights, so complaining to me about it will not help you. If you look at the definitions above, you will see that your church is now an "artificial person," subject to the State, created by the State for the benefit of the public (not the benefit of the Lord Jesus Christ), and granted privileges by the State at their discretion; or in other words, you no longer serve the Christian God of the Bible, despite what you claim to believe.

In summary, this means if you signed up for 501c3, and the IRS says you cannot say something from the pulpit, then you DO NOT have any legal grounds or constitutional rights to argue against the State, and you are bound by lawful contract to keep silent.

In Scripture, the analogy of the wife to the husband is given in the same way as the church to Christ:

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
-Ephesians 5:22-24

Because of their leaven, the churches of America have signed themselves over to another husband in spiritual adultery. Most of them were not obedient to Christ in the first place, which is why the lure of 501c3 was so appealing to them, and why it was so easy for them to sign the document.
(Read "Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Even worse than signing the 501c3 contract are preachers I hear say the following: "Well, if the IRS ever tells me I can't preach what I want, then I'm just going to ignore them and preach the truth!" Then they quote Acts 5:

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
-Acts 5:29

I agree that Christians ought to obey God rather than men, UNLESS you signed a contract stating that you will obey men rather than God. Christians, read this carefully: Contracts are not just something you scribble your name on; they are your binding word, meaning that you have given your word to do everything listed out in that contract, which also means that if a pastor signs the 501c3 contract, and refuses to keep silent on matters commanded by the IRS, then they are engaging in LYING, which God clearly states is in an abomination in His sight.
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details; Lying is a sin equivalent to MURDER according to God's Word, but churchgoers do it all the time without repentance.)

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
-Proverbs 6:16-19

The Lord God hates lies so much, He mentioned them twice in His list of seven abominations, but these leavened preachers think they are doing some sort of righteous deed for the Lord by lying. There is no good that comes from lies because Satan is the father of lies, and those pastors make public sermons in which they profess their willingness to "lie for Jesus," which is a contradiction against Scripture, but the reason they contradict the Word of God is not because of a 501c3 contract (i.e. the IRS did not make them willing to lie), but rather, they were liars in their hearts BEFORE they ever signed up for 501c3.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
-John 8:44

If you truly followed God rather than men, you would not sought out 501c3 in the first place.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

If a pastor had a desire to "obey God rather than men," then why did he go looking for a 501c3 contract in the first place? That's total hypocrisy. Again, 501c3 is not the root source of the problem; there was leaven in that pastor/elder long before he signed up for 501c3. The excuses I hear from leavened preachers trying to justify their 501c3 contracts does not match up logically with what they contractually agreed to do, or in simple terms, they are double-minded men who say one thing with their mouths, but they are doing something else.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
-James 1:8

This does not say that a double-mineded man is unstable in some of his ways, but rather, ALL of his ways. That's what it means to be leavened, namely, that the corruption was in their hearts BEFORE they signed that contract.

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
-Psalm 12:1-2

The Lord God gave His Word about things he would do, and they are called the promises of God, (Gal 3:16) even though He never said "I promise I'll do this." God gave His Word, and that is a promise, just as we give our word, and that too is a promise. The Lord Jesus Christ expects the same from us; if we give our word that we will do something, it is our promise to do it, and if we refuse to do it in rebellion, then we are found to be liars, and need to be humbled to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing).
(Read "Is Repentance Part of Salvation?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
-Matthew 5:37

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
-Ecclesiastes 5:6

Pastors/Elders, read carefully: When you signed your 501c3 contract, you GAVE YOUR WORD that you would do what is listed out in that contract. If you want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in all matters of faith and practice, then you have two options:

1. Keep your word and do the things you agreed to do. Or... 2. Get out of the contract.

[C]hoose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
-Joshua 24:15

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. [mammon = money]
-Matthew 6:24

If we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, then we cannot keep one foot on either side of the fence, which Jesus called being "lukewarm." I have received many emails over the years (since I first published this teaching) from churchgoers who ask me how they can get all the benefits of 501c3, but without a 501c3 contract, and that's because they do not want to pay the price it takes to follow Christ.

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
-Revelation 3:15-16

To bear the cross of Christ does not mean that you purchase a necklace with a cross symbol on it. It means that there is burden, suffering, and sacrifice that has to be made when following the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who do not consider this cost, being willing to pay it for His sake, are not the children of God, meaning they are not Christians.
(Read "Christian Symbols Are Not Christian" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
-Luke 14:27-28

Choosing rather to suffer affliction [pain and grief] with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
-Hebrews 11:25

If the church building you attend signs a 501c3 contract, then the IRS has EVERY RIGHT to tell your church what they can and cannot preach. Normally, those of us born again in Christ's church will preach His Word as it pleases our Heavenly Father, but as soon as churchgoers sign and date the 501c3 documents, everything changes.

Of course, I have listened to churchgoers demand to see a law that silences pastors, but this is demanded in ignorance because there does not have to be a law after you have willingly signed away your rights. All Congress has to do is grant the IRS carte blanche privilege (i.e. full discretionary power) to do what they see fit (which Congress has done by implimenting 501c3), and it has the same effect as law, so what that means is if you sign a contract with the IRS, they don't need a law to tell you what you can and cannot say because you gave up your rights and agreed to obey their rules for regulating a church, and it is legally binding; giving them the power to enforce it at gunpoint if necessary.

If you signed a 501c3 contract, you willingly gave the IRS legal power to tell your church what messages it can and cannot preach.

The ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom) reported on continued efforts to silence church buildings on political matters, and threats from other organizations to report those who will not follow IRS regulations:
"Prior to 1954, churches were free to evaluate the positions of political candidates on moral issues without fear of the Internal Revenue Service revoking their tax-exempt status. That year, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson amended the tax code to add the threat of IRS action against churches if their pastors mentioned the positions of specific candidates from the pulpit. Citing that rule, groups like AU [Americans United] have repeatedly threatened to report churches to the IRS if they speak out on such issues."
-Alliance Defending Freedom, "ADF Announces New Initiative to Reclaim Pastors' First Amendment Rights," May 9, 2008, retrieved May 18, 2018, [adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/1857]

Again, churchgoers cry out, "They don't have the right to do that!" That's true, UNLESS your church building leadership signed a contract that binds them to IRS regulations instead of Jesus Christ. If your church building is 501c3 incorporated, organizations like Americans United have EVERY RIGHT to report your church to the IRS for breach of contract.

I do not want readers to get the wrong impression from the above quote because it should be noted that the ADF does not know what they're talking about concerning Lyndon Johnson and incorporated status prior to 1954. In fact, non-profit, tax-exempt organizations existed for many decades BEFORE 501c3 in 1954. Lyndon Johnson technically did not do anything to regulate churches; I'll address that later in the "Questions & Concerns" section at the end of this book.

The reason the ADF is trying to get the IRS to give pastors back their First Amendment rights is because the ADF knows that the pastors are silenced in 501c3 church buildings. Again, I have had many pastors and evangelists make the claim to me that they are not silenced on certain matters, but the evidence speaks louder than their excuses. However, in their willful ignorance, the ADF is foolishly fighting with the IRS, trying to get special privileges, instead of teaching what's Biblical, which would be helping Christians dissolve their 501c3 contracts. (i.e. They don't want to make them give it up because it would cost them far too much, or in other words, it's all about the money, we will cover more on that later.)

Instead of fearing the Lord God, which is the beginning of wisdom and understanding (Psa 111:10), pastors choose to fear losing their tax-exempt status. Where in the Bible does it say, "Thou shalt have thy tax-exempt status?" What message does that send to new Christians about the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit over the church? The message it sends to new Christians is that the Spirit of God is not enough for the protection of Christ's church, but rather, they need the IRS, and so pastors run to the IRS shivering in fear of losing their "precious" tax exemption, which ought to be an overt sign of the lukewarm church buildings of America.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
-1 Corinthians 2:13

In 2008, former president George W. Bush's Administration gave their official position on 501c3 concerning religious institutions:

"Kinsolving asked: 'The AP also reports that 33 pastors in 22 states made specific endorsements of political candidates in challenging the IRS-Lyndon Johnson ruling about no political endorsements in churches. And my question: Does the president believe that America's clergy should be denied the freedom of speech to endorse political candidates?' [Tony] Fratto responded: 'Those rules are set forth in IRS regulations, directed by statute. And the IRS is enforcing the law, and the president believes that the IRS should enforce the law.'"

-World Net Daily, "Bush: IRS Should Enforce Pastor's Speech Ban," Sept 30, 2008, retrieved May 18, 2018, [mobile.wnd.com/2008/09/76673]

In summary, the reporter asked Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto if pastors should be denied freedom of speech, and although Fratto did not have the President's direct opinion, he stated clearly that rules set forth by the IRS trump the First Amendment, and I would normally disagree, UNLESS you signed a 501c3 contract in which you willingly gave up your First Amendment rights. Under that circumstance, Fratto is absolutely correct: When you sign a contract in which you agree to give up your rights, then you lose them.

I hope born again Christians are beginning to understand this: If you have a 501c3 church, then you have NO freedom of speech under the First Amendment, and that automatically means you also have NO religious liberty because freedom of speech is absolutely vital for religious liberty.

To further demonstrate this point, the following recording was documented by Ania Joseph in March of 2012. The recording is a phone conversation Joseph had with IRS Agent Sherry Wan (ID# 0203399), who explained to her that she, under a 501(c)(3) incorporated entity, was not legally allowed to preach her pro-life beliefs to other people. Wan does not speak very good English, so it may be difficult to understand her meaning, but she's explaining that Joseph has limited rights to speech and action under tax exemption:

WAN: "You have the religious freedom; You have the freedom of speech. And other people also have their civil rights, human rights. For other people, you don't have the belief. So I don't believe you need the right to do this: start confrontation, protesting; if you do apply for tax exemption. You have your right of belief to do what you're supposed to do, but you have no right to go against other people's beliefs. You reach out to a woman, you can't do that. You can, you know, to educate the woman, to do, you know, you don't do that. However, you just can't like say, you know, the [unintelligible] woman, you fear the woman. You have to give the woman the opportunity to listen to you. You cannot force your religion or force your beliefs on somebody else. For example, when you, you know, go to, you know, the abortion clinic, and you found them [unintelligible], we don't want, you know, to come against them. You can't take all kinds of confrontation activities and also put something on the website and ask people to take action against the abortion clinic. That's not, that's not really educational. So here, your action is based on more blind, emotional feelings. And like I said, you have the right to believe. You have the right to do, your religion told you what's right. You have a right to, you know, outreach to other people. But meanwhile, you have to know your boundaries. You have to know your limits." JOSEPH: "Yeah, I'm going to have to consult somebody because, you know, I understand your point, but I also understand as a ministry we have certain rights as well, and I want to consult somebody and just take it from there and to get more information and—" WAN: "Yeah actually that's good. I think, like I said, you know, you understand my point now? That means we have to, you know, we, we—everybody has their religious rights and religious beliefs, but you have to respect other people's beliefs; other people's rights, and not, you know, use some kind of confrontation, you know, talking against, or court action against another group. Meanwhile, we want you to be aware that, you know, when you conduct religious activities, meanwhile you have to respect other people's beliefs, other people's religion. You cannot use any kind of, you know, confrontation way against other groups or devalue other groups, other people's beliefs. Okay?"

To this day, I still hear preachers make excuses to say they are only silenced on "political matters." First of all, it should be noted that anything can be a "political matter" if the topic is brought up in politics, but even if it was only political matters, that's still a violation against Scripture concerning the church. What Agent Wan said was correct; once a church building gets their 501c3 corporate entity, they are considered an extension of the state (which I'll explain more in a moment), and therefore, as state representatives, they have to act and speak in a manner that does not offend anyone because the government is supposed to be impartial (i.e. unbiased), which means the silencing covers far more than just political matters.

To further demonstrate this point, let's look at the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
-First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, documented by Cornell's Legal Information Institute, retrieved Aug 24, 2019, [law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment]

This is not to say that the founders of our government did not have religious beliefs of their own, nor is it to say that the formation of this type of government was not founded on a particular set of religious beliefs (which were based mostly on New Testament Christianity), but rather, this is saying that no laws would be established that required citizens to respect a particular religious belief, which would then be enforced by punishments in court. (i.e Such punishments typically include jail, fines, etc.) Since no law can be established with respect to a religious belief, it also means that U.S. government employees cannot force any establishment of religious beliefs, nor show bias of them in any way while they are at work (e.g. a secretary at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles cannot start preaching about Jesus to those who come in to update their driver's licenses), and therefore, since 501c3 falls under U.S. government jurisdiction, church organizations that get 501c3 have to abide by the same rules, namely, that they cannot infringe on the beliefs of others, and must maintain an unbiased approach to others' beliefs on abortion, homosexuality, politics, etc.

Yet, the ADF (who originally published the above audio clip) has no understanding of this matter because when I read their analysis of Agent Wan's phone call, they said she was "inaccurate." That's not the case; rather, the ADF is just willingly ignorant. They are fighting a battle on a flimsy foundation; a battle they will NEVER win. They first need to understand that this is NOT about public constitutional law; this is about privatized corporate contracts, which means you must abide by the rules laid out in the contract, and the Lord God expects us to keep our word when we sign it in agreement.

Churchgoers object to this and say that it is wrong for the IRS to put limitations on preachers because that goes against basic constitutional rights, and I agree, UNLESS you signed a 501c3 corporate contract in which you agreed to give up constitutional rights. Once you sign that 501c3 contract, then the IRS DOES have a right to enforce it, and I will boldly say that the IRS SHOULD be enforcing those contracts.

How embarrassing is it for a church building, full of people calling themselves Christians, to be rebuked by the IRS for lying? It's a situation in which they ought to be ashamed of themselves because of their sin, but they claim to be the "good guys" resisting the evil because they glory in their shame:

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
-Philippians 3:18-19

Why is it that churchgoers think that because they have a "Christian" church building that they should be afforded special privileges over everyone else? All other 501c3 entities must abide by the IRS rules, so why do elders, pastors, and churchgoers think they ought to get a special pass?

Many years ago, I thought most pastors were just ignorant on this issue, and did not understand what they were getting into, but over the years, through personal conversation and experience with a multitude of preachers, I have found that is not the case. I was naïve, meaning that I lacked wisdom and discernment in judgment. Today, I can see that most pastors do indeed understand the Biblical violations, but the problem is that they do not care, and they just make excuses for it, or in other words, it's not ignorance alone, because that can be fixed; it's WILLFUL ignorance that comes from a source of pride and covetousness in the heart, which is leaven.

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
-1 Corinthians 5:7

These pastors and elders are not signing a 501c3 contract because they are ignorant, though many are, but rather, they are signing the contract because they are LEAVENED, that is, corrupted and wicked in their hearts. That's why they cannot see; God has not opened their understanding because they have not received the Spirit of God, and therefore, they cannot discern the spiritual offenses, which is why they brush off teachings like this as "foolishness."

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:14

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
-Ephesians 4:22-24

We can see some evidence of the prior knowledge of pastors if we look at the so-called "ministers" who rallied behind former president Barack Obama and his wicked campaign. These pastors know full-well they have to be cautious about what they say, and they are educating church building leadership on the matter:

CONGRESSMAN EMMANUEL CLEAVER: "We'll have representatives from nine denominations who actually pastor somewhere in the neighborhood of about ten million people. And we are going to, first of all, equip them with the information they need to know about what they can say, and what they cannot say in the church that would violate their 501c3 status with the IRS. In fact, we're going to have the IRS administrator there, we're going to have the attorney general... there, we're going to have the lawyers organization from around the country, the ACLU, all giving ministers guidance on what they can and cannot do."

(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

What most pastors and elders do is talk to a lawyer in or near their church buildings, and simply hand the application process for 501c3 over to him/her; once it's in a lawyer's hands, they just pay the law fees and remain ignorant. For example, I spoke with a man a couple years ago who listened to my teaching on this subject and addressed a pastor he knew in Indianapolis on the matter, the pastor handed it off to his lawyer because he said that there was an entire library of books worth of information on that subject that he simply could not comprehend.

In short, the pastor claims "I'm not guilty of anything because I'm ignorant," and they think that makes everything better. Is this the type of man you want to learn spiritual truth from? Is this the type of man you want your children learning from? Do you want to be educated in the Bible by a man who sits in willful ignorance and sells out the church for extra money without bothering to take a little time to learn the facts? Neither the preachers nor the lawyers involved care at all about the Biblical violations because they do not care what happens as long as they bring in the money.

To further demonstrate their willful blindness, you can click on the image here to read an IRS 1023 Form, which is the application to get 501c3 incorporated. If you'll look over the 26 pages briefly, you will quickly realize why so many willingly ignorant pastors just hand this off to a lawyer; the average person cannot make sense of most of it, and to that I would say that if you cannot understand it, then you shouldn't be signing up for it in the first place. According to the application, you have to list out everything you spend money on, where you spend it, why you spend it, what forms of worship you have, what your bylaws are; literally every detail has to be listed out and attached to the form for review.

(See Internal Revenue Service, "Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code," Department of the Treasury, Form 1023, December, 2017, OMB No. 1545-0056, retrieved May 29, 2018, [irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1023.pdf])

This means that, under 501c3, whatsoever the Holy Spirit of God has set for the church to do must first be approved by an IRS secretary. On page 13, question 1, they ask:
"Do you have a written creed, statement of faith, or summary of beliefs? If 'Yes,' attach copies of relevant documents. Do you have a form of worship? If 'Yes,' describe your form of worship."
(See Internal Revenue Service, "Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code," Department of the Treasury, Form 1023, December, 2017, OMB No. 1545-0056, p. 13, "Schedule A. Churches," retrieved May 29, 2018, [irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1023.pdf])

What most Americans do not realize is that you could start a religion, and get 501c3 status, for pretty much anything. For example, if I wanted to start a religion that worships jelly beans, I could do so as long as I put down that there was a statement of faith in jelly beans, and a form of worship for them; I could then start "The Church of Divine Jelly Bean" Incorporated.

Some readers may not know about this, but most church buildings across every denomination have a little black book of rules that they call "bylaws," and anyone who has any leadership position in the church building must abide by this little black book; they will not allow anyone to "minister" unless they are in line with that rule book. The reason they have to do this is because they filed these bylaws with the IRS, and so all employees of the corporate entity (i.e. the pastors, deacons, missionaries, elders, etc) must all follow that black book of rules, or else there could be legal and financial consequences from the IRS. It should be noted that the New Testament church operates under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has a black book of rules called "The Bible," and that book does not need IRS recognition, approval, nor regulation.
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Form 1023 goes on to ask if the religious institution who is applying has a code of doctrine, religious history, literature, hierarchy, and scheduled services, and also requires that the details and nature of all these things be documented, attached to the form, and sent to the IRS for approval. (This is in addition to the 26-page application.) They also ask how many people attend on a regular basis, how many members there are to the religious institution, what process one must undergo to become a member, voting rights, denominations, associations, baptisms, weddings, funerals, leadership structures, ordainments, commissions, licenses, charters, fees, and all of these are to be listed out in detail for IRS consideration.

All this documentation serves a purpose, and in simple terms, if you become a 501c3 ministry, your application was reviewed to see if it meets the requirements of an organization which benefits the public under definitions set forth by the Supreme Court:
"To support this connection between conformity to public policy and eligibility for a public benefit, Chief Justice Burger offered the following explanation:
'When the Government grants exemptions or allows deductions, all tax-payers are affected; the very fact of the exemption or deduction for the donor means that other taxpayers can be said to be indirect and vicarious "donors." Charitable exemptions are justified on the basis that the exempt entity confers a public benefit--a benefit which the society or the community may not itself choose or be able to provide, or which supplements and advances the work of the public institutions already supported by tax revenues. History buttresses [supports] logic to make clear that, to warrant exemption under 501(c)(3), an institution must fall within a category specified in that section and must demonstrably serve and be in harmony with the public interest. The institution's purpose must not be so at odds with the common community conscience as to undermine any public benefit that might otherwise be conferred.'"
-John Rohr, Ethics for Bureaucrats: An Essay on Law and Values, CRC Press, 1988, p. 220, ISBN: 9780824780326; See also Alan Gunn & Larry D. Ward, Cases, Text And Problems on Federal Income Taxation, Thomson/West, 2006, p. 222, ISBN: 9780314166586

In case you did not understand what was just said, let's simplify it. The Chief Justice explained that a 501c3 church building, under legal definitions, is a semi-government entity, meaning that the pastor, being CEO over the 501c3 organization, is actually somewhat of a state employee and representative. It's not just the pastor, but secretaries, treasurers, deacons, elders, etc; they are all considered to be state employees.

This means that, once a pastor has become an extension of the government through 501c3, he no longer has the right to speak freely, which is something government employees understand very well. Certainly, they have their opinions, but they cannot express them as a state employee. For example, an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Agent cannot start publishing comments saying, "The IRS is an evil organization," because the government does not permit its agents to conduct themselves that way because they have to act in a more neutral manner as public servants, and likewise, a 501c3 pastor of a "Christian" church building, as an agent of the government, is not permitted in his contract to come out and say that the IRS is evil because that would be a government employee (i.e. the pastor) making slanderous accusations against the government (i.e. the IRS). In short, this is the reason why pastors are silenced in the church buildings of America, and most churchgoers (even those who are against 501c3) don't understand it.

You'll also notice that the Chief Justice explained that the entire purpose of a charitable organization under 501c3 is to benefit the public. We who are born again in Christ understand that the church's existence is for the glory and benefit of the Lord Jesus Christ, but under a 501c3 contract, that is no longer the case. Once you have 501c3, you are required by contractual agreement to make sure every aspect of your ministry/church building is not at odds with anything that would be deemed by the government to be "public interest" or "public benefit."

In fact, the Chief Justice said that this is the reason that, according to the 501c3 contract, all donations are considered "taxation," and because of that, all taxpayers (i.e. the public) is affected. For example, let's suppose your family had a type of "rainy day fund" in which every day it rained, everyone would put a dollar in a jar, and at the end of the year, the whole family would go out for a fun night together with that money.

Let's also suppose that one of your daughters decided she was not going to put in a dollar every day it rained, and instead kept her share of the money to buy herself things she wanted, but at the end of the year, she still benefited from the end-of-the-year night out. The problem is, if the daughter keeps doing that, depending on how much she takes out, it will limit the options of the family on their end-of-the-year fun night out because they will not have as much money left over, and she still gets to participate in it. This is the problem with tax exemption; the people have to pay money (i.e. taxes) to the government to provide public services, but they all must pay more if certain people are exempt from paying that same money (i.e. taxes), and so if they want to keep their exemption, there are strict rules applied that they must be providing a valuable public service to the taxpayers.

Thus, in order to have "exemption," the government must maintain that the 501c3 ministry is an indirect government institution, and that whatever churchgoers supposedly "give" (i.e. typically in unbiblical "storehouse tithing") to a 501c3 church building is NOT considered charity, but rather, the court sees it as a gift to the state treasury, and thus, gives tax write-offs for a donation to a government institution. (i.e. They give you back some of the dollars you paid into the rainy day fund.)

In case that was confusing, this diagram may help simplify the Chief Justice's explanation:
Because churchgoers and church building leadership decided to become 501c3 incorporated, they can no longer operate on Biblical definitions of charity because they must operate according to government regulations because they are a government institution, serving the public benefit (not the Lord Jesus Christ), which is legally defined as follows:

public benefit: a benefit accrued to the public, including Amtrak, in the form of enhanced mobility of people or goods, environmental protection or enhancement, congestion mitigation, enhanced trade and economic development, improved air quality or land use, more efficient energy use, enhanced public safety or security, reduction of public expenditures due to improved transportation efficiency or infrastructure preservation, and any other positive community effects as defined by the Secretary
(See 'public benefit', USCS § 22701, USLegal.com, retrieved June 2, 2014, [definitions.uslegal.com/p/public-benefit])

The definition of what is considered public interest changes from state to state, at the discretion of the Secretary of State, and thus, what is considered by the Secretary to be of public benefit is what your ministry/church is allowed to say and/or do. This also means that the Lord Jesus Christ is no longer the "final authority in all matters of faith and practice," but rather the Secretary of State becomes the ultimate authority, and Jesus Christ becomes nothing more than a name pulled out for convenience to deceive the flock of God.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
-Titus 1:16

(Read "How Do I Get More Faith?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:11

If a Christian wants to do what's right, then the obvious solution to this problem is to dissolve their 501c3 contract. It's difficult, but not impossible; however, the real reason so many of them are reluctant to get out of the 501c3 contract is because it would cost them almost everything. In order to dissolve the contract, the elders and pastors who preside over the 501c3 church building would literally have to give up buildings, vehicles, websites, bank accounts, and all money therein, and because they were leavened before they signed the contract, getting right with the Lord Jesus Christ is just too inconvenient when the cost is counted up, and that's why, in most cases, they will simply ignore the facts and make excuses.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
-Luke 14:27-33

Most pastors and elders consider the cost of sacrifice to get rid of their 501c3 contract, and the cost for them is too high. Therefore, they are not, and cannot be, disciples of Christ.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
-Mark 10:21-22

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
-Revelation 3:16-17

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
-John 12:25

I have been contacted by some churchgoers who have gotten upset with me and claim that I am supporting government take-down of church buildings. That's obviously not true, but they falsely accuse me in the heat of passion without temperance.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
-2 Peter 1:5-7

Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
-Acts 24:13

The same corruption that lies within the 501c3 pastors and elders, resides also in the 501c3 churchgoers, and that's why they make false accusations against me. They are lovers more of the pleasures they get in the corporate church buildings than lovers of the Lord God and His Word.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
-2 Timothy 3:1-5

I believe the IRS is one of the most evil organizations our U.S. government has produced, and they do NOT have any right to take away the liberties of preachers boldly declaring the truth of God's Word. HOWEVER, on the issue of 501c3, pastors, deacons, and elders SIGNED A CONTRACT stating they would give up their rights and become a government institution under IRS regulation, so the IRS DOES have the right to tell a 501c3 pastor what he can and cannot say from the pulpit. If pastors and churchgoers refuse to do what they contractually agreed to do, then they are guilty of lying, and that means when the IRS shows up to enforce the 501c3 guidelines and discipline unruly pastors, then the IRS is MORE Biblically sound than the church buildings, and I believe a lot of this senseless debate on 501c3 would be settled very quickly if the IRS had the manpower to enforce their regulations.

IRS enforcement by punishing 501c3 pastors is not a U.S. Constitutional violation; rather, it is righteous judgment on a wicked nation of liars in church building leadership.

Be Cautious of What You Read/Hear on 501(c)(3) Lawyers like David Bea deceive Christians into thinking that 501(c)(3) is beneficial to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. In an article he wrote on 501c3 entities (which contains no references or Scripture whatsoever), Bea claims there is no muzzling of the church's freedom of speech: "Some people believe that a church should not incorporate. They fear that incorporation gives the government a means to censor the church's message or otherwise intrude into the affairs of the church... incorporating does not give the government an increased hand in the church's affairs or make it easier to censor the church's message." -David L Bea, "Should Churches Incorporate and Seek IRS Recognition of 501(c)(3) Status?" David L. Bea & Associates, retrieved May 22, 2018, [davidbealaw.com/files/articles/ChurchesIncorporate501c3.pdf] Bea is saying that pastors are not silenced, and have no obligations concerning their speech. Of course, based on the information we have already reviewed, Bea is either ignorant or lying, but later in his same article, he tells a different story: "Certain organizations can engage in political campaigning or lobbying, but if they do so, they cannot claim the benefits of 501(c)(3) status. This is certainly not a restriction on free speech in any DIRECT way, but merely a requirement to claim a tax benefit." [bold and capitalization added] -David L Bea, "Should Churches Incorporate and Seek IRS Recognition of 501(c)(3) Status?" David L. Bea & Associates, retrieved May 22, 2018, [davidbealaw.com/files/articles/ChurchesIncorporate501c3.pdf] First of all, I found it interesting that condemning or promoting political candidates from the pulpit IS considered campaigning in the legal arena. Again, to use the Bureau of Motor Vehicles as an example, if a woman working as a BMV employee was handing out pins and telling pepole to vote for Hillary Clinton, that falls under assistance to a political campaign, and therefore, she would be disciplined or fired. (i.e. Pastors under 501c3 are in the same situation.) As with most lawyers, you have to be careful because they are slippery as vipers most of the time, and you can see this sleight-of-hand in Bea's article by his used of the word "DIRECT." I have never stated that freedom of speech is lost DIRECTLY through 501c3, because direct silencing would be the government creating a law that strips free speech rights, and then they plant hidden cameras in your church and send in men in black suits to duct tape your pastor when he speaks out of line. Once you willingly sign the contract, they do not have to do any of that. They have INDIRECT control because if you speak out of line, they can take away everything you signed over jurisidiction to them (building, finances, vehicles, etc). Bea knows this too, and that's why I believe he's not ignorant, he's just lying. Bea states vaguely that there is no censoring of the churches, but later admits that 501c3 corporate churches are censored concerning political candidates, and then tries to shrug it off as if that has nothing to do with free speech: "Churches can exercise free speech on moral and religious issues WITHOUT CROSSING THE LINE into engaging in political campaigns." [bold and capitalization added] -David L Bea, "Should Churches Incorporate and Seek IRS Recognition of 501(c)(3) Status?" David L. Bea & Associates, retrieved May 22, 2018, [davidbealaw.com/files/articles/ChurchesIncorporate501c3.pdf] Though this lawyer ignores the limits of speaking out against other 501c3 organizations, he tells people there is no line, but then later tells them that there is a line. Be careful what you will hear from those who seek to justify kneeling to Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue. (Dan 3:12)

Barry Lynn, Executive Director of the AUSCS (Americans United for Separation of Church and State - earlier referred to as simply Americans United), sent out about 60,000 letters to preachers of various churches involved with their organization, warning them that they are under contractual obligation to remain silent on issues the IRS deems unfit for the pulpit. Below is an excerpt from that letter, and although the original sources I referenced no longer exist (the letter seems to have been removed from AUSCS records as well), I saved a copy of it when I first found it, and used internet archives to find old screenshots of the site (see references below image), and you can read it all if you click on the image below.
(Lynn calls himself "Reverend," which is a title that is reserved for God alone in Psa 111:9; Read "Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

"The First Amendment protects the right of all Americans, religious leaders included, to speak out on religious, moral and political issues. However, houses of worship and other nonprofit entities classified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Tax Code are barred from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office... If the IRS determines that your house of worship has engaged in unlawful intervention, it can revoke the institution's tax-exempt status, or levy significant fines on the houses of worship or its leaders."

-Barry W. Lynn, "Letter to Religious Leaders for Election Season 2013," Project Fair Play, retrieved June 5, 2014, [projectfairplay.org/letter]; Lynn repeated this in 2010, see Barry W. Lynn, "Letter to Religious Leaders for Election Season 2010, retrieved May 22, 2018, [web.archive.org/web/20120603195906/projectfairplay.org/letter]; See also Charla F. Bansley, "Cultural Influence of Storytelling," Liberty University School of Communication and Creative Arts, 2015, retrieved May 22, 2018, [digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1379&context=masters]

Lynn is correct to a degree, but he's ignorant of the fact that the IRS has no limitation to the penalties on a 501c3 ministry, which means they can take everything if they choose. Even though the AUSCS is telling pastors to keep their mouths shut according to their contracts, the question we need to pose and answer is: Why do organizations like Americans United never tell pastors and elders to dissolve those contracts and get right with the Lord Jesus Christ? (Again, the answer is leaven.)

Even false preacher Ken Ham and the leavened "Answers in Genesis" ministry understands the concept of the gagged church: "Of course, we can't, as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, endorse any candidate for office," -Ken Ham, "AiG Mentioned in U.S. Senate Debate," Answers in Genesis, Apr 30, 2010, retrieved June 5, 2014, [blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2010/04/30/aig-mentioned-in-u-s-senate-debate]

What's interesting is that because I never signed up for any 501c3 corporate entity, I can voice the truth. Watch this: I, Chris Johnson, state that Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and many more are all liars and deceivers that stand for wickedness of the Devil to the highest degree, and it is a shame that any man who calls himself 'Christian' would be foolish enough to ever possibly back these politicians with a vote. Please do not misunderstand, I am grateful to the Lord God for the government we have that protects my right to say that, but the point is that I can state what 501c3 ministries cannot because they are a government institution. I can say these things freely because I do not have a 501c3 contract I have to uphold, but these other leavened ministries MUST keep their mouths shut to comply with the contract they agreed to (in order to get that extra money), and educated pastors/evangelists understand this very clearly. (HINT: They just don't care!)
(Read "Should Christians Vote?" here at creationliberty.com for more details; many readers may be upset with me for my statements, but that's because they backed some of these wicked people with a vote, so stop voting for wicked leaders and then you won't have cause to be offended.)

What gets worse is that the ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom) Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley, who encourages church buildings to lie, cheat, and rebel against their IRS contract, made a statement about the 501c3 issue that has the right premise, but their conclusion is based on misunderstanding of the situation:
"Pastors have a right to speak about biblical values from the pulpit without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights."
-Erik Stanley, ADF Senior Legal Counsel, "Bush: IRS Should Enforce Pastor's Speech Ban," World Net Daily, Sept 30, 2008, retrieved May 22, 2018, [wnd.com/2008/09/76673]

I agree; pastors should have a right to speak about Biblical values, and the government should not be able to use intimidation to silence them, but that's NOT what's happening here. Those pastors WILLINGLY gave up their constitutional rights and became government employees in order to get 501c3 tax exempt status; no one is intimidating anyone, but rather, the IRS is struggling to make sure pastors stay honest enough to keep their word, which is pathetic considering that these leavened pastors claim to be Christians.

Stanley continues his willingly ignorant statements:
"The government can't demand that a church give up its right to tax-exempt status simply because the pastor exercises his First Amendment rights in the pulpit."
-Erik Stanley, ADF Senior Legal Counsel, "Bush: IRS Should Enforce Pastor's Speech Ban," World Net Daily, Sept 30, 2008, retrieved May 22, 2018, [wnd.com/2008/09/76673]

I agree completely, UNLESS that pastor signed a 501c3 contract and willingly gave up his First Amendment rights. The religious liberty clause of the U.S. Constitution is null and void if you sign a contract giving up your rights.

Ask yourself: Why doesn't the ADF encourage pastors to DISSOLVE their 501c3 contracts?

I answer to that is simple. The ADF is also a 501c3 corporation, and to condemn 501c3 would also mean they must condemn themselves.

Again I ask, where in the Bible did the Lord Jesus Christ say "thou shalt have thy tax-exempt status?" If any reader knows a chapter a verse where I can find that, let me know. For that matter, where in the Constitution does it say "the right to tax-exemption shall not be infringed?" Yet, Stanley, like a foolish child, throws a fit over something he is unwilling to understand because there is no clause in the Bible or the U.S. Constitution that guarantees the right to tax exemption, nor is there any statement in either document that declares God's protection over men who lie and breach their contracts after they get yoked up with a wicked state organization; in reality, 501c3 is a bit like bribe money, which is money received to keep someone in submission.

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
-Proverbs 17:23

It is foolish for 501c3 ministers and churchgoers to try and defend these nonsensical statements about tax-exemption rights and incorporated liberties; not only did I quote from current and former IRS agents and judges, who clearly state the problems with getting tax-exemption, but pastors, deacons, and churchgoers in general are obsessed with convincing the government to create some new right for people to get tax breaks on their donations. How is that Biblical? Where does the doctrine of Christ support such a thing? The solution to all this is not to demand the government give church buildings the scraps from the IRS's table, but in a pathetic show in which they fear men, they cowar before the IRS and plead with them in the manner they should be pleading with the Lord God.

And again, I say the answer can be found in the money. If the excuses pastors give do not line up with what they believe, then just follow the money trail. They know it would cost too much for them to get right with the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's why make strange and foolish excuses.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies... Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
-Revelation 18:3-4

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
-Galatians 5:1

Speaking of yoking together with evil organizations, it should be noted that the situation is far worse than most churchgoers initially realize. Here's a list of other types of organizations who are also 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit entities:

• The First Church of Satan [churchofsatan.org]
• Planned Parenthood (Baby-Killers) [plannedparenthood.org]
  (Read "Abortion: Paganism, Satanism, Sacrifices & Witchcraft" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders [glad.org]
  (Read "Gay Marriage & Christian Hypocrisy" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Touchstone Local Council Covenant of the Goddess [tlcweb.org]
  (Read "Christmas: The Rejection of Jesus" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• The Secular Web (Anti-God Organization) [infidels.org]
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops [uscb.org]
  (Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• QCinema: Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival [qcinema.org]
• The Witches' Voice [witchvox.com]
  (Read "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Church of Scientology [scientology.org]
  (Read "Psychology: Hoodwinked by the Devil" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Satanist Cult of Cthulhu [cultofcthulhu.net]
• American Atheists [atheists.org]
  (Read "Everything You Need to Know About Atheism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Mormon Church of Latter-Day Saints [lds.org]
  (Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Pagan Druids of CedarLight Grove [cedarlightgrove.org]
  (Read "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Islamic Society of Corona-Norco (Youth Camp) [coronamuslims.org]
  (Read "Islam: Religion of Terror" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
• Watchtower and Bible Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses) [jw.org]
  (Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Again, a 501c3 contract means you are an extension of the state itself, a government employee, and government employees work together for the common good of public interest. For example, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and the IRS are all different government offices, but they all work together for the same goal of serving the public interest, meaning that they are yoked together. Some readers may be surprised to learn that the word "yoke" and the word "incorporated" have the same meaning in the context of 501c3:

yoke (v): to couple; a bond of connection; to join with another; to enslave; to bring into bondage
incorporate (v): to unite; to embody; to associate
(See 'yoke' & 'incorporate', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 22, 2018, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

yoke (v): to join, couple, link, or unite
incorporate (v): to form or combine into one, to unite
(See 'yoke' & 'incorporate', Random House Dictionary, 2018, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Of course, a pastor or elder may argue that they are not philosophically yoked together, but I disagree. The reason is because the same philosophy of sin (i.e. the love of money in covetousness, and the trust in the traditions of men instead of God) is what caused them to get 501c3 incorprated alongside all these other wicked organizations, and thus, in their hearts, they share the same sinful philosophy. (i.e. The pastors and elders were leavened BEFORE they signed up for 501c3.)

Under 501c3, all these organizations are yoked together in the same incorporated status, meaning that they are all extensions of the same governing entity. Although I would urge some caution, as what you may see might be inappropriate for some viewers, feel free to take a look at some of the websites in the list, and as you will see, there are many heresies and demonic activities in them. These are just a few of the tens of thousands of wicked organizations that openly mock the Christian God of the Bible, and the Lord God has commanded His Church not to be yoked (incorporated) together with them:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:14-18

To be yoked together means that you are working the same field, tilling the same ground together, just like oxen with a yoke over their backs, linked together in the same work. This is exactly what 501c3 incorporation means because it a conglomerate of organizations all working toward the goal of "public benefit," a definition which can change at the discretion of the State at any time.

I have read and heard so many churchgoers of 501c3 organizations say, "Our pastor is so wonderful!" and yet, they never stop to consider the level of corruption in a man who would willingly yoke himself and his church congregation together with baby-killing, atheistic, homosexual, God-mocking, devil-worshiping organizations, all for the sake of increasing the size of his paycheck. How much unseen spiritual damage do you think 501c3 does to a church? I would say just as much as the leavened pastors and elders who signed the contract in the first place. Again, it is the leavened wickedness in hearts of preachers and churchgoers that led them to get incorporated with the world, and they all need to be humbled to the grief and godly sorrow of repentance of their sins.

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
-Acts 8:22

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
-2 Timothy 2:25

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
-Luke 12:51
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
-John 17:16-17

The word 'sanctify' means "to set apart," or more specifically, "to set apart for a holy use," and as a Christian, born again and saved by the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ, if I had a 501c3 contract, this list would be all I would need to see to make every effort in dissolving that contract. Christ prayed that His church would be divided away from such wicked organizations under the yoke of 501c3, so again, the Biblical solution to 501c3 is to dissolve the contract and get out.

But in the end, this whole matter of 501c3 is actually about the money; these pastors do not care who they are yoked up with, so long as they get their filthy lucre (i.e. money).

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready [prepared] mind;
-1 Peter 5:2

And many shall follow their pernicious [destructive] ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:2-3

I understand that there are a few preachers out there who simply got a 501c3 contract by tradition, not knowing any better, but I would ask readers why would you trust to learn the Word of God from a man who just signs a contract in willful blindness? It's not as if this information is hard to find today, if one makes a little effort to find it. When a man sits in willful ignorance of Biblical violations so long as he keeps getting paid, I would ask you, "Is it good to learn spiritual things from a man who sits in willful blindness because it brings in extra money? Do you want your children following the example of a man who does such things?"

Nonetheless, even those men who claim ignorance still know there's more money involved if they get 501c3, and the wicked website Start Church even deceives their readers by telling them they might lose a lot of money if they do not file 501c3:
"Applying for 501(c)(3) status is optional for churches, but to not do so can prove to be costly. We see in court cases, such as Jack Lane Taylor v. Commissioner, the burden that is placed on donors of churches without 501(c)(3) status. If a donor is audited, he/she must establish or prove that the church meets the requirements and qualifications of a section 501(c)(3) organization. What a burden for an individual to carry! For this reason, many donors may choose not to donate to organizations without a 501(c)(3) approval."
-Raul Rivera, "Does a Church Need to be 501(c)(3) Approved?" Start Church, retrieved May 23, 2018, [startchurch.com/blog/view/name/does-a-church-need-to-be-501c3-approved]

I can see the viper's venom dripping off this man's words because this is so unbiblical, deceptive, and ignorant of the facts, it's difficult to know where to start. The first place I would start is that Biblical giving in charity is given freely, not with hopes of getting a return on a donation, which is what many churchgoers look for when filing for a tax deduction on their giving—that's not Biblical charity!
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Charity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The author also brings up a court case that he does not explain, nor give any references to, and that is Jack Lane Taylor v. Commissioner, which is a case involving an attempt to get an unbiblical tax deduction from the state on a non-501c3, non-incorporated church building. The Planned Giving Design Center published a summary of the case:
"Petitioner claimed a deduction in the amount of $8,647 on his joint 1996 Federal income tax return for a charitable contribution made to the Indianapolis Baptist Temple ('IBT'). In 1995, the Service had determined that IBT no longer qualified as an organization described in Section 170(c)(2) of the Code and, by Announcement 95-35, deleted IBT from the list of organizations contributions to which are deductible under Section 170 of the Code. The Service disallowed Petitioner's deduction because he had failed to substantiate the contribution and IBT no longer qualified under Section 170(c)(2) of the Code."
-Planned Giving Design Center, "Deduction Disallowed for Donation to Non-Qualifying Church," Jan 28, 2000, retrieved May 23, 2018, [pgdc.com/pgdc/deduction-disallowed-donation-non-qualifying-church]

Without boring readers with a bunch of useless details, Section 170(c)(2) is a charitable donation to a "capital gain property," which is property of any kind (e.g. jewelry, land, coins, stocks, etc) which have been in possession of the owner for at least one year, and if sold, would result in a long-term profit. In short, if Jack Taylor was giving charitably according to Christ's doctrine, he would not have sought out the government (i.e. the public) to give him extra money back for his donation, but to the point of Start Church's deception, it had nothing to do with 501c3 because Indianapolis Baptist Temple did not have 501c3 status at the time this took place; Jack Taylor filed of his own selfishness, and he did so under 170c2, not 501c3, and so Start Church is trying to argue that people are safe to do these things under 501c3, without acknowledging that what Jack Taylor was attempting to do was unbiblical and illegal in the first place. (i.e. Just because someone might be legally allowed to make an exemption under 501c3 does NOT automatically make it right in according with Scripture.)
(See Legal Information Institute, "26 U.S. Code § 170 - Charitable, etc., contributions and gifts," Cornell Law School, retrieved May 23, 2018, [law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/170])

Remember earlier that we read Chief Justice Burger state that 501c3 organizations are considered to be extensions of government, which means all taxpayers are affected indirectly through donors. This means that it is the public at large that is forced against their will to take on the burden of donations through tax deductions, while Start Church hypocritically tells readers that they should get 501c3 incorporated so they will not place burdens on others, and that's spoken in foolishness and willful ignorance.

Some readers may recognize the name Indianapolis Baptist Temple (IBT - Greenwood, Indiana - founded in 1950), which was owned and operated by the late Greg Dixon Sr. (now run by his son, Greg Dixon Jr.), who has not had a 501c3 contract since 1989, but Dixon did have a 501c3 contract from 1954 (when part 3 of 501c was established) through 1989. Dixon is often considered to be a Christian martyr for the sake of unregistered, non-501c3 churches around the country, due to the fact that he was raided by the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) in 2001, and I believed the same hype when I was first told about the man (i.e. I thought he was a persecuted martyr at first), but after I did some investigation on what happened to Greg Dixon and IBT, I was able to piece together the truth. I know there are numerous churchgoers out there who will be furious with me that I would dare rebuke Greg Dixon, but I discovered that what he did was actually wrong, and it will also help explain why the courts denied Jack Taylor his tax deduction.

Justia US Law gives background on the court case UNITED STATES of America vs. INDIANAPOLIS BAPTIST TEMPLE, Gregory Jerome Dixon, which provides us more details about the controversy than what IBT and their followers are willing to talk about:
"In March 1950, the independent Baptist church known as 'Indianapolis Baptist Temple' was founded. The church began operating at 2711 South East Street, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has been at that location ever since. Over the years, the church has used various entities to manage its affairs. Until May 22, 1983, a not-for-profit corporation named "Indianapolis Baptist Temple, Inc." (hereinafter, "the corporation") managed the church's affairs and ministries. (Defendant's Exhibit B at 8). The corporation obtained federal Employer Identification Number XX-XXXXXXX, withheld employment taxes from the wages of its workers, filed employment tax returns, and paid employment taxes to the federal government. (Defendant's Exhibit A at 3; Defendant's Exhibit B at 8)."
-Justia US Law, "United States v. Indianapolis Baptist Temple, 61 F. Supp. 2d 836 (S.D. Ind. 1999)," June 29, 1999, retrieved May 23, 2018, [law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/61/836/2501090/]

In a nutshell, Dixon had been reading church publications (e.g. newsletters, magazines, etc) back in 1983 which stated that a true New Testament church should not be 501c3 incorporated, and through those documents, he was converted to an non-501c3 philosophy, and started looking into how he could get out of it, but he decided that he was immediately going to stop all payments to the IRS, even though he still had an active 501c3 corporate contract. This was his error, and if you go on to read the minutes of the court trial, what he did next was very deceptive. Dixon transferred as many assets as he could to other non-501c3, private entities (which breaks his 501c3 charter), the land their facility sat on was given to Greg Dixon personally instead of being filed under the corporate name, and then he legally changed the name of INDIANAPOLIS BAPTIST TEMPLE INC. to NOT A CHURCH INC.

In our article, "Pope Francis' Deceptive John 17 Movement," we exposed Kenneth Copeland for taking 501c3 church assets and trasnferring them to his own name to build himself an airport, a private ranch, and much more. Greg Dixon did the exact same thing, so if we rebuke Kenneth Copeland and other mega-church false preachers, we have to rebuke Greg Dixon too, otherwise, we're guilty of respecting of persons, which is sin.
(Read "Respecting Persons is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

By 1984, Dixon had his paperwork filed, and for the next five years, he waited for the IRS to finish the process of dissolving his contract, and the IRS did eventually dissolve his 501c3 corporate contract through legal means, which officially happened on July 31, 1989; however, Dixon still had employees registered under his non-profit 501c3 status on W-4 Forms (employee tax form/contract where they take out Federal Income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes) for the five years he still had his 501c3 contract, and Dixon refused to pay those taxes. From 1984-1989, Dixon accrued a large amount of debt to the IRS through his breach of contract, and with interest over the course of 17 years, by 2001, Dixon owed around $5 million.
(See Internal Revenue Service, "Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate," U.S. Department of the Treasury, Form W-4, OMB No. 1545-0074, retrieved May 30, 2018, [irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf])

The IRS was extraordinarily patient with Dixon, waiting to be paid the money he owed for 17 years before finally getting an Indiana judge to approve seizure of his property to pay debts owed. Dixon made every effort he could to get churchgoers and pastors around America to consider him a martyr for his faith, when in reality, he was a liar, thief, and tax cheat. If Dixon had simply lived honestly and abided by his 501c3 IRS contract (i.e. kept his word), paid the money he owed, and patiently waited until his contract was officially dissolved in 1989, there would have been NO problems with the IRS, there would NOT have been an overblown raid of IBT, there would NOT have been seizure of his property, and I would NOT have to be rebuking Dixon's sin in this book.
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

In fact, when I read the accounts of those who were there when it happened, they tell this sob story about almost a hundred agents being brought out with helicopters and snipers on the roof of the K-Mart across the street. What they don't tell you is that none of that was originally planned, but when local militias publically stated they would come (armed) to Dixon's defense, it made a mountain out of a molehill, and so the agents needed to take precautions to defend themselves (because they have wives and children too).

Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
-1 Timothy 5:20

On top of that, most people do not realize that no arrests were ever made. The IBT churchgoers were free to meet anywhere they wanted for worship, just not in the IBT building because the property had to be seized to pay Dixon's unbiblical debts, and therefore, no Constitutional rights were infringed. The agents simply escorted people out of the building so it could be seized to pay for lawful debts owed, and Dixon made such a childish fuss, they had to strap him to a medical gurney and wheel him out while he prayed in hypocrisy that God would forgive the ATF agents for their sins.

Greg Dixon of Indianapolis Baptist Temple was not a martyr. He was a liar and deceiver who unbiblically rebelled against his contract.

I know there are many people out there who will brand me as a heretic for daring to question their holy-sacred-cow Greg Dixon, because his followers (especially those in his Unregistered Baptist Fellowship conference, which I have previously attended at his church building) believe he's some sort of holy man of God. I have given creation presentations in Dixon's church building (now called The Life Center at Southport) back before I understood any of what happened, and I have met both him and his son personally, but I cannot say if Dixon was of Christ or not because he was never humbled to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of this wickedness. All I know is that, in this instance, what he did was wrong, he chose to remain willingly ignorant of what he did, he's guilty of lying to (and theft from) the state, Dixon needed to repent (which I do not have evidence he ever did), and I am going to tell people the truth, whether they want to hear it or not.
(Read "Is Repentance Part of Salvation?" & "Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
-Galatians 4:16

If Greg Dixon really loved God, then he would not have lied to save money (or he would have repented in grief and godly sorrow for lying), but he loved that money and property more than God. Lying is not the work of a true Christian martyr.
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
-Matthew 6:24
(Mammon = money)

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:10

I could commend Dixon on his desire to depart from 501c3, but we ought not commit sin in order to depart from 501c3 just as we ought not to have sin in our hearts to get 501c3 in the first place, and it also shows us that just because a man gets rid of 501c3, cleaning the outside of the cup and platter, it does not mean he's cleaned up the leaven on the inside. If it was not for the leaven of Greg Dixon, perhaps he would not have been so quick to sign up for 501c3 corporate status the moment it became available in 1954.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
-Matthew 23:26

Furthermore, Jack Taylor, a member of Dixon's congregation, knew full-well that Dixon no longer had 501c3 status, but he still wanted that special bonus from the government for his donation. Taylor was not looking for God to bless him in secret, but rather, he filed a lawsuit against the goverment, not only unjustly because there was no merit in his claim to get a special exemption under 170c2, but by filing the suit, he was now announcing his gift to all the world to be seen of men.

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
-Matthew 6:1-2

If you ever want to know the truth about why pastors and churchgoers do the nonsensical things they do, just follow the money. The deceptive (aforementioned) lawyer David Bea tells us why he thinks churches should get their 501c3 status and yoke themselves up with the Devil's church:
"If a church does not incorporate... opening a bank account for the association, signing a lease, borrowing money, or buying property can be difficult and risky."
-David L Bea, "Should Churches Incorporate and Seek IRS Recognition of 501(c)(3) Status?" David L. Bea & Associates, retrieved May 23, 2018, [davidbealaw.com/files/articles/ChurchesIncorporate501c3.pdf]

Notice how all his reasoning for 501c3 has to do with acquiring more wealth, which I would argue was also Greg Dixon's reasoning when he first signed up for it, and the reasoning around why Jack Taylor was unbiblically trying to get special benefits for his donation to Dixon. A real church, founded on Christ's grace and liberty instead of IRS contracts, operates on charity from its individual members, not from borrowing, leasing, and mortgaging. All the things Bea lists in his article to justify 501c3 are based on acquiring unnecessary overhead and getting in unbiblical debt.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details on the history of the "storehouse tithing" sermons; those became popular in the early 20th century to get church organizations out of unbiblical debts they accrued.)

Worse still, because the churches and pastors are now subject to the lordship of the State and public interest (instead of Jesus Christ), many have submitted themselves to be used by the State to preach specific State-funded messages from the pulpit. What many churchgoers do not know is that the federal government has already used 501c3 preachers to help get the public in line with the State's agenda, and the 501c3 pastors have willingly submitted to their requests:
"Federal regulators shepherding the U.S. digital television transition visited Los Angeles on Monday and asked for divine assistance. Broadcasters turn off their analog signals in just over four months, and Federal Communications Commission staffers can't make sure that people buy and set up the converter boxes they'll need for their older TV sets that are hooked up to antennas. Who can? Ministers."
-Nathan Olivarez-Giles, "L.A. Ministers Asked to Spread the Word About Digital TV," Los Angeles Times, Feb 10, 2009, retrieved May 23, 2018, [articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/10/business/fi-digitaltv10]

First of all, it should be noted that if a pastor is going to teach what is Biblical, then he should be preaching that congregations turn OFF their televisions, not get special features for them. They should not bother getting those new digital boxes at all.

Secondly, the pulpit is supposed to be a place of honor for God's Word, not a government soapbox to educate people about TV switches so churchgoers can continue to fill their minds with wicked shows and materialistic, God-hating corporate media. However, we need to understand that if these churches are 501c3 incorporated, they are indirect government institutions, which means they are REQUIRED to help the government serve public interest, no matter the circumstances, because for all intents and purposes, the pastor is an indirect government employee.

"'We need people to take up leadership in their community and make sure nobody gets left out in the switch,' FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein said during a public forum at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in South Los Angeles. 'Churches already have the infrastructure in place to do that.' Standing at the church pulpit, Adelstein asked the Baptist Ministries Conference of Los Angeles, nearly 50 African American preachers who meet once a month, to include information on the June 12 digital TV switch in their sermons... Woodie Ramsey, a deacon at Southern Missionary Baptist Church of South East Los Angeles, said the ministers were prepared to spread the word. 'It's incumbent upon each church to take care of the needs of its ministry, and this is just one more need for our people,' he said. 'We'll do our part.'"
-Nathan Olivarez-Giles, "L.A. Ministers Asked to Spread the Word About Digital TV," Los Angeles Times, Feb 10, 2009, retrieved Aug 8, 2012, [http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/10/business/fi-digitaltv10]

Of course these wicked, leavened preachers will do their part because they have to if they are 501c3. The government will use their 501c3 pastors whenever they choose because, as aforementioned, they are the creator of your 501c3 church. These statements from pastors, allowing the government to stand behind the pulpit, ought to make Christians sick to their stomachs, but most lukewarm churchgoers have their consciences seared.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
-1 Timothy 4:1-2

I am not just rebuking pastors and elders, but also the members of these 501c3 church buildings. They are partnering with government institutions through their 501c3 contract, for the sake of making more money, meaning they are serving their own belly to get a meal ticket, deceiving people with supposedly good words and fair speeches.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:17-18

This is not to say that Christians can never err; certainly we do, but if churchgoers have been humbled to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), then we ought to see that same humility when approaching this subject, and yet, in my experience (and those who have written me about this subject), I have seen almost no repentance from pastors and churchgoers. Again, that's because the pastors, elders, and churchgoers were leavened LONG before they ever joined or signed up for 501c3, demonstrating that 501c3 is only a symptom of the underlying problem: their wicked hearts.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Pride" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
-James 4:6

I have been written letters from various people telling me how wrong I am about church buidlings being indirect federal institutions, but they are writing me in willful ignorance. FEMA, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, has pastors across America on their staff payroll to help herd the crowds during federal emergencies.

The following video is a local news broadcast interviewing one of the many pastors who are currently on FEMA payroll, being part of what is called the "Clergy Response Team:"

FEMALE REPORTER: "Will martial law ever become a reality in America? Some fear any nuclear, biological, or chemical attack on U.S. territory might trigger just that... the clergy would help the government with potentially their biggest problem—us. " CHARLTON HESTON: "[raises a rifle above his head] From my cold dead hands!" MALE REPORTER: "Charlton Heston's famous declaration captures a truly American value; the over-arching value to protect our freedoms, but gun confiscation is exactly what happened during the state of emergency following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. U.S. troops also arrived; something far easier to do now, thanks to last year's elimination of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, that forbid U.S. troops from policing on American soil. If martial law were enacted here at home, like depicted in the movie "The Siege," easing public fears and quelling dissent would be critical, and that's exactly what the Clergy Response Team, as it's called, would help to accomplish in New Orleans." 501C3 FEMA CHAPLAIN: "The primary thing we say to anybody is 'Let's go out there and get this thing over with, and then we'll settle the differences once the crisis is over.'" MALE REPORTER: "Such Clergy Response Teams would walk a tight rope between the needs of the government versus the wishes of the people." HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICER: "In a lot of cases, these clergy would already be known in the neighborhoods in which they're helping to defuse that situation." MALE REPORTER: "For the clergy, one of the biggest tools that they will have in helping calm the public down, or obey the law, is the Bible itself; specifically Romans—Romans 13." 501C3 FEMA CHAPLAIN: "Because the government's established by the Lord. You know? And that's what we believe in the Christian faith; that's what's stated in the Scriptures." MALE REPORTER: "Civil rights advocates believe the amount of public cooperation may depend largely on how long they suspect the suspension of their rights might last." FEMALE REPORTER: "According to Tuberville [501c3 FEMA Chaplain], the Clergy Response Team provided 38 chaplains a day, around the clock, at eight different camps."

Many years ago, there were debates about whether or not a Clergy Response Team existed at all, but today, there is no question about it. As stated in the news interview, there are pastors already overseeing the public while on FEMA payroll, and they were active in Louisiana during and after Hurrcane Katrina in 2005. The question we need to ask is: How many pastors are, right now, already on FEMA payroll across the country? Could the pastor at your church be on FEMA payroll and you don't even know it?

"A large church organization has refused to divulge how many of its pastors are on the FEMA payroll, after a member expressed concerns about religious leaders being used to condition their congregation to accept the declaration of martial law... Concerned about such developments, a member of the California-based Worldwide Church of God, an organization that boasts 64,000 members in 860 congregations in about 90 countries, asked if any of the church's pastors were involved in the FEMA program. 'The head office quickly replied hastily within an hour by telling me, 'Sorry, that is privileged information', the man states. 'The reply was in big bold script like I've never seen before in emails.'"
-Paul J. Watson, "Church Organization Refuses To Divulge If Pastors Are On FEMA Payroll," Prison Planet, Feb 2, 2009, retrieved Aug 8, 2012, [http://www.infowars.com/church-organization-refuses-to-divulge-if-pastors-are-on-fema-payroll/]

How is any of this Biblical? Where is it that we have seen the Lord Jesus Christ or His apostles take paycheck from the government to pressure people to follow all state mandates? No such thing is even remotely indicated in Scripture, but the pastors in these "Clergy Response Teams" are already in bed with the government through 501c3, and they don't care because they're getting extra cash on the side (i.e. in addition to all that unbiblical tithe money they receive).

Of course, the pastor in the news interview says he is justified to do these things by Romans 13, but Romans 13 does not teach absolute submission to government under any circumstance. We are taught that we should follow government laws only until the government violates God's laws, and then we have no obligation to abide by their commands.
(Read "Should Christians Submit to Governing Authority?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
-Romans 13:1-4

This is not saying that police officers and judges are direct servants of God, but rather, God has appointed governments to keep sinners in line, and therefore, to help them in ruling over sinners, we ought to be obedient to their authority. Thus, I do not want Christians to misunderstand what I'm saying here; we are in rebellion against God if we do not follow the laws of the state, and if we do not pay taxes to them for their service; however, there are many false preachers out there who teach UNLIMITED and UNQUESTIONABLE submission to government, and that is simply not true.

For example, consider the following:

Moses broke civil laws by killing a taskmaster for abuse and attempted murder of a slave. (Exodus 2:11-12) David refused to submit to the government authority of Saul's troops. (1 Samuel 19) Daniel resisted the State by refusing to keep silent in his prayers. (Daniel 6) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all defied the higher powers by refusing to worship a statue. (Daniel 3) John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded for telling the truth about a State ruler. (Mat 14:1-12) Peter stated he was willing to go to prison and death for Christ against the local magistrate. (Luke 22:33) Apostles were thrown in jail for refusing to obey the governing rulers. (Acts 5:17-18) Christians were rounded up and thrown in jail for resisting government authority. (Acts 8:1-3) Apostles were sent to prison for breaking local laws. (Acts 16:16-24)

These are the children, servants, and prophets of God, and God blessed them. There is a time and place for everything, and I encourage Christians to be obedient to governing rule, but if they command you to do something that violates the good doctrine of Christ, then you must answer to a higher authority than them.

Concerning FEMA concentration camps, I'm not saying that the Lord God may not want some of us born again Christians to march into a FEMA concentration camp because, even in such trying times, the Word of God will be heard through us if the Lord wills, but my primary point is that these pastors have fattened their wallets by selling out churchgoers. These hirelings hide like cowards behind Romans 13, and will not come into the light that their evil deeds should be exposed and rebuked, and despite the false ecumenical (i.e. global religious unity) messages of hypocritical preachers, the Bible does not give us an unlimited mandate to submit to all government demands.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
-John 3:19-20

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:11

Dave Hodges recorded his telephone interview with Walt Mansfield in 2014. Mansfield was one of the first pastors to be recruited for the Clergy Response Team:
"Pastor Mansfield attended several briefings and he could barely believe his ears. He learned of the government's plan to enact martial law as well as to implement forced population relocations. Mansfield emphasized that when martial law is enacted, the enforcement would be immediate. In other words, family members will be separated from each other and part of the training that the clergy received was how to comfort separated family members... The pastors were trained to go to homes where people refused to be relocated by the authorities, and their immediate job was to convince the reluctant to willingly go to the relocation camps. Ostensibly [it seems like], this was to be done in lieu of sending in the SWAT teams. [Special Weapons And Tactics - i.e. They'll send a SWAT team if the pastor fails to convince them.] I asked Mansfield if FEMA camps were real and he stated that much of the clergy training focused around this scenario of pastors operating within the forced relocation centers. The main goal of a pastor assigned to a FEMA camp was to bring order and encourage compliance with DHS [Department of Homeland Security] requests, hence, the emphasis on Romans 13. The pastors were forced to sign non-disclosure. Interesting, the pastors were told not to quote Scripture... and the presenters strongly discouraged its [the Bible's] use."
-Dave Hodges, "A Clergy Response Team Insider Reveals the Duties of a Pastor Inside of a FEMA Camp," Dec 10, 2014, retrieved Dec 20, 2014, [thecommonsenseshow.com/2014/12/10/a-clergy-response-team-insider-reveals-the-duties-of-a-pastor-inside-of-a-fema-camp]

I want to emphasize that in order to get a paycheck from FEMA, "pastors were forced to sign non-disclosure." In case you do not understand what that means, a non-disclosure agreement means that you cannot talk about the agreement to anyone, and thus, in order to get a paycheck from FEMA, the pastors willingly signed over their First Amendment rights to remain silent, which should come as no surprise since that's exactly what they did when they signed their 501c3 contract. (i.e. If they already signed over their rights for money once, it stands to reason they will have no problem doing it again.)

The training Mansfield received came out of the "Pastoral Crisis Intervention" manual, which is sponsored by the Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Clergy Care & Leadership Development. They have a section for this on their website, but no information on it, however, I did get ahold of a PDF copy of that document from May 15, 2006, (which uses a variety of new-age bible versions in order to get the verses to say what they want them to say) and it states:
"During a time of crisis, people do go through a 'crisis of their faith.' Sometime[s, a] quick mention of God and scripture may not be helpful."
-Clergy Care & Leadership Development, "Pastoral Crisis Intervention: An Overview of Pastoral Crisis Intervention and Debriefing," Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, May 15, 2006, retrieved May 24, 2018, [infowars.com/images2/ps/pastor_fema_docs.pdf]; Read "Why I Use The King James Bible" here at creationliberty.com for more details.

It should be pointed out that, during the Hurricane Katrina crisis, many citizens in Louisiana reported military personal committing physical abuse, theft and destruction of private property, and arresting people against their will without reason. What's fascinating about this is that, in the news interview earlier, the FEMA chaplain in the video above said that Romans 13 was their justification for military intervention, but then they turn around in their training manual and say that it may not be a good idea to use Scripture as a justification; in short, they are trained to paraphrase the Bible in whatever twisted way that helps bring the population into compliance with military policing in their neighborhood.

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [twist and distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
-2 Peter 3:16

Furthermore, pastors are warned not to even mention God in some cases:
"Unhealthy God talk - Must be avoided... God never gives us more than we can handle."
-Clergy Care & Leadership Development, "Pastoral Crisis Intervention: An Overview of Pastoral Crisis Intervention and Debriefing," Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, May 15, 2006, retrieved May 24, 2018, [infowars.com/images2/ps/pastor_fema_docs.pdf]

The FEMA pastors are also trained not to react in any way that would indicate that a tragedy or a crisis is currently befalling their homes and families, nor to give any indication that there are sad or horrifying events taking place:
"Don'ts: Beware, these are not healthy to do... Don't look horrified when listening."
-Clergy Care & Leadership Development, "Pastoral Crisis Intervention: An Overview of Pastoral Crisis Intervention and Debriefing," Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, May 15, 2006, retrieved May 24, 2018, [infowars.com/images2/ps/pastor_fema_docs.pdf]

Hypothetically, according to this manual, a FEAM-hired pastor may be speaking with an elderly woman whose son was just shot in the face while trying to protect her granddaughter, but the pastor is trained to just nod his head and change the subject to get compliance. There may be a family being beaten into submission in their own front yard, but the pastors are to remain calm and convince them that this is normal and acceptable behavior from their own government.

-Clergy Care & Leadership Development, "Pastoral Crisis Intervention: An Overview of Pastoral Crisis Intervention and Debriefing," Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, May 15, 2006, retrieved May 24, 2018, [infowars.com/images2/ps/pastor_fema_docs.pdf]

For born again Christians, I am not saying that such things will not happen to us, because Christ told us that we would have to suffer tribulation and persecution. (Acts 14:22) Sometimes, that comes at the hands of governments. I am also not saying that Christians should resist government military policing because we do not use the carnal weapons of warfare (2Co 10:4); we fight against rulers of spiritual darkness in this world. (Eph 6:12) However, these FEMA pastors are not Christians, and they are not part of the church; they sold out to the Devil's church, and they are trying to convince the public to give up their liberties because they get a bonus paycheck to so.

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
-Luke 16:13

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
-John 10:12-13

In addition to pastoral corruption, Florida introduced a bill to the House of Representatives in January 2009 about military installations for Homeland Security that was passed by the Obama Administration in 2011:
"A bill to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national emergency centers on military installations."
-H.R. 645, "National Emergency Centers Establishment Act," 111th Congress, 1st Session, Jan 22, 2009, retrieved Dec 20, 2014, [govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr645/text]

Most people who read this will not fully understand what this means, specifically the phrase "on military installations," because most readers take that to mean this will apply ONLY to military bases. As bad as that already is, sadly, that's not the limitation. The Legal Information Institute documents more legal details about U.S. Code § 2801:
"The term 'military installation' means a base, camp, post, station, yard, center, or other activity under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department or, in the case of an activity in a foreign country, under the operational control of the Secretary of a military department or the Secretary of Defense, without regard to the duration of operational control."
-Legal Information Institute, "10 U.S. Code § 2801 [Chapter 173] (c)(4)," Cornell University Law School, retrieved May 24, 2018, [law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/2801]

In case you may not have understood that, a 'military installation' is defined as any location that has been declared to be under the jurisdiction of the military, and is NOT limited to military bases. Under a state of emergency, those properties that meet the prerequisties for a "military installation" can be taken over at the will of the Secretary, and the Secretary is not required to declare a time frame, meaning that they have an infinite duration.

What does this have to do with 501c3? Keep reading.
We just saw that the legal definition of "military installation" is any existing property in the U.S. that is given to be under the jurisdiction of the military, and if we continue to read H.R. 645 under the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act, we find an interesting note:
"(b)Purpose of national emergency centers. — The purpose of a national emergency center shall be to use existing infrastructure —"
-H.R. 645, "National Emergency Centers Establishment Act," 111th Congress, 1st Session, Jan 22, 2009, retrieved May 24, 2018, [govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr645/text]

Repeatedly, I have been warning people that if they sign up for 501c3, they become an indirect government institution, and if they dissolve their 501c3 contract, they lose all their assets because those assets are incorporated and belong to the state, which means, under 501c3, your church building is defined as "existing infrastructure." If you go to the government website I provide in the reference, you can see these things defined clearly. Keep in mind that the following facilities are already considered under military jurisdiction in regard to national emergencies:
"(3) to provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations;"
-H.R. 645, "National Emergency Centers Establishment Act," 111th Congress, 1st Session, Jan 22, 2009, retrieved May 24, 2018, [govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr645/text]

Pastors, this means your 501c3 church building is legally sanctioned U.S. military infrastructure.

And again, Code § 2801 states that this is "without regard to the duration of the operational control," meaning that not only is the leavened 501c3 church building prepared to serve U.S. military at any time, but the military is not limited to any time limit. In case someone may not fully understand, if you are a 501c3 entity, the U.S. government and military owns ALL your assets for ANY purpose they deem important to national security, and they can do this at any time. Now that we have better understanding, if these pastors, elders, or churchgoers—who claim to be of Christ—own or attend a 501c3 church building, it would be a wonder to me how they can sleep at night knowing that they have sold out and abandoned Christ for cash.

However, as I have already mentioned many times, these pastors, elders, and churchgoers were leavened LONG before they signed up for 501c3, and that 501c3 is NOT the source of the problem here. Sadly, I've received hundreds of letters from churchgoers over the years on this subject, and it saddens me that most of them think that if they get away from 501c3, then they're sanctified from leaven, and that's simply not the case.

In case anyone still believes that 501c3 church buildings are not government institutions, after Hurricane Michael (2019) passed through Florida, FEMA was approved to distribute $1 million to help rebuild public facilities that were damaged during the storm. Small awards were given to repair the county courthouse, local schools, utilities (i.e. water, electricity, etc), local community college, all of which ranged between $1,000 to $12,000 each; however, the largest awards went to 501c3 church organizations:
"• Northstar Church in Panama City — $38,472 for debris removal
• Parkway Presbyterian Church in Panama City — $150,500 for emergency protective measures
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church in Panama City — $4,400 for debris removal
• Victory of Faith Fellowship in Southport — $1,536 for management costs
• Victory Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Grand Ridge — $74,017 for management costs and repairs to main church building, pastor's parsonage and storage building, as well as replacing church contents
• Zion Hope Baptist Church in Panama City — $110,276 for repairs to the church building and to replace contents and equipment "
-Carmen Fleischmann, "FEMA approves more than $1 million for 18 grant applicants," NBC WJHG 7, Panama City, FL, Aug 8, 2019, retrieved Sept 28, 2019, [wjhg.com/content/news/FEMA-approves-more-than-1-million-for-18-grant-applicants-528553191.html]

This means that almost 40% of the grants approved by FEMA were given to church organizations (because, after all, they have to be ready to be used as military insitutions during federal emergencies), and it should be noted to Christian readers that the tax dollars coming out of your pocket are being given to places like the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church, which is run by false preachers who gather together sodomites/homosexuals for their worship services. Don't misunderstand, this money is NOT to help individuals whose homes might have been destroyed, because that I could somewhat understand that, but rather, that money is going to repair their corrupt temples of worship. You might also have noticed that money was (in some cases) being given to repair a "pastor's parsonage," which means the only personal home that's getting repaired with that money is that of the pastor because he is an indirect government employee who is also the CEO of a corporation that is an indirect government institution.

Yet, despite all this evidence, I still have people write me letters and claim that I am wrong about this topic. How much more evidence can I provide? All I can do at this point is plead with born again Christians to sanctify yourselves from the leaven of corrupt organizations and so-called "churches" that carry corporate status because I am not on some "holy crusade against 501c3" (as I have been often accused), but rather, I am battling against the religious inventions, philosophies, and traditions of men, by which they corrupt people through their leaven.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
-Ephesians 6:11-13

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [way of thinking] and vain deceit [lies and false doctrines], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

501c3 is only the twig on the branch of the tree of evil, and those who spend all their time warring against 501c3 do not understand the spiritual battle that's being waged here. Certainly, 501c3 is not good, but it's not the root of the problem because no one is forcing these pastors to sign up for 501c3. 501c3 is COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY; you do not need it to have a church in the United States. The problem is in the wicked hearts of the pastors, elders, and churchgoers, in their lackadaisical, lazy, lukewarm demeanors, filled with sins and false doctrines, while they prance around their church buildings singing songs about Jesus to look good on the outside.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
-Matthew 23:26

When the Israelites were doing wicked deeds, and had no repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) in their hearts of their wrongdoing, God told them that He hated their songs unto Him:

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
-Amos 5:23-24

Again, they give lip service to the Lord Jesus Christ in their prayers and songs, but in their hearts, they do not care about Him and His Word.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

If you believe yourself to be born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, cleansed by His blood and saving grace, then I plead with you to investigate the true heart of this matter. 501c3 is like mold on a wall; the mold can be wiped away, but it will come back because the source of the problem is moisture that is behind the wall, under the surface, and likewise, leaven in the hearts of these churchgoers is the source of the problem, and wiping away 501c3 won't fix it. If you want to investigate the real source of the problem behind 501c3 church buildings, then I encourage you to study these articles: Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell
There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance
Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts
Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement
Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church
Respecting Persons is Sin
The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification
These are just a few to get you started, but there are many more topics we cover in our articles and audio teachings to help Christians to understand sanctification, and why it is so important. Most pastors and churchgoers hate my ministry because we teach these things; because I point out the sin of their traditions and call them to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and sanctification (i.e. to be set apart).

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
-John 17:17

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10

I realize that, earlier in this book, I called 501c3 a trap, and I said that to warn Christians about what they're getting into, but generally, I do not like to call it a "trap" because a trap implies that these pastors and elders walked into this by accident, and I find honest ignorance to be a very rare case among them. Most of them were WILLINGLY blind (i.e. stupid on purpose), and still today, they choose to remain ignorant of the responsibilities they have to the U.S. government after they signed up for 501c3. Earlier, we went over the sins and errors of Greg Dixon, and how he ignored his contractual obligations in his wickedness, yet he was treated as if he was some sort of Christian martyr on a holy crusade, and to that point, I would like to provide another example in Michael Salman, who signed up for 501c3, chose to remain ignorant of his contract, got punished for breach of contract, and he has also been treated as some sort of Christian martyr.

The Christian Post reported on this story:
"The Arizona pastor who is currently imprisoned for hosting regular Bible studies at his home may have to serve up to three years for violating his probation. Michael Salman, an ordained pastor of Church of God in Christ and the founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Phoenix, appeared in court Monday on charges that he violated his probation by continuing to hold Bible studies on his 4.6 acre property with more than 12 people, and for failing to pay over $12,000 in fines. The Phoenix Municipal Court had earlier ruled that Salman was not to have more than 12 people at his home until he met the city's building codes, fire codes and other safety codes."
-Michelle A. Vu, "Phoenix Pastor Jailed Over Home Bible Study to Serve 3 Years?" The Christian Post, July 17, 2012, [https://bit.ly/2s0t8ft]

The Christian Post is deceptive and ignorant (as usual) because Salman was NOT "imprisoned for hosting regular Bible studies in his home." The State of Arizona could care less if he wants to hold a Bible study in his home. The problem was that neither Salman, nor The Christian Post, nor CNN, nor church networks, nor bloggers, nor Youtubers were telling anyone that he signed a 501c3 contract. I will explain what Salman did wrong, then we find out the real reasons why he was targeted, and why the State of Arizona was correct in their judgments.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: Don't Judge Me!" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

As we have already demonstrated, when a church building gets 501c3 incorporated, they are an extension of a government institution, which means they, like every other government building, must abide by all county building codes. For example, if you walk into a county courthouse, you'll see things like guard railings on stairs, fire exit signs that are lit up for easy viewing, and handicap accessibility, which are all things that state buildings are required to have, and likewise, Michael Salman, after signing up for 501c3 for his home church, was required by law to get his house up to code. For someone's house to be required to have lighted fire exit signs and handicapped accessibility is absurd, UNLESS you sign a 501c3 contract that requires you to do so, and so the State of Arizona didn't prosecute Salman because he had a home church; he was prosecuted for violation of breach of his contract (i.e. lying) because he filed his home property under 501c3.

In a later article, The Christian Post reported that Salman had been sentenced to sixty days in prison and $12,180 fine:
"Michael Salman, an ordained pastor of Church of God in Christ and founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship, has argued that he has the right to worship at home on his private property. He and his wife can't understand why they are being targeted for gathering at home for religious purposes when in homes across America, people are gathering for parties, poker nights, and football games. In spite of holding weekly meetings to worship and study the Bible, Salman has maintained that the building used for his gatherings is not a church. In the fact sheet, city officials gave reasons why they considered the building a "house of worship" that needed to abide by construction and fire code requirements for assembly. 'Mr. Salman had regular gatherings of up to 80 people. He held services twice a week and collected a tithe at the services. The building that he held services in had a dais and chairs were aligned in a pew formation. He held himself out as a being a church through the media (Harvest Christian Church) and claimed a church status for tax exemption purposes on his property," the fact sheet stated."
-Katherine T. Phan, "Phoenix Officials Release 'Fact Sheet' in Jailed Pastor's Home Bible Study Case," The Christian Post, July 12, 2012, retrieved Sept 9, 2015, [christianpost.com/news/city-of-phoenix-release-fact-sheet-in-michael-salman-jail-pastor-home-bible-study-case-78153]

Salman, in his willful ignorance, told a sob story on Youtube, claiming that he "can't understand why they are being targeted," but even though The Christian Post finally reported that Salman filed for tax exemption on his property, they also wrote as if they didn't understand the fining and jail time either. The State of Arizona was much more Biblically sound than Michael Salman because they upheld their end of the contract, but Salman refused to uphold his, and now he's paying the price.

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
-Matthew 5:25-26

I repeat, this subject is NOT about religious liberty; this is about a contract that a pastor signed to get his oh-so-precious tax exempt status, willingly giving up his religious liberty, and his agreement to comply with all federal regulations, including building codes and permits, which are laid out by state statutes. Salman agreed by contract to meet government standards for his church, and he LIED by not complying with what he agreed to do, and then further lied to try and save himself by claiming in court "it's not a church" when he filed his property with the IRS as a church. In short, Salman is suffering for evil doing; he is not suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
-1 Peter 3:16-17

Remember, if you are a 501c3 entity, the IRS is your creator, and that means if you don't get your church building, leadership, and members all on the same page as the IRS and the state, then THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT to fine your ministry and jail your pastor. I hate saying this, but the IRS is MORE Biblically sound in enforcing those contracts than these 501c3 church buildings, and in reality, the IRS has been very patient and longsuffering with these pastors, allowing them to get away with their illegal activities in violation of their contractual agreement.

What is the Biblical solution? Dissolve the 501c3 contract.

At this point, many readers may be asking, "Why don't pastors and churches just get out of it then? Is it really that difficult?" First of all, most of them don't know what steps to take to dissolve the 501c3 contract, and second, once they find out that they would literally lose everything they've worked for, including buildings, lands, vehicles, bank accounts, etc, the price becomes too high for them, because they love money and material possessions more than they love Christ, and they would rather live in sin for a season than to suffer any affliction (pain and grief) with the people of God.

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
-Hebrews 11:25

At that point, the leavened 501c3 preachers need to start coming up with convenient excuses that justify their sin, and I've had many discussions with various churchgoers and pastors, in which I've heard just about every excuse in existence. For example, wicked false preacher Eric Hovind of Creation Today (registered under "God Quest Inc") quickly jumped at the opportunity to get in bed with all those evil organizations with his 501c3 contract after his dad, Kent, had spent so many years keeping them away from 501c3. (See 501c3 Lookup, "God Quest Inc Creation Science Evangelism," Pensecola, FL, EIN: 26-0479444, retrieved May 22, 2018, [501c3lookup.org/god_quest_inc_creation_science_evangelism])

Eric argued to me (via email) that the American dollar is not real money (i.e. it's a debt note), and we Americans use dollars in our spending, so therefore, his 501c3 contract is justified. I know that sounds foolish and nonsensical, and it is, but I'm going to explain it so we can put Hovind's fallacious arguments to rest. Since Eric Hovind is well-versed in logical fallacies (because he focuses so much on presuppositional apologetics), the fallacy he's using is called "Conflation," or most people know it as "comparing apples to oranges and calling them the same thing."

As Christians, we are still subject to the just laws of the governing rulers in the society we live in, and in the United States, Congress was given the power to coin money, which is why we have the dollar today. Although the dollar used to be exchangeable for gold, today, it's nothing more than a debt note, and although I hate that fact, it is the currency which has been established by Congressional law, and therefore, the refusal to use that currency would be unbiblical rebellion against the state.
(Technically, Congress gave that power to the Federal Reserve Bank, a non-government corporation, and they have established the debt note dollar, but sadly, because Congress gave it over to them, it is lawful currency.)

The difference between the lawful use of currency and the unbiblical adoption of 501c3 is that one is required and the other is not. Thus, Eric Hovind is comparing apples and oranges and calling them the same thing. Although I point out Hovind's error, he's not the only leavened preacher to use this illogical excuse.

To better understand the absurdity of the dollar argument, consider the times of the New Testament writings: Caesar put his face on all the coins of money, and that was considered legal tender. The apostles of Jesus started up many churches in various countries, and they used this Roman currency to pay for things they needed (e.g. Acts 5:1-11, 1Cor 16:1-2). Obviously, if using this money meant they were yoking themselves (i.e. incorporating themselves) together with unbelievers, they wouldn't have used Roman currency because it would be a contradiction to the Word of God, but there was no violation in using the currency of the land because doing so abides by the laws of the land.

There is NO LAW that requires the church to become 501c3.

So because the apostles used Roman coins, does that mean they were also given liberty to sign contracts that would hand the sole authority of churches and ministries to the Roman government? Of course not; that's absurd, but that's the conclusion of Hovind's fallacious argument, and it's a quick one-liner he can feed his listeners so he can convince churchgoers that he is justified in his wickedness. If we look at our history, there is a good analogy that can be given to help understand the problem with 501c3 because there is a group of churchgoers who decided to hand the authority of their church over to the Roman government, and they are known today as the Roman Catholic Church, and the result of that union has been nothing but persecution, deceit, and false doctrine that has plagued the world ever since.
(Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Another simpler analogy to demonstrate Eric Hovind's ridiculous argument of comparing the U.S. dollar bill to 501c3 is comparing buying corn to running a farm. If you and a Satanist both went to a grocery store and bought an ear of corn, it doesn't mean you're yoked together with the Satanist; however, if you registered a farm together with a Satanist to sell corn, then that would be yoking together and would be a Biblical violation, but to claim that both buying corn and running a business together are the same thing, is like comparing apples and oranges and calling them the same thing. (i.e. It's a conflation fallacy.)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:14-18

The very definition of a corporate entity is the same definition as to be "yoked together," so if 501c3 is not "yoking together with unbelievers," then NOTHING can be considered yoking together with unbelievers, and that means 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 would have no meaning whatsoever. We need to stay vigilant against deceptive excuses (i.e. illogical arguments) from wicked men, and rightly divide the word of truth.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

What's even worse is that Eric Hovind believes that the Holy Spirit is not sufficient protection for Christ's church, and that Christians need to rely on the IRS. In an official Creation Today letter, Hovind said:
"The process [of 501c3 incorporation] was long and sometimes tedious, but one that we were committed to enduring for the protection of the ministry and its supporters."
-Eric Hovind, "Important Ministry Announcement," Creation Today, Oct 3, 2012, retrieved May 24, 2018, [creationtoday.org/501c3-non-profit-eric-hovind]

The promises Christ gave to us Christians is not enough for Eric; he chooses to rely on the kickbacks he can get from the IRS instead:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. [i.e. mammon = money] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
-Matthew 6:24-33

If Eric was doing what was right by God, he would not need IRS approval, but he sought it out anyway, not for protection, but to help streamline donations to his so-called "ministry." He knew that people did not trust him after the controversy over his business (inherited from Kent Hovind, who refused to get 501c3 incorporated), and Eric knew people did not trust the Hovinds as much as they used to, and so to help get rid of his father's baggage, continue to grow in revenue (of which, Eric brings in well over half a million dollars a year in donations as of 2018), and push for his coveted mainstream status, Eric got 501c3 incorported, and has been working his way up that ladder ever since.

Don't misunderstand; Eric did not go corrupt after getting 501c3, but rather, he was already corrupt in his heart before he ever got 501c3, and that's why he sought to get 501c3 in the first place. In the end, Eric does not want to publically admit the truth, that his 501c3 contract is all about the money.

Today, Kent Hovind has taken great strides to avoid addressing the topic of 501c3 (among many other false doctrines he preaches) because he knows his own son has a 501c3 contract, and if he were to condemn 501c3, he would be condemning his own son. The following video has interviews that were conducted by a Youtube user named "LoneStar1776" (aka Rudy Davis) with Kent Hovind while he was still in prison:
(Read "Wolves in Costume: Kent Hovind" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

RUDY DAVIS: "I was wondering what your thoughts are on 501c3 churches, specifically Creation Today—But I didn't know that was going to be the question, but my response is maybe Hannah [secretary] should direct that to the folks over at Creation Today, but any response from you sir?" KENT HOVIND: "Well, it's a difficult situation because the government has purposely made it difficult. The church has always faced this issue; the same thing in Nazi Germany. Hitler made it very difficult for real churches to exist without Nazi approval. That led to Dietrich Bonhoeffer [anti-Nazi spy] split of the German church between the confessing church and the German Christians were the two names... It's the same thing in China today between the two totally different types of churches. One is called the Three Self, those are communist approved churches, and the other is just the house churches; they just—God decides the church. I think America is headed for the same split among churches; you say, 'Wait a minute, does the government decide what is and is not a church?' It's a real touchy question, and so yeah, I am not a legal expert on that. I'm aware that there's a real problem. I think we should tread softly. Learn the truth. 501c3 is the government telling you, 'Yes, you are allowed to have a church.' That ought to concern people..." DAVIS: "Amen! Amen!" HOVIND: "Paul Hansen would be the one to talk to about that; he's really good at it." DAVIS: "Amen! Amen!"

First, it should be noted that the question asked to Kent was, "What are your thoughts on 501c3 churches, specifically (Eric's) Creation Today?" Kent never talked about Creation Today in his response because he was avoiding the topic.

Kent said "It's a difficult situation,," which did not answer the question, and then he proceeded to talk about Germany and China. No one asked about Germany and China. Then, Kent says, "I'm not a legal expert" as a way to avoid having to talk about the situation, but what's so hypocritical about that answer is that I (many years ago) have extensively watched debates Kent has had against evolutionists, in which he has rebuked them for saying things like, "I'm not an expert in biology" or "I'm not an expert in chemistry" to dodge questions, and yet, when it suits his own purpose, Kent will use the exact same "I'm not an expert" excuse to dodge a question.

As a side note, after I exposed Kent Hovind on this topic, Rudy Davis (a railing, hateful, warmongering preacher) contacted me and expressed his willful ignorance on this matter:
"The first amendment trumps the 501c3... no big deal, when the mark of the beast starts, a 501c3 is not going to make any difference."
-Rudy Davis (under the username LoneStar1776), "Kent Hovind Yokes With Steven Anderson," Creation Liberty Evangelism Official Youtube Channel, Aug 18, 2015, [youtu.be/MRo-NbRYm3s?t=4m48s]

That is where Davis is ignorant, and after seeing his conversation, I would say WILLINGLY ignorant. I agree that the government could declare martial law and cease whatever they want, but the difference between me and Eric Hovind is that I did not sign a contract giving my word to abide by the rules of those who will bow to the mark of beast, but Eric did sign a contract in which he agreed to give up his liberty and authority to the IRS, and therefore, when they come in martial law to take us away, I will stand justified before God because I did not give my word to serve them, but Eric will not be justified because he did give his word to serve them; in short, it's because Kent, Eric, and Rudy do not look to Living God and the spritual matters which He sees, but rather, they look to themselves, to do that which they think is right in their own eyes.

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
-Deuteronomy 12:8

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
-Proverbs 16:2

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
-Proverbs 16:25

What's more deceptive about Kent is that, many years ago, he used to be very vocal about not getting 501c3 incorporated, and even had some old VHS videos I have watched in which he invited on guests to talk about the subject of why Christians should not incorporate. He used to be very direct about the matter. However, due the controversy with his son, he is now backing down like a coward and trying to compromise without saying anything directly, instead of standing firm on what's right, and that is because Kent Hovind is also leavened.
(Read "Wolves in Costume: Kent Hovind" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Also, Hovind is far off-base with his comment about the IRS giving Christians "permission" to have a church because a 501c3 entity is not manditory; it is an OPTIONAL contractual agreement that, in exchange for tax write-offs on donations, the church building declares that it serves the public interest instead of the Lord Jesus Christ, the state can regulate the church's business, and the IRS can enforce their financial requirements on them. This has nothing to do with the government giving "permission" and deciding "what is and is not a church" because U.S. citizens are free to get together to study the Bible anytime they want. Again, it is not the fault of the IRS for making the contract available, but rather, the fault is with pastors, elders, and churchgoers WILLINGLY giving up their rights, turning from the Lord Jesus Christ, WILLINGLY submitting to IRS authority, and because an indirect government institution in exchange for the potential to earn more money. (i.e. It's the fault of pastors, elders, and churchgoers; not the IRS!)

Kent Hovind then refers everyone to Paul Hansen, Hovind's lawyer during his trial in 2004. Hansen directly states (without beating around the bush) that Christians should NOT get 501c3 incorporated under ANY circumstance, that it is the tradition of heathen, and his three reasons why church building elders file for 501c3 are these: "1. To avoid responsibility and accountability for their deeds. (liability) 2. To make the church eligible to borrow money and go into debt. 3. To get tax exemption to increase giving. None of these are Scriptural."

-Paul J. Hansen, "Churches should never go 501c3," pauljjhansen.com, Aug 5, 2011, retrieved Mar 24, 2018, [pauljjhansen.com/?p=389]

Hansen is correct, and though his list is longer than mine (i.e. #1 Money, and #2 Tradition), that's because all those things he listed out fall under the catagory of money. Pastors and elders do not want to be held accountable for what they do, say, and spend, they often end up getting in unbiblical debts for things they do not need, and they want to bait people into giving them money so they can get tax benefits instead of rely on the spirit of charity from born again Christians through the Holy Spirit.

How far have we fallen as a nation when the lawyer speaks more truth than the evangelist?

Why would Kent not just come forward and say that churches should never get 501c3 incorporated? Why does he have to back away and tell people to talk to his lawyer? Not only would he be condemning the actions of his son (Eric & Creation Today), but he would also be condemning the actions of many church buildings and pastors that have supported him over the years, so again, for the sake of funding and popularity, Kent takes a somewhat compromising (or rather, lukewarm) position.

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
-Revelation 3:15-16

However, it gets worse because Kent ended up filing his ministry, Creation Science Evangelism (listed as Creation Science Evangelism Ministries, Inc), as an IRS 509(a)(2) incorporation (EIN: 81-1424226), which is exactly the same as a 501(c)(3) corporation, but the contract also includes fees for services, which can include product sales from his CSE Online Store. This completely contradicts everything he used to teach in his video series, Seminar #7:
"They sign up to become a 501(c)(3). As soon as you become 501(c)(3), you are now a corporation, you are not a church... a church that becomes 501(c)(3), has stepped way down from where God intended him to be, and they have now become a creature of the state... The government recognizes churches do not have to get 501(c)(3) status. But if they do, they've just put a noose around their neck. Say, hang me whenever you like."
-Kent Hovind, "Seminar 7: Questions and Answers, Part A," transcript retrieved May 2, 2020, [wiseoldgoat.com/papers-creation/hovind-seminar_part7a_2007.html#corporationchurch]; See also Kent Hovind, "Mission, Vision and Statement of Faith," Creation Science Evangelism, retrieved May 2, 2020, [drdino.com/about-us/mission-vision-and-statement-of-faith]; See also Open990, "Creation Science Evangelism Ministries Inc," EIN: 81-1424226, retrieved May 2, 2020, [open990.org/org/811424226/creation-science-evangelism-ministries-inc]

Moving on, let's look at more examples of the greed of 501c3 preachers that reject the power of the Holy Spirit. Michael Houdmann of Got Questions also attempts to give churchgoers a justification for 501c3 because he is 501c3 incorporated, and he has to convince people that it's Biblically sound, or he will look like a hypocrite:

"[I]s there a biblical argument for incorporation? Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 22:21, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's'... [I]ncorporation not only serves as a way to honor the state's realm of authority, but also serves as a legal protection for the individuals in the body." -Michael Houdmann, "It it biblical for a church to seek 501(c)(3) incorporation?" GotQuestions.org, retrieved June 5, 2014 [gotquestions.org/501c3-church-incorporation.html]

Let me give an example to help us understand Houdmann's sleight-of-hand deception. If you're driving a car and you stop at a stop sign, you honor the authority of the state because it is MANDITORY, meaning it is REQUIRED by state law that you stop at a legally sanctioned stop sign on a public road. THERE IS NO LAW that demands any church get 501c3 incorporated, and thus, Houdmann has willingly sold out his ministry over to the IRS, and tries to help others justify doing the same thing by claiming a false sense of "honor" to give himself the appearance of taking the moral high ground, but in reality, he just wants to make more money, and I will present strong evidence of that shortly.

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
-Romans 2:15-16

I had personal email correspondance with Michael (i.e. Shea) Houdmann back and 2015, and he told me:
"We may be incorrect in our understanding of 501(c)(3), but we are not lying, nor are we encouraging anyone to lie."
-Signed as "Shea" (which appears to be Michael's real name because 'Shea' is listed as the Founder, President, and CEO of Got Questions Ministries Inc), Letter to Chris Johnson from GotQuestions.org, Jan 31, 2015

The problem is that Got Questions is teaching Christians to sign a contract giving their word that they will obey their creator (i.e. the IRS), and then LIE to breach that contract later. Not only does Houdmann admit openly that he does not know if he has the right information about 501c3, but more importantly, he does not care, or he would be willing to study the matter. I sent them this information, and asked their office to respond, but he refused to even look at the teaching, which should be no surprise, but some may find this odd because they would expect that someone with a ministry called Got Questions would be willing to do a bit of research to find answers. I could completely understand him being pressed for time, but that was not the issue; he refused contact with me after that point. Thus, Michael Houdmann and Got Questions are willingly ignorant about 501c3, but publish a so-called "answer" in willful ignorance anyway (i.e. deceiving his readers) so he can justify himself, thinking that the Lord God will not hold him accountable for his willful ignorance.
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
-Ecclesiastes 5:6

Houdmann claims he is not lying, but what he teaches tells a completely different story, and even in the email I received back from him, he lied:
"The government very well may someday require ungodly/unbiblical things of 501(c)(3) organization. Should that time come, we would immediately revoke our 501(c)(3) status and encourage other organizations to do the same."
-Signed as "Shea" (which appears to be Michael's real name because 'Shea' is listed as the Founder, President, and CEO of Got Questions Ministries Inc), Letter to Chris Johnson from GotQuestions.org, Jan 31, 2015

To 'revoke' is not the same thing as to 'dissolve' because revoking is simply claiming it has no validity. Again, that is Houdmann using his mouth to cause his flesh to sin because he is declaring that if the day comes in which he will be at odds against his 501c3 contract, he will lie and break that contract; not only lying, but he will "encourage other organizations to do the same."

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
-Colossians 3:9

Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness.
-Psalm 52:3
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Furthermore, Houdmann knows he is silenced on certain matters, but still refuses to dissolve his contract, believing he is "biblical" in his current position:
"Currently, the only thing the government requires of 501(c)(3) organizations is that they do not endorse political parties or candidates, and even that requirement is questionable and unenforced."
-Signed as "Shea" (which appears to be Michael's real name because 'Shea' is listed as the Founder, President, and CEO of Got Questions Ministries Inc), Letter to Chris Johnson from GotQuestions.org, Jan 31, 2015

First of all, that's not the only thing the government requires, which I have already demonstrated this book; there are many regulations that are in that contract, of which teachers like Houdmann keep themselves willingly blind so they will not have to (ironically) "answer" for them. Secondly, it IS being enforced, and as I have said before, it's just that the IRS does not have the manpower to enforce it.

However, this brings up a very deceptive issue in Houdmann. Basically, Houdmann finds it acceptable to breach his contract as long as it is not "enforced," meaning that he believes it is acceptable for him to lie as long as he does not get caught, and that is not reflective of a servant of Christ.

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
-Romans 13:13

And finally, the requirements are not "questionable" because the IRS has carte blanche privilege (i.e. supreme discretionary power) over 501c3 corporations. The fact is that Houdmann does not know the facts, and as he openly admits, demonstrates the corruption in his heart. He confessed to not know if what he's teaching is true or not, but he's still willing to make up a story for his readers so they will feel they are justified in their wickedness and leaven, so that they might continue to read Got Questions materials and donate to his organization, making sure they can get that tax-deductable receipt to go with it so he can secure his salary.

As a side note, I thought readers might be interested to know that, as far as I saw in my research of Got Questions, the only thing they do is "answer questions," which they have a volunteer system for, meaning that Houdmann is not the only author of the material on his site, and the names of those authors are hidden because they're all volunteers. In other words, Houdmann does not do as much "answering" as he leads people believe. Yet, despite all the volunteers, Houdmann, for many years, has been pulling in around a million dollars in revenue annually, and with the million dollars in revenue he filed in 2017, his claimed expenses were about 95% of that million dollars, so the obvious question would be, "What is he spending all that money on?" — but sadly, that's the one question that Got Questions does not answer.

(See GuideStar, "God Questions Ministries," EIN: 37-1422141, retrieved Oct 5, 2019, [guidestar.org/profile/37-1422141])

However, his 990 tax form gives us a bit more detail because Houdmann pays seven employees; himself (executive director), four other directors, a treasurer, and a secretary. As of 2017, Houdmann spends $393,000 paying these people, with almost one-third ($127,000) going to himself and his wife.

As someone who produces teachings, and works online in ministry, I can tell you that those numbers are outrageous. If you take away Houdmann's employees, the many pointless websites he has (i.e. there is no need for that many different sites on his account), and the various languages in which his material is reproduced, our ministry produces as much (if not more) actual content than Michael Houdmann does, and my wife and I operate on a tiny fraction of less than 1% of what Michael Houdmann brings in every year; that's just to give you an idea of how truly absurd the numbers are in so-called "ministries" like Got Questions.

I am pointing all this out to Christians because I want you all to know what goes on behind the scenes. I challenge you to go to any corporate ministry like Got Questions and see if they publish these numbers on their site for everyone to see. I can already tell you they do not, and the reason is because they know if the average person knew how much money was flowing through the organization, they would not receive as many donations because there is a certain point where donors will begin to question if their charity is being used for Christ's doctrine, or if it's being used so Houdmann can get a luxury vehicle and office chair.

It should be noted that the half million dollars a year of dontaions that Eric Hovind brings in, and the million dollars a year of donations that Michael Houdmann brings in, are ONLY donations and transactions that take place under non-profit corporate status. This does NOT include the other FOR-profit corporate business sales, including book sales, advertising revenue under for-profit business, speaking engagements, etc, all of which are typically advertised through (and financially benefit from) their 501c3 non-profit ministries.

For example, Houdmann's wife MeLissa owns Houdmann Web Media, LLC, and through that company, they bring in even more money. She works for other organizations, like AllAboutGod.com, Stonecroft Ministries, LearningRx, and various freelance projects. Now, granted, perhaps the Houdmann's are very charitable people; perhaps they live on little, and they are building up all this money to help the poor and needy, but none of that charity is listed out anywhere on their various websites (as far as I could tell), and after some investigation into their upscale living conditions and separate office building in the high-end part of Colorado Springs, they are doing quite well for themselves.
(See MeLissa Houdmann, Houdmann Web Media, LLC, retrieved Oct 19, 2019, [houdmann.com/about.html])

Please do not misunderstand; I am glad the Lord God has been good to the Houdmanns, and that despite his leaven (i.e. his lies and false doctrine), God has provided for all their needs, but knowing what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us and commanded us to do, what would you, as a born again Christian, do with that much money (e.g. a million dollars) coming in every year? If you follow the Bible, all I can tell you is this: Whatever you thought to yourself that you would do with that money, that is NOT what Houdmann is doing.

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
-Matthew 19:21-22

Michael Houdmann is just one of many examples that could be given. Let's also take a look at Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM) to help understand the full extent of the deception:

"If you have not yet supported CARM financially, would you please consider doing so now? In the past three months donations have gone down and we have also been hit with so many government related bills, taxes, payments to a company for doing specialized 501(c)(3) tax returns, retainers, etc., that we're critically low on funds. We are done, we believe, with all the IRS surprises, but at the present state we will have to cut back people's salaries, mine included."

-Matt Slick, "CARM Newsletter 10-04-2013," Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, Oct 4, 2013, retrieved May 25, 2018, [carm.org/newsletter-10-04-13]

Of course, I would not want anyone's salary to be cut, since I want everyone to be able to provide food, clothing, clean water, and shelter for their families. I thank God that my wife and I have been able to scratch out a living where we are, and I would not wish any one of these men that I have mentioned to go without their needs; however, these so-called "ministers" are having no problem making a living, and it's their lifestyle that they are really trying to maintain.

Slick wants people to send him more money so he can pay off all the overhead he has created from his 501c3 contract (which I will prove in a moment), and the contract exists so he can increase his profits through unbiblical giving via tax write-offs. Our ministry offers free materials, and we offer just as much, if not more than CARM does, but as you can see, we do not need 501c3; we just rely on charity from Christians to provide for our basic needs and bills, and up until 2016, I was employed in a job to provide for us, without any need for a 501c3 contract.

I find inexpensive and/or free ways to keep our costs down to just our basic needs, and there is no reason to take on an IRS charter to weigh us down, so why did Slick not do the same thing? The answer is that Slick knows that if he did what was Biblical, and repented in dust and ashes of his leaven and dissolved his 501c3 contract, he would not make near as much money, and it's the money that he wants, as I will prove in a moment.

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's [money's] sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
-Titus 1:10-13

When the Bible says these wicked men have "slow bellies," it means they have fattened themselves up from all the money they have received through their evil deeds, to the point that they have become constipated (i.e. their bowels get backed up). A long time ago, I listened to Matt Slick say that an angel visited him in his bedroom the day he was saved and told him to start CARM, but if he expects me believe that God told him to fulfill his lust for money and denounce Christ through a 501c3 contract, then I will boldly call him a liar, and declare without fear (i.e. only with fear of God) that it was no angel, and I want to remind Christians that devils can appear as angels:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
-2 Corinthians 11:13-15

If you click on this image, it will give you a larger view of Matt Slick's 2012 tax return on his 501c3 corporate status (EIN #31-1733680). He would have filed this a few months prior to his request for more donations in the quote above. I have highlighted the relevant sections, but if you look at the bottom, you will see Slick's total revenue for the year comes out to $247,120, or nearly a quarter million. I started working in ministry in 2009, and over the course of the next decade, my wife and I had not received donations totaling even a tiny fraction of the money Slick receives in a single year; yet, he keeps requesting more from his followers. If you clicked on the image, the second document (top right side) shows payroll, which was $100,025, and the highlighted section shows that Slick's paycheck for the year was $80,970, almost 81% of total payroll.

The bottom portion is Slick's 2013 tax return, which showed that his ministry had a 10% decrease in funding, for a total revenue of $219,339. The second document (bottom right side) shows Slick's payroll was HIGHER than the previous year, even though he had fewer total donations, which came out to $108,356. Of the total payroll, Slick's personal paycheck was HIGHER than the previous year, which means he LIED to donors that he was taking a pay cut; Slick paid himself $88,016, which again is 81% of total payroll.

In 2014, it was roughly the same; Slick's total payroll was $110,846, and his personal paycheck was $92,746 (almost 84% of total payroll). Slick has frequently told listeners that he has two full-time employees, which means their annual salary is around $9,000 a year each, which is extremely low for full-time help.

If this wasn't bad enough, I checked out old screen shots of Matt Slick's website, specifically his "Wish List" on Amazon.com, which he put on the main page in hopes that his listeners would buy him these things. Among these items were a $350 mini-projector, a $215 wireless microphone, $335 RAM sticks, and more. Slick's Wish List contained thousands of dollars of equipment, which I guess he just can't afford on his almost $100,000/year salary, which he pays himself by skimming off the top of his employees salaries.
(See Matthew Slick, "CARM Wish List," Internet Archive Wayback Machine, 2014, retrieved May 25, 2018, [https://bit.ly/2IL0ycs])

That paycheck from his ministry is only the beginning. What's not listed out in the 501c3 tax return are Slick's personal book sales on his fantasy novels. (Yes, he writes fantasy novels.) When we start considering these other factors, I doubt we will ever know how much money Matt Slick really makes, but as is common with 501c3 preachers, he carries the expectation that everyone should give him more.
(Read "Fantasy Novels: Invitations to Hell" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

I also obtained CARM's 2017 tax form, and if you thought it could not get worse, wait until you see this. Slick's average donations have increased to about $300,000 per year, but if you look at the expenses, they are listed at $322,000, which begs many questions, like: What are you spending all this money on? Where did you make up the extra $22,000? Why have you not decreased your spending budget over the past few years, knowing that you do not have enough money to support your lavish lifestyle? I have my own theories about these questions, but they are irrelevant because we do not have enough facts to verify those things, and I highly doubt we would hear a truthful explanation from Slick, but at the very least, we can now confirm that "Slick" is a very fitting name for

Matt, as I am sure he will continue his journey for more money so long as people keep supporting CARM and buying into his lies, namely that he's suffering because people are not giving him enough money. Slick thinks everything is going well for him now, but eventually, God's patience will run out and Slick will suffer the consequences.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
-Galatians 6:7-8

I want readers to ask yourselves an important question: If you know that a pastor or church organization is bringing in large sums of money like this, and they cannot justify (or at least be honest) about what they are spending it on, would you keep supporting them financially? If you knew that sending money to a preacher was only going to help support his six-figure salary to upkeep his lifestyle, would you keep sending money to him?

The deception gets even worse because there are many preachers out there that pride themselves on not being 501c3 incorporated, and they point it out to everyone so others will know that they are clean ministry that serves the Lord Jesus Christ, but remember that LEAVEN is the problem, not 501c3, which is why they still yoke together with (and financially benefit from) 501c3 church buildings and ministries in total hypocrisy. I will provide a few examples I am personally familiar with, so we can better understand what I mean.

I live in Indiana, and there is a non-501c3 ministry in Indianapolis called Creation Evidence Expo, operated by Frederick Boyd, and he makes it a point of pride to declare he is not 501c3 incorporated. However, what most people do not realize is that he is the head pastor on the board of directors of the Creation Science Hall of Fame which IS 501c3, but does not mention that part. (See Creation Science Hall of Fame, "Pastor Fredrick W. Boyd, Jr," retrieved May 25, 2018 [creationsciencehalloffame.org/about/directors/pastor-fredrick-w-boyd-jr]; See also GuideStar, "Creation Science Hall of Fame Inc," EIN: 46-0907600, retrieved Oct 12, 2019, [guidestar.org/profile/46-0907600])

Further still, I have heard this man boast to others about not being 501c3, but the majority of their event speaking roster (whom are all paid speakers by Boyd's organization) are leaders of 501c3 corporations. (e.g. Bruce Malone, Charles Ware, Phil Stringer, J. Richard Oliver, just to name a few from the last time I checked.) To give an example, Ray Bohlin was invited to speak at Boyd's young-earth creation conference, even though Bohlin was 501c3, and knowing Fred Boyd, it was because Bohlin had lots of prestige in his international ministry (i.e. the higher the prestige, the more popular Boyd's organization will become), but when I personally questioned Bohlin about his beliefs (which Boyd did not bother to do), I found out that Bohlin did not even believe in a young earth! Again, this was a YOUNG-earth creation conference, and Boyd had an OLD-earth speaker at it who believed the earth was millions of years old. I have a personal testimony about the wicked and hypocritical things Fred Boyd does behind the scenes (see the link in the references), and he will not repent of his sin, while he and his family help continue painting a facade that he is a righteous pastor on the outside (see link below), but the reason I point this out is because it not 501c3 that corrupted Fred Boyd, it was the leaven, that is, the coruption in his heart that is the problem.
(See Creation Evidence Expo, "Presenters," retrieved May 25, 2018 [creationevidenceexpo.org/presenters]; See also Christopher J.E. Johnson, "Testimony: The Truth About Frederick Boyd (Jr) of the Indianapolis Creation Evidence Expo," Creation Liberty Evangelism, [creationliberty.com/downloads/fredboydcee.php])

Samuel Gipp of Friend to Churches Ministries and Daystar Publishing (his book publishing company) who many people know for his teachings on the King James Bible, also declares himself sanctified from 501c3, but yokes together with 501c3 entities. Neither of Gipp's organizations are 501c3 incorporated (as far as I know), but in 2011, he testifies of his use of resources to help other Christians become 501c3 incorporated:

"A few days later I got a voice mail for Jack Chick... He said, 'Sam! I heard you've taken on this video project. I'm so excited. I'm glad to hear you're doing it.' When Kathy came home I told her, 'I have a new project, Jack just told me I did.' Thus, for the last year we have been working to secure the rights to make these videos. That right has now been secured and a 501c3, tax exempt corporation has been formed so folks can give to the project and their offerings be tax exempt."

-Samuel C. Gipp, "Essays & Ideas," Friend to Churches Ministries, February, 2011, retrieved May 25, 2018, [samgipp.com/essays/82.pdf]

It was not necessary to get 501c3 incorporated for people to "give to the project," nor did anyone need tax exemption for it to be funded. Yet, Sam Gipp is fine with compromising his beliefs, and going along with incorporating, helping others to get 501c3 and hypocritically yoking together with those who incorporate, so long as it serves his self-interests.

Anthony Woodcock of God Rules, who lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, did not even provide his name on the "About" page of his website, but since all of his "donations" go to his corporate business, I was able to find him through the Better Business Bureau. He typically goes by the username "Godrules," and he speaks out against 501c3, but advertises and endorses a large amount of 501c3 organizations on his website, which leaves us with an obvious question: how can this man rebuke leaven and endorse it at the same time? As usual, as long as there is money involved, principles and righteousness get thrown out.

Furthermore, I read Woodcock rebuke so-called ministers like 501c3 incorporated sodomite Ted Haggard, but then he turns around and sells Haggard's books to turn a profit. This is just some of the typical hypocrisy you will find from those who love to give others the impression of righteous on the outside for not getting a 501c3 contract, but turn around and yoke together with 501c3 entities when there are financial benefits.
(See Anthony Woodcock, Godrules.net Online Store, retrieved Oct 12, 2019, [godrules.net/webstore/1414335873.htm])

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
-James 1:8

Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:7-8

Again, these are just a few examples, and there are MANY more hypocrites out there who do these things; they clean the outside, but inside are full of corruption. Fred Boyd fights evolution, yet evolutionists are under 501c3 as well, Gipp fights against new-age bible versions, yet the defenders of those new-age versions are under 501c3, and Woodcock fights against 501c3 sodomites like Haggard, yet looks to turn a profit from him.

I would gladly and quickly forgive these men if they came forward in repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) for their hypocrisy, but there is no repentance in them, and many people follow their leavened ministries, only to become leavened themselves without even realizing it:

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
-Galatians 5:9

And the deception goes deeper when we look at men like Steven L. Anderson, a hypocritical, hateful, warmonger false preacher who teaches many heresies. Anderson proclaims that there is nothing wrong with getting a 501c3 contract, knowing that many of his preacher mentors and friends are 501c3 incorporated, and he would lose support if he took a stance against it.
(Read "Wolves in Costume: Steven L. Anderson" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

I watched a video teaching in which Anderson held up a piece of paper, which was a print-off of a two-paragraph summary from the IRS's website defining 501c3. Anderson read from it, and then, without any other research or information, proceeded to give his opinions about it for over an hour, but this should not be surprising for those of you who have seen Steven Anderson's teachings because he is well-known for not doing research into a wide variety of subjects.
(See Steven L. Anderson, "501c3 Churches," sanderson1611, July 13, 2014, retrieved Nov 16, 2019, [https://youtu.be/aFqSUQNCx2A])

The interesting thing about Anderson is that, though he tries to justify 501c3, he refuses to get a 501c3 contract. Though Anderson claims that no one is silenced or regulated through 501c3, he will not put his money where his mouth is because he knows as well as I know that if he got a 501c3 contract, it would be a nightmare for him because he would have to start keeping public financial records, he would have to move the location of his church building (because he uses his security business office as his church building, which you cannot do under a 501c3 contract), and it would likely result in a number of lawsuits filed against his 501c3 corporation for various reasons.

Again, most pastors, evangelists, and so-called "ministers" today are all about standing on pretense, to put on a show for the masses, and they do not care about being obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter how much lip service they give to Christ, their hearts are far from Him because the price for sanctification is too high for them to be bothered to do what's right.

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
-Luke 18:22-23

The promises of Luke 12 (or Matthew 6) that Jesus Christ gave to us is not enough for them. They want more, and they look for the IRS to help them obtain more.

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
-Luke 12:22-31

Notice that Christ did NOT say, "Seek ye a 501c3 contract, and all these things shall be added unto you," and what's fascinating is that, in the verses just before this passage, Jesus taught a parable about those who are covetous. (e.g. Like those who seek wealth through 501c3.) These pastors and elders walk around in their pride and arrogance, believing that their souls are not in danger, and do not heed Christ's warning.

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
-Luke 12:15-21

For those of you who have read this book in its entirety, and now understand the matter thoroughly, I would not trust a man who simple dissolves his contract because repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) is what we ought to look for; specifically repentance of covetousness because that is the truth of the heart. If you do not see that in a pastor who has done this wrong, then I would not trust him because he is a man who foolishly believes that cleaning the outside of the cup and platter will solve the problem.

And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees [i.e. religious leadership] make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
-Luke 11:39-40

What I look for are preachers who have a heart of godly sorrow in them, showing a foundation of repentance that we Christians ought to have. (Heb 6:1) If a preacher has this, then it is good that he dissolves his contract so he will be sanctified.

As I have already stated, it is not impossible to get out of the 501(c)(3) status, but it will cost pastors, elders, and churchgoers almost everything. Sadly, Barbara Ketay, who I quoted at the beginning of this book, works with the Biblical Law Center, which is Greg Dixon's leavened organization, and so I hope one day, she may be sanctified as well (or that the Dixons come to repentance), but at least, Ketay has a good understanding of the wicked corporate entity, and that dissolving the contract is vitally important:
"To dissolve the 501(c)(3)corporation, you must first give all your assets (if you have any) to another 501(c)(3)corporation. If you do not do this the State will take your assets and distribute them for you to other tax-exempt 501(c)(3)corporations."
-Barbara Ketay, "The 501(c)(3) Incorporated Church: The Real Truth," Biblical Law Center, retrieved Aug 1, 2016, [biblicallawcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/THE-501c3CHURCH.pdf]

This means that once you dissolve your 501c3 contract, if the IRS chooses, they can take all your church buildings, vehicles, and funds, and give them away to another 501c3 entity of their choosing, which means, despite what they want to believe, pastors and elders of the church do not really own anything that is registered in 501c3 contract. The IRS has no obligation to give those assets to another supposedly "Christian" organization either; they could give those assets to the World Church of Satan if they decided it was the best course of action.

Some preachers may want to use that as an excuse to not dissolve their contract, claiming that they cannot get out of 501c3 or bad people might get ownership of the church bus, but that's just an excuse. If the IRS took everything your church had and gave it to someone else in exchange for being set at liberty in Christ, then praise God for that; let the world have their material things, and let us go on to seek and value the spiritual things of God.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
-John 4:24

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
-1 Corinthians 10:4

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
-Mark 10:21

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
-1 Timothy 6:17-19

At this point, countless people have written me and asked, "How can I dissolve my 501c3 contract?" I kindly request that no one write me and ask me this because I CANNOT HELP YOU; I don't know the steps that have to be taken because I never got involved in 501c3. The only thing I can tell you is that you need to get a copy of IRS Form 966, which is called "Corporate Dissolution or Liquidation." That's all the direction I can give you, but I will add this: If you had enough understanding to figure out how to sign up for 501c3 and get approved, then certainly God will give you have enough understanding to figure out how to get out.
(See Internal Revenue Service, "Corporate Dissolution or Liquidation," U.S. Department of the Treasury, Form 966, Section 6043(a), OMB No. 1545-0123, retrieved May 30, 2018, [irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f966.pdf])

Please do not write our ministry asking how to dissolve a 501c3 contract. We do not have that information, and cannot help. If you need help, contact a law office and request a consultation.

My suggestion to those of you who want to know where to start is to contact a lawyer. Many law offices offer free consultations, meaning that they will sit down with you and discuss what needs to be done, how they can help, and how much they will charge for their services. Many churchgoers do not want to go to a lawyer and pay their fees, and they sometimes use that as a convenient excuse because, in reality, they were willing to pay that price to get the financial benefits, they do not want to pay the price to get right with the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the spiritual benefits. One way or another, you have to either do the work yourself, or pay someone else to do it for you.

For any of you who are official members of a 501c3 church building, you also need to sanctify yourself and get out of that contract because signing up as a member makes you a part of that corporation. As I pointed out earlier, according to the state, the pastor of the church building is considered the CEO, and the IRS also requires the organization to have a secretary and treasurer. If your church building's 501c3 corporation is ever brought to court, and the pastor disappears, or there is no appointed secretary and treasurer, the court can and will assign random members of the church organization to those positions, meaning that you can inadvertently be pulled into a lawsuit, even though you have no part in it, simply because your name is on the paperwork associated with the 501c3 church.

Because of this, you need to not only sanctify yourself from the 501c3 church building, but also contact their secretary and demand to be taken off their membership registry. Sometimes they like to give people a run-around, or lie and tell them they cannot be removed (or they try to make it insignificant, as if it does not matter), simply because they like to keep their numbers up on paper. (It helps them gather more financial support.) If you encounter this problem, send them an official notice that if they do not remove you from their membership registry, and send you notification (i.e. a signed statement or email) that you have been removed, then you will take legal action against them; you will find that, in most cases, the 501c3 church building will reply very quickly to resolve the matter. (i.e. Since money is their precious first love, they will do whatever is necessary to avoid losing any of it in a lawsuit.)

Most church buildings and organizations across the country today are leavened, and have signed a 501c3 contract, which is why it is very difficult for born again Christians to find a group of believers to assemble together with. (Heb 10:25) Just to give some examples, there are some church buildings just down the street from where I live, and all of them are incorporated.

One of them is the Waldron Baptist Church (EIN: 35-1472091), which registered as a 501c3 corporation in 1955 (desperately jumping into it as soon as it was first available to the public), and they have been incorporated ever since, replacing leavened preachers with more leavened preachers as the years went by. Another is the Waldron Methodist Church, which is a member of a larger 501c3 corporate conglermate, which is The United Methodist Church Inc, and they do not need an individual contract because they are simply one member of a much larger corporation.

Smaller companies that operate under one large company is called a "Corporate Umbrella," and this is where a lot of Christians get deceived. For example, many Americans will be familiar with the brand names Crest (toothpaste), Always (feminine hygiene), Charmin (bathroom tissue), Head & Shoulders (shampoo), and Dawn (dishwashing soap), but even though they are all separate corporations, they are all owned and operated under an umbrella corporation called Proctor & Gamble.

As we have already learned, church buildings under 501c3 are INCORPORATED, and just like a business and brand names, they can exist individually under an umbrella corporation. For example, Church of the Nazarene is giant 501c3 corporation, and all church buildings who take on the name "Nazarene," such as "First Church of the Nazarene [insert location]," is a smaller corporate entity that does not have to register directly for 501c3 status because they are a small part of a larger parent company, and often times, churchgoers have no idea that they're attending a 501c3 corporate church because they do not understand this concept of corporate umbrellas.

I remember sitting down with a woman who showed up for a visit after one of our bible studies, and I talked with her about the 501c3 contracts church buildings have, how wicked it is to have them, and before I could even finish explaining, she immediately gave an excuse for her pastor, saying, "No, not my pastor. He would never do something like that." But when another lady in our church questioned her on the matter, it turns out she had no idea if her church was under 501c3 or not. Later, we found out, their church IS under 501c3, and of course, she does not sanctify herself; she simply stays and makes more excuses because she is treating it like a country club rather than a church. The point is that she just made the assumption that her pastor would never do that because she did not want to believe (or even seek to find) the truth, and even though she now knows the truth (i.e. her pastor DID "do something like that"), she stayed with the 501c3 church building anyway because she cared more about the comforts and traditions of church-ianity more than she cared about Christ.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Proverbs 28:26

To most churchgoers in America today, church buildings are nothing more than country clubs. You go in, you pay your dues (via tithe), you socialize while snacking, and meet up again next week. Singing songs about Jesus or bringing a Bible to the church building is all a fake appearance because when faced with controversy, in which one would have to choose Christ over tradition, or Christ over comfort, most churchgoers do not choose Christ.

Most often, knowing that churchgoers and pastors cannot come up with a Biblical and rational reason for what they are doing, they find it much easier to start falsely accusing me and condemning me as a heretic. After all, it's easier shoot the messenger than to hear the message. Keep in mind, if you believe and teach what I have taught in this book, those churchgoers and pastors will likely do the same to you as well. I know it's scary for some folks, but if you claim to be a born again Christian, then your job is to embrace and teach the truth of God's Word, no matter who rises up against you, and if those in your church building reject sound doctrine, then it's best to depart (i.e. be sanctified) from that leavened organization.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-1 Thessalonians 5:23

Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
-Proverbs 15:10

He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
-Proverbs 15:32

I have heard many stories over the years of Christians who departed from the wickedness of these 501c3 church buildings, and in response, the pastor started lying about them, making railing accusations, and many of their so-called "friends" in the church building turned against them. I pray this would not happen to any of you, but remember that this is what Christ said would happen if we do what's right:

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
-Matthew 5:11-12

It was not the atheists, evolutionists, or pagans that were persecuting the prophets in the Old Testament; it was those who claimed to be of God, the Israelites, who persecuted the prophets, and the same thing is still happening today. I do not get near as much persecution from atheists and pagans as I do from those who claim to be Christians. Again, there is an unseen spiritual corruption that is in these church buildings long before they get a 501c3 contract with the Devil's church, and so no matter how many people turn against us, the children of God should stand firm together in the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse to sell out His church for thirty pieces of silver.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
-Ephesians 5:8-14

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
-John 10:12-13

I plead with Christians to come out from among the wolves and vipers, and be separate from them, that we might be of like mind, and fellowship together. Be sanctified because Christ hates to see His bride committing fornication.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification" here at creationliberty.com for more details on Biblical division.)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:14-18

---

A VERY Short List of Ministries with 501(c)(3) Status I want Christians to understand how many American organizations are incorporated. It should be noted that, after researching many of these men, I do not believe most of them are born again Christians, despite their claim to be Christians. I believe they are mostly false preachers, and although there is the possibility that some of the people in this list might be of Christ, they are still leavened, and we should depart from them so they might know the church of Christ is separate from their wicked deeds. Though they deceive with their leavened doctrines, do not carry malice towards them, but rather, pray for these men; that the Lord would convict them to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), and that they might know genuine faith in Christ.
(Read "Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Acts 17 Apologetics	Unnamed*	acts17.net
Alpha and Omega Ministries	James White	aomin.org
Answers in Genesis	Ken Ham	answersingenesis.org
Apologia (Educational Ministries)	Jay Wile	apologia.com
Benny Hinn Ministries	Benny Hinn	bennyhinn.org
Biblical Archaeology Society	Willie Dye	bib-arch.org
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association	Franklin Graham	billygraham.org
Break Point Ministries	Chuck Colson	breakpoint.org
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry	Matt Slick	carm.org
Christian Broadcasting Network	Pat Robertson	cbn.com
Creation Evidence Museum	Carl Baugh	creationevidence.org
Creation Ministries International	Carl Wieland*	creation.com
Christian Research Institute	Hank Hanegraaff	equip.com
Creation Summit	Michael Smith	creationsummit.com
Creation Truth Ministries	Vance Nelson	creationtruthministries.org
Christianity Today	John Huffman	christianitytoday.org
Creation Ministries of the Ozarks	Rod Butterworth	creationministriesoftheozarks.org
Creation Science Hall of Fame	Fredrick Boyd	creationsciencehalloffame.org
Creation Today	Eric Hovind	creationtoday.org
Creation Training Initiative	Mike Riddle	train2equip.com
Cross TV	Mark Kielar	crosstv.com
Crossroads Bible College	Charles Ware	crossroads.edu
Colson Center for Christian Worldview	Chuck Colson	colsoncenter.org
Confound the Wise Ministries	J. Richard Oliver	confoundthewise.org
Family Life	Bill Bright	familylife.com
Focus on the Family	James Dobson	focusonthefamily.com
Got Questions Ministries	Michael Houdmann	gotquestions.org
Grace Commnity Church (I'll Be Honest)	Tim Conway	gccsatx.com
Grace to You	John MacArthur	gty.org
Growth Trac Ministries	Jim Mueller	growthrac.com
In Touch Ministries	Charles Stanley	intouch.org
Institute for Creation Research	Henry Morris	icr.org
Investigating Faith	Lee Strobel	leestrobel.com
Living Waters	Ray Comfort	livingwaters.com
Probe Ministries	Ray Bohlin	probe.org
Saddleback Church	Rick Warren	saddleback.com
Search For The Truth	Bruce Malone	searchforthetruth.org
Summit Ministries	David Noebel	summit.org
Wallbuilders	David Barton	wallbuilders.com
Way of the Master	Kirk Cameron	wayofthemaster.com
Whitcomb Ministries	John Whitcomb	whitcombministries.org
Worldview Weekend	Brannon Howse	worldviewweekend.com
Wretched	Todd Friel	wretched.org

* Website information makes it unclear who actually owns/started the ministry/church.



 

Please read these before contacting our ministry about this subject. I often have the same questions/arguments sent to me over and over, and hopefully this will save us both some time.

QUESTION: Can you help me find a non-501c3 church in my area? or... Can you send me a list of non-501c3 churches?

I would first like to return a question: How would I go about finding you a non-501c3, non-registered church in your area? Please pause for a moment and consider it. If I asked you to find a non-501c3 church in my area, how would you go about doing it? If you can answer that question, then you will know how to find one for yourself. What many readers may not realize is that I am in the same boat many of you are in; I have also not been able to find one in my area either, and furthermore, of the rare church buildings that are not incorporated, almost all of them I have seen are operated by leavened preachers that I cannot trust.

I have been asked this question by people who live thousands of miles away from me. (e.g. Texas, California, Maine, etc.) I hope readers are not too sensitive about my saying this, but I believe many of the people who write me this question do not take time to think about what they're asking me to do, and I think many lazy Americans just want McDonald's-drive-thru help (i.e. "I want it now, so give it to me fast"), without having to do any work themselves. Lazy Americans are so accustomed to just picking a church down the block that makes them feel good, walk in, grab a bulletin, sit down and go, they often do not stop and consider what it means to find a group of believers with whom to share fellowship, study, and evangelism.

Furthermore, I will not send anyone a "list" of non-501c3 church buildings because of the fact that I cannot recommend any non-501c3 church on the basis that I have not been in it, heard the doctrine that is taught, and cannot determine if they teach false doctrines. How could I, in good conscience with God, give anyone a list of churches that I haven't personally inspected? It is your individual jobs to pray for the wisdom of God (Jms 1:5), study His Word (2Ti 2:15), requesting the Holy Spirit's discernment (Heb 5:14), and search these things out for yourselves, rather than dump more burdens on my shoulders. I have seen some websites and lists people have given for non-501c3 church buildings, and when I go through the list, I find many false doctrines and strange traditions that depart from God's Word, so I cannot give anyone such a list knowing that I would be sending them into leaven, which is what Jesus wanted us to beware.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
-Galatians 5:9

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees... Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
-Matthew 16:6-12

Jesus did NOT tell us to beware corporate contrats, but rather, beware leaven, and as I have already pointed out, 501c3 is just one of the many symptoms of leaven. There are many others beyond this, and I have various other teachings at creationliberty.com where I cover those.

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.
-1 Corinthians 5:6-7

The reality is that most of you will NOT be able to find a non-501c3 church building in your area, let alone a non-leavened church building in your area (which is much more rare), and sadly, because of this, many of them go right back to the 501c3 church buildings, making excuses or trying in vain to plead with their pastor to unincorporate, which is a near-futile cause because, as I stated earlier, he was already leavened before he signed up for 501c3, which means that even if he did unincorporate, the leaven still remains.

I have seen a serious problem in that I have had countless letters asking me to find "non-501c3" church, but I have never had one letter asking me to find an "unleavened" church, which means they are more concerned about whether or not the church building has 501c3 than whether or not they teach false doctrine. (Or in other words, they are more concerned about the outward appearance than the inward condition.) This is extremely troubling, and shows that few Christians truly understand the source of the problem. Again, the problem is leaven, which is false doctrine that comes from a source of sin, which comes from false converts (i.e. hirelings and wolves) that are not of Christ in the first place, and until Christians get an understanding of that, being in a non-501c3 church building is not going to make any difference whatsoever.

If you want to understand the source of the problem, and fix it at the Biblical root, then I suggest this book, which is free-to-read on our website: Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell Why are there so many churchgoers today claiming to believe in Jesus, but do not seem to care much about being right with God in His Word? (John 8:31) Why are there so many churchgoers professing Christ, yet they only seem to be able to quote a pastor, and have no knowledge of the Bible? Why did Jesus teach that many would come to Him on the Day of Judgment, declaring how much they served Him, and He turns them away to everlasting fire? (Mat 7:21-23) All these questions and more are answered in that book. I would also recommend studying the following teachings here at creationliberty.com: "There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance"
"Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement"
"Revivalism: The Devil's Design"
"Respecting Persons is Sin"
"Christian Symbols Are Not Christian"
"Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts"
Many churchgoers are willingly blind to the fact that there are a lot of false converts in church buildings today, and that Jesus taught a lot about false converts. That is what we need to be on guard against because, in the end, 501c3 incorporation does not sneak up behind us and ambush us into false doctrine, but rather, false preachers with ill intent are who we have to guard ourselves against.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
-Matthew 10:16

That is my answer for those of you who would ask me to find a non-501c3 church building, but if you cannot find an unleavened church, what should you do? There are three options I am aware for those of you who cannot find fellowship with Christians in your area:

1. Go back to the leavened church building and listen to your pastors and elders excuses every week until they finally ask you to move on somewhere else because they're sick of hearing it. I do not recommend this, but it is an option. I am NOT saying it's guaranteed that they will react that way, but they will about 99% of the time (based on the many testimonies I have received over the years).

Sadly, many people who write me put so much faith into their pastor and their elders to do the right thing, putting their trust in men that they are good people, but I am trying my best to warn them of what is going on behind the scenes. Whether you want to believe it or not, the fact is that these men signed legal contracts that deny the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ because they were leavened and sought money over truth, so we have to wake up and come to a realization of what kind of people we are dealing with in these church buildings.

2. Move. If you cannot find something in your area, then move to an area where their is something, and although some refuse to consider this option, I will simply quote Christ's doctrine to you, and ask you to consider what Christ's church means to you:

Again, the kingdom of heaven [i.e. this is a reference to Christ's born again church] is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
-Matthew 13:44

3. Start up your own church, just like I did; let the Holy Spirit of God raise up those among you who are called to teach and lead. Our weekly audio teachings started out in a home church back in 2009, and we expanded live over Skype (since 2013) with other Christians around the world who had also been scattered because of the pastors. (Jer 23:1)

Christians often struggle with this idea because they think they need buildings and pastors (or people with fancy titles and degrees), and all the other typical church-ianity staples, but that is not the case. Christ never required such things. Here are some articles you might want to read on the subject first: "Is the One-Pastor Church System Biblical?" This will explain more of how the church buildings have adopted the temple-based style of the Roman Catholic concept of a so-called "church," and have abandoned the methods laid out for us by Christ's apostles. Certainly there are men called to be pastors or teachers, but the modern-day church buildings do not operate according to Biblical example; rather, they follow many traditions of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do... Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:8-13

This subject of starting your church is really a simple one, and only takes two born-again Christians to start it, which is why apostles have always been sent out in pairs. However, it can be a little more difficult for women, and for that I recommend reading this: "Can Women Be Pastors?" The Bible is very clear that women are not to be in teaching authority over men concerning Biblical instruction in the church, and they are not given authority to be elders either. I prove that directly from Scripture in that teaching. At the same time, if a woman gets understanding of this, and wants to work to start something new, she can always share this information with men, and pray the Lord Jesus Christ will send her a group to start up with, being in submission to Christ instead of the IRS. (If we believe God is our Heavenly Father, will he not hear our grief and pain?)

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
-Hebrews 13:5

I have not built all this by sitting on my hands, doing nothing but praying and waiting for God to drop everything in my lap. Do not misunderstand; I have prayed much, and everything we have built has been by the grace and blessings of God, but we have to get off our rearends and do some work because that's what He has commanded us to do.
(Read "The Christian Work Ethic" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If anything, this might be a great opportunity to visit a wide variety of churches every Sunday morning, with copies of this book printed out in hand. (I do not give permission for readers to sell my materials, but you are welcome to copy them and hand them out for free.) You can go in, ask to speak to the pastor or elders, ask them if they are 501c3, and when they say "yes," then you can respond: "I am sorry, I cannot yoke together with a church that chooses money over the Lord Jesus Christ through their contract," and when they look confused or irritated, you can hand them a copy of this book to read, sharing the truth with others, and then that will plant seeds that will help grow an unleavened church in your area. In short, if you cannot find an unleavened church, then take the initiative, plant seeds, and start one; that's the New Testament way of doing things.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
-Matthew 13:23

If you want to discuss the matter with other Christians, we have a forum that you can join and talk more about it with others who have experienced the same thing you may be going through. Register an acount on the Creation Liberty Forum and then tell us about yourself on the "Introduce Yourself" thread. I repeat, please do not write me asking how to find a non-501c3 church or to send lists; I will simply redirect you to this response on our website's FAQ.

QUESTION: We want to start a non-501c3 church, but how do we open a bank account in our church's name without 501c3?

I would first like to return a question: Why do you need a bank account in your church name? I know some readers may hate this answer, but I'm here to tell you the truth, not sugar-coat it for you. If you are asking this question, then you still have not come to full understanding and sanctification on this matter because there is a lot of hidden meaning behind the question.

First, let's ask the question: Did Christ's Apostles start up bank accounts in the name of the church in each area? No, and for a couple of reasons, the first being, there were no banks like we have today, and secondly and most important, they did not have a need for it.

The real reason so many people have written me asking me about this is because there are some other unbiblical things they want to do, and the main reason is because they still want to take tithe. The main reasons they want a bank account in the church building's name is so they can gain the kind of prestige that comes with it, and so that it gives donators a feeling like they are really "giving to God," and not "robbing God," as they are so often taught in mainstream church-iantiy.

I would highly recommend readers study this teaching: "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" This article will demonstrate how pastors across America are teaching false doctrine and lying to congregations everywhere to put them back under the old bondage of the law, simply so they can make more money. In that teaching, I provide more details about how the "storehouse tithing" sermons got started in America only in the late 19th century, and that was to get a particular church building out of the unbiblical debt they got themselves into; once other denominations picked up on how much money could be made, storehouse tithing spread like wildfire.
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

What these people really want is to collect tithe and hand out paychecks to certain people, and to gather money to build a building, but the Apostles never did those things. The Apostles gathered money only when there was a specific need to help certain people, providing for their needs, or to fund those who were traveling out to evangelize and preach the truth. Do not misunderstand, I am not saying that if someone is laboring in the Word, and teaching on a regular basis, that Christians are not supposed to help support them; a preacher who is sanctified and teaching the truth should get financial support (1Co 9:7-14), but at the same time, checks can be written specifically to the target individual, which also keeps people more involved in their giving.

Some people will object to this, claiming that they are asking about bank accounts because they need to build a building to have a church, but to them I ask: Is everyone in your church homeless? The early Christians met in their homes (Rom 16:5), which should already be bought and paid for, and they did not have an official building to meet in with signs out front with cutesy phrases on them because they were being hunted and killed by Jews and Romans, and this continued for many centuries afterwards because they were also being hunted and killed later by Muslims and Catholics, and they couldn't just put out a big sign of where they were located.

Please do not misunderstand, it is not wrong to have a building. If the church grows large and they want to get together and pay for a separate building, there is nothing wrong with that in Scripture; however, the lust of many is to have large buildings for preeminence (i.e. prestige and respect) and wealth:

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
-Luke 12:16-21

I had a man write me and say, "What if someone slips on the ice, breaks their leg, and sues our church?" Again, they do not understand what I have taught because, if you do not have a 501c3 corporate contract, then you do not exist in the eyes of the government, which means your church (as a whole) cannot be sued. I laughed one time when someone threatened to sue Creation Liberty Evangelism, and I just told them "Go for it, have fun with that," because I know it's impossible for them to sue an entity that the government has not acknowledged to exist. (Of course, I never heard from them again because such people are typically all-bark and no-bite.) Even if you had to show up to court, all you have to point out to the judge is that you are not a corporation, and the judge will throw out the case because the plantiff is trying to sue a corporation that does not exist.

Ultimately, this question comes down to the love of money, and when I have pointed that out to those who have written me this question, they departed and I have never heard from them again.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
-John 3:19-20

These people are not asking questions about how to teach the Word of God, or how to communicate as a church, but rather, they are far more concerned about how much money they can store up in their barns (i.e. bank accounts). In other words, the only thing that is preventing them from getting together as a church is their concern for a paycheck, and that is a wicked heart that is leavened in covetousness. They keep wanting to follow the traditions of men while trying to appear sanctified on the outside, or in other words, they want to keep one foot on either side of their lukewarm fence.

If you do not want to follow in the footsteps of 501c3 organizations, then stop trying to follow in the footsteps of 501c3 organizations. Just let it all go. Meet in your homes just like the early Christians did, and teach the truth, and then let the Lord God grow your church as He sees fit. Repent (i.e. have grief and godlys sorrow within yourselves) because of the wicked lusts of filthy lucre, and do what is right by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [way of thinking] and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

ARGUMENT: Senator Lyndon Johnson was responsible for church takeovers through 501c3.

That is NOT true.
Johnson is being used as a scapegoat to cover up the greed of pastors.

Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
-Isaiah 56:11

In 1954, Lyndon Johnson amended (I repeat, AMENDED, not created) the U.S. tax code for non-profits to include ALL religious organizations (not just "Christian" church buildings), while at the same time, prohibiting them from endorsing or opposing political candidates during election campaigns. I want to emphasize that this was NOT a requirement for churches; it was a completely optional offer to get financial benefits through tax-exempt status, in exchange for surrendering their liberties as an indirect corporate government entity, which included the regulation against speaking for or against political candidates.

It's common for many church-ianity websites out there to teach people that Lyndon Johnson's goal was to enslave and silence the churches of America, but that is far from the truth. For example, one of the most shared websites against 501c3 is hushmoney.org, owned by author Peter Kershaw, who wrote In Caesar's Grip. Kershaw has an article called "501c3 Facts," and he states:
"Most churches in America have organized as '501c3 tax-exempt religious organizations.' This is a fairly recent trend that has only been going on for about fifty years. Churches were only added to section 501c3 of the tax code in 1954. We can thank Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church. As part of his political agenda, Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping 'public policy.'"
-Peter Kershaw, "501c3 Facts," Heal Our Land Ministries, retrieved May 29, 2018, [hushmoney.org/501c3-facts.htm]

Just by this statement alone, it's obvious that Kershaw does not know what he's talking about at the very least, or worse, he's simply making things up based on how he feels. The tax code was only AMENDED in 1954 (i.e. it was not created in 1954), specifically section 501(c)(3), but 501c3 was only an amendment (i.e. a minor change) to an ALREADY EXISTING TAX CODE, which began development clear back in 1894.

I am trying to get readers to understand that non-profit incorporated status was around for more than a decade before Lyndon Johnson was born, so for men like Peter Kershaw (or anyone else) to blame Johnson for what tax-exempt incorporation means is just willful ignorance. Without getting into too many complicated details (because the information can be confusing and overwhelming for many), development of non-profit status came out of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act of 1894, which was a heated debate about Income Tax, which many more American citizens at the time knew to be an unconstitutional tax.

To make a long story short, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1913, and gave the government permission to collect taxes on income, but prior to that time, there was a lot of debate over the matter. Even after the 16th Amendment, American business owners were not happy about the situation, and over time, Americans were duped into thinking they had to file federal income tax returns, which came from the income tax levied against individuals for the purpose of war profiteering during World War I (WWI), and stayed with us ever since.
(See Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Pollock v. Farmers' Loan and Trust Company," retrieved May 29, 2018, [britannica.com/event/Pollock-v-Farmers-Loan-and-Trust-Company#ref99979])

The following quote is from a study paid for by the IRS, in which third-party researchers (i.e. having no affiliation with the IRS) were hired to conduct the investigation:
"The Revenue Act of 1917 established, for the first time, an individual income tax deduction for contributions made to tax-exempt charitable organizations. This deduction was conceived as a way to encourage charitable contributions at a time when income tax rates were rising in order to fund World War I. One year later, the Revenue Act of 1918 provided that charitable bequests were entitled to a similar deduction on estate tax returns. Finally, corporations were able to claim the charitable deduction beginning in 1936."
-Paul Arnsberger, Melissa Ludlum, Margaret Riley, and Mark Stanton, "A History of the Tax Exempt Sector: An SOI Perspective," Internal Revenue Service, retrieved May 29, 2018, [irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/tehistory.pdf]

So what ended up happening is the government offered a "non-profit" status for certain organizations, which did not owe income tax unless they registered as a non-profit corporation, and once they did, their non-profit status came with "tax-exemption" from the federal income tax that they did not owe to begin with, and the key factor readers need to understand is that with that "non-profit" status came RULES THAT PUT THE TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS UNDER FEDERAL JURISDICTION, and over the next few decades, as they allowed more privileges, their grip also slowly tightened, creating more hidden restrictions. This means the IRS had corporate control over educational and charitable organizations LONG before 1954; some organizations who were incorporated in the early 1900s included the YMCA, the USO (United Service Organization for National Defense), and the American Red Cross.

In 1954, Lyndon Johnson simply amended the tax code to give religious organizations eligiblity for non-profit status, which became known as 501(c)(3) status, but he added one extra condition for ALL non-profits under IRS jurisdiction, namely, that they cannot speak for or against political candidates, and all previously established federal regulations since 1894 will still apply to those religious organizations. However, Johnson's goal had nothing to do with controlling the churches of America; it was nothing more than a strategy to win his election.

The following author gives more details:
"Section 501(c)(3) prohibits tax-exempt organizations from participating in or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to, any candidate for public office. This ban applies to all section 501(c)(3) organizations, not just churches and religious organizations. It was introduced by Senator Lyndon B. Johnson during a Senate floor debate on the 1954 version of the IRS tax code. While there is no legislative history providing a definitive account of why LBJ proposed this amendment to the tax code, the research of several scholars shows that his amendment was directed at right-wing, tax-exempt organizations which supported Dudley T. Dougherty, a conservative Texas Democrat who challenged Johnson's renomination and reelection to the Senate in 1954. As Davidson states, 'The provision grew out of the anti-communist frenzy of the 1950s and was directed at right-wing organizations such as Facts Forum and the Committee for Constitutional Government. It was introduced by Lyndon Johnson as part of his effort to end McCarthyism [oppressive anti-communist campaign led by Joseph McCarthy, who made accusations of treason without regard to evidence], protect the loyalist wing of the Texas Democratic Party, and win reelection to the Senate in 1954.' When Johnson introduced his amendment preventing all section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations from endorsing political candidates, he was chiefly concerned about right-wing political groups. It is unlikely that religious organizations and churches were his targets."
-Ann W. Duncan, Church-State Issues in America Today, Greenword Publishing Group, 2007, p. 197, ISBN: 9781573567541; Duncan works at the Department of Religious Studies in the University of Virginia.

This author is correct when she said that the regulations against promoting or condemning political candidates applies to ALL tax-exempt organizations, not just church buildings, and this is because (as I have already said many times) those tax-exempt corporations are indirect government institutions. This means that ALL regulations on tax-exempt organizations, clear back from 1894, STILL APPLY to 501c3 church buildings today, which is why, for example, Michael Salman, who we learned about earlier, was fined and jailed for not complying with county safety regulations; all tax-exempt organizations MUST comply with ALL state regulations issued for standardized government institutions and buildings.

If you notice, the author said, "While there is no legislative history providing a definitive account of why LBJ proposed this amendment to the tax code," and she is correct; I have not been able to find any definitive account from Johnson about why he amended the tax code. That means that any deductions have to come from second-hand sources, and none of those second-hand sources came to the conclusion that Peter Kershaw did (i.e. "Johnson had it in mind to silence the church"), meaning that Peter Kershaw is throwing out conjectures, which means he is doing nothing except expressing his personal feelings based on no evidence whatsoever.

All the restrictions and regulations of a non-profit corporation that existed before 1954 STILL APPLY to 501c3 entities after 1954, which is why it is so foolish for preachers to claim they are only restricted from speaking out about political candidates. Pastors and elders are willingly ignorant of the fact that Johnson's 1954 amendment simply added in the ability for church buildings to get non-profit incorporated status, just like everyone else could do prior to that time, because pastors and elders did not have that option before 1954.

It is incredibly common for so-called "Christian" websites and ministries to shift the blame onto Lyndon Johnson, when in reality, the true blame should be focused squarely on greedy pastors. Sadly, as we are about to see, Lyndon Johnson was MORE in the right than the covetous pastors who signed up for 501c3.

For example, most Americans who would read this book (in its entirety) were not too fond of former U.S. President Barack Obama, and I agree, I do not like the man either. It was willful blindness that led anyone to back that man with a vote, and he passed A LOT of unconstitutional legislation. Let's suppose that you visited the county courthouse, and when you walked in, there were signs everywhere with Obama's name, advertising that he "supported American values," do you think that would be appropriate, knowing that you were the one paying for that buildings and those signs through your taxes?

Obviously, most of you will respond with a resounding "NO!" because the thought of your tax money being used for endorsement of a corrupt political candidate you do not support is abhorrent to you, so the question we have to ask is: What exactly did Lyndon Johnson do wrong? Please take a moment to consider that question. Did Lyndon Johnson force anyone (i.e. churchgoers, pastors, elders, etc) to do anything? No. He never stripped any rights from anyone. Please do not misunderstand, I would not argue against the fact that Lyndon Johnson was likely a very wicked and deceptive man, but what exactly was wrong with with giving pastors an option to sign up for non-profit status, and then requiring all government-sanctioned institutions, like 501c3 church buildings, to keep silent about political campaigns, when all the rest of the government-sanctioned institutions have to do the same?

There is NOTHING wrong with what Lyndon Johnson did, and even though Lyndon Johnson had ulterior motives (i.e. trying to win an election), I want readers to consider one very, very important point: 501c3 IS OPTIONAL! No one held a gun to these pastors heads and made them sign the contract. Johnson issued the amendment knowing the greed and covetousness of preachers across America, and he KNEW they would jump at the chance to CHOOSE 501c3 based on their lust for money without first questioning if this was an offense against the Lord Jesus Christ, nor did they consider the consequences, because those pastors were leavened and did not follow Christ BEFORE they signed the contract.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
-John 10:11-13

Just to give an example, Richard Wurmbrand was a pastor who had spent 14 years in a communist prison in Romania because he preached Christ, and he dedicated his ministry, called Voices of the Martyrs, to helping Christians who were suffering persecution in various countries, but he REFUSED (from the very beginning) to get 501c3 incorporated, and though many people on staff tried to convince him to do it, he declined because he stood firm on conviction from the Holy Spirit that he should not sell out his ministry for thirty pieces of silver. Wurmbrand's second-in-command was Tom White, and immediately after Wurmbrand's death, White filed for 501c3 status over Voices of the Martyrs, but a few years later, White found out he was being investigated for sexual molestation of a 10-year-old girl, and knowing his guilt, he committed suicide.
(See Nicola Menzie, "Voice of the Marytrs' Tom White's Suicide Confirmed; Molestation Case Closed," Christian Post, Aug 24, 2012, retrieved Nov 30, 2019, [http://bit.ly/2DtfWVM])

The point of this story is to show that Wurmbrand, who started the ministry out of pure heart, dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, would not get 501c3 incorporation on conviction from the Holy Spirit. Tom White, who did not have the Holy Spirit, immediately got it as soon as he took over the organization, demonstrating that preachers who are leavened are the ones who get incorporated, whereas those who are not leavened will have nothing to do with 501c3 because God has not put in His children a spirit of greedy lucre (i.e. money).

A bishop [i.e. an elder] then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
-1 Timothy 3:2-3

In the end, Johnson was right about the tax code restrictions and he accurately predicted what these preachers would do, knowing their silence would help his campaign for office. This means the people who were wrong in this whole matter of 501c3 were the wicked, greedy, leavened preachers of America who foolishly jumped on the opportunity to get tax-exempt status as soon as it was made available to them because they are covetous in their hearts.

Stop blaming Lyndon Johnson to cover the sins of pastors.

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

In an old cartoon called The Smurfs, there is a bad guy called "Gargamel" (depicted above) that is always trying to capture these little blue creatures called "Smurfs," and according to the Smurfs, if were not for Gargamel, everything would be perfect, and they would live peacefully and happily ever-after, but because that nasty Gargamel got in their way, their peaceful living is ruined. In the minds of smurfs, they believe they can do no wrong, but in reality, all they have to do is separate themselves from Gargamel, and the problem is solved, but they won't leave. Likewise, this is similar to how the pastors, elders, and churchgoers of America are treating Lyndon Johnson; he becomes their Gargamel, a convenient scapegoat for them to shift the blame, but Lyndon Johnson is not at fault for the choices of these wicked, greedy, leavened preachers, and pastors need to start taking responsibility for their sin and repent (i.e. have grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) because, in truth, the 501c3 pastors are the real Gargamels in this analogy.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
-Luke 12:51

QUESTION: Can't we just get 508c1a instead of 501c3?

Some preachers have foolishly thought they could still get a contract with the IRS and be sanctified at the same time, so they sought to get 508(c)(1)(a) incorporated. To keep things simple, the only main difference between 501c3 and 508c1a is that 501c3 requires that you send in an annual tax return, whereas in 508c1a, you don't have to mail in the paperwork every year; in short, it just comes down to how the paperwork is filed.

However, 508c1a is still under the same yoke as 501c3. Remember earlier that we mentioned Jack Taylor's case, where he (in his ignorance) tried to get special tax exemption out of his donation to Greg Dixon's Indianapolis Baptist Temple (IBT) after their contract was dissolved? I quoted part of Taylor's court hearing summary earlier, but now let's go back and read more of it, and I will emphasize in bold print the part I want Christians to understand:
"At trial before the Tax Court, Petitioner conceded the substantiation issue and asserted that his donations to IBT are deductible because IBT is not a 'corporation' but a 'church,' and is therefore exempt from having to meet the requirements of Section 170(c)(2) of the Code. Petitioner relied on Section 508(c)(1) of the Code which relieves churches from applying for favorable determination letters regarding their exempt status. The Court stated that there is nothing in Section 508(c)(1) which relieves a church from having to meet the requirements of Section 501(c)(3). Furthermore, when the Commissioner has determined that an organization is not entitled to an exemption as a church, its contributors must prove the church's right to an exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code in order to be entitled to a deduction for their contributions. Accordingly, the Court held that, since the Petitioner did not introduce any evidence to support that IBT met the requirements of Sections 170(c)(2) and 501(c)(3), he is not entitled to a charitable contribution deduction for his donations to IBT."
-Planned Giving Design Center, "Deduction Disallowed for Donation to Non-Qualifying Church," Jan 28, 2000, retrieved May 23, 2018, [pgdc.com/pgdc/deduction-disallowed-donation-non-qualifying-church]

So as you can see, the U.S. courts have determined that anyone who wants a deduction under a 508c1 contract must meet the same requirements for a deduction under a 501c3 contract. If you hear anyone make the argument to you that they are justified because they have 508c1a instead of 501c3, they are speaking in pure ignorance, and I'm sure their local judges would be glad to set them straight on the matter.



 

This section is devoted to helping Christians prepare themselves for addressing churchgoers, most especially pastors and elders, on the topic of 501c3. This is not to help prepare you for what to say, but what you should expect to hear from them, so you will not be blindsided by a shocking amount of willful ignorance, denial, and childish railing.

The following letters are only a tiny fraction of the many emails and conversations I have had with pastors, elders, and churchgoers, and I say that so Christians will understand that these scoffing letters are not uncommon, meaning that most conversations I have had with churchgoers who are defending 501c3 have gone exactly like this, in which they falsely accuse (i.e. lie), murmur, and bring railing accusations. Before we begin, I want remind Christians what we are taught:

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer [falsely accusing and name-calling with a contentious attitude], or a drunkard, or an extortioner [takes advantage of others for money]; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
-1 Corinthians 5:11-13

But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom [tradition], neither the churches of God.
-1 Corinthians 11:16

Those who call themselves "Christians," but are contentious, railers, and extortioners, we are not to keep them in the church. If they repent (i.e. have grief and godly sorrow of their wrongdoing), we will forgive them and move on, but if they do not repent, we do not allow them to stay in the church. Therefore, if we have no power to remove those wicked people from the church, it is our job to sanctify ourselves, depart, and be separate from their leaven.

An important note before we begin: You will notice that, in these letters written to me about 501c3, they almost never talk about the subject of 501c3. That would be like writing someone about cooking recipes, but never mentioning ingredients. It's nonsensical, but the reason they typically hide their identities (i.e. what position they hold) or what church they attend/oversee (which prevents me from investigating their doctrine) is because they love darkness rather than light.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
-John 3:19-21

Therefore, being vain talkers and deceivers, who subvert (i.e. ruin) whole houses with false doctrines for the sake of their filthy lucre (i.e. money), being gluttenous, lazy, and lustful, I rebuke them sharply, that they might come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of their sin, and be born again in Christ. They profess they know God, but in their deeds (e.g. their 501c3 contracts), they deny Christ.

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
-Titus 1:10-16

JIM: PASTOR FROM TEXAS

A pastor named Jim wrote me from Texas. I had never spoken to this man before, and it was the first time that he has ever written me:
"Chris! What in the world are you doing? This site is so full of spiritual pride that I can't even get through one of your articles without crying.
Praying for your heart of stone to become a heart of flesh. May the Lord grant you new spiritual eyes to see the white fields that need harvesting. Instead you're throwing lots of rocks onto the field, which makes it even tougher to harvest.
What if you put half the time into discipling just a few young men into a fully devoted walk with Jesus, instead of typing up this drabble?
Galatians 5:1 brother! Pastor Jim"

That was the entirety of his first letter, and as you probably noticed, there is no information in it. In fact, he did not even reveal what specifically he read that upset him. If you have ever dealt with a child that throws a temper tantrum, it's almost impossible to reason with them because their emotional rage is so wild, you typically have to discipline them before you can have a calm conversation with them, but when an adult throws a temper tantrum, we cannot discipline them, and thus, it just generally becomes impossible to have a conversation.

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
-1 Corinthians 14:20

Jim obviously did not reason this matter out before he wrote me, as he did not explain a number of things:

Jim accused me of having "spiritual pride" without explaining why he thought that was the case. Jim did not explain what he read that allegedly made him cry. Jim accused me of having a "heart of stone" without explaining why or providing evidence. Jim accused me of destroying the "harvest" (which would mean blocking people from being saved) without explaining why or providing evidence. Jim presumed that I do not disciple (i.e. teach) anyone, but presented no evidence.

Despite the fact that Jim had no evidence for any of these things, nor did he give any reason for them, he then proceeds to call my teachings "drabble." The problem with this is that the word 'drabble' is not a noun; it's a verb, even though he used it as a noun.

drabble (v): to draggle; make or become wet and dirty
(See 'drabble', Random House Dictionary, 2019, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

By using the word as a noun, Jim is implying is that my teachings (including this teaching on 501c3) are muddy, filthy, dirty, etc. It's the description of something that is trash left out in a muddy road. Of course, he provides no information or evidence as to why he believes that.

Jim then ends his letter by giving a reference to a verse; not quoting the verse or explaining it, which you will notice that I do in my teachings, and which I also do in my emails. Leaving a reference at the end of a hateful letter like this is done for two reasons:

The author uses new-age bible versions, and tries to pander to others who use them. The author wants the reader to take whatever implication they choose from the verse, instead of explaining his meaning, because if he quotes the whole verse and explains it, he will then have to be held accountable for false doctrine and false accusations.

In short, this is what the Bible calls murmuring, or rather, it's a complaint half-suppressed. It is taken from people who would speak under their breath so they cannot be heard, and therefore, they will not have to be held accountable for what they say, but murmuring can be any complaint that is not forthcoming, whether someone falsely accuses without evidence, becomes passive aggressive, or speaks in low tones so they cannot be heard; they are cowards.

murmur (n): a complaint half suppressed
(See 'murmur', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 8, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Jim believes that he can make false accusations based on his own feelings and assumptions, and that he will never have to be judged for it. He is foolish because Jesus warned us that everything we say, we will have to give an account for those things, meaning that Jim will be judged for his emails:

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
-Matthew 12:36

I addressed Jim's false accusations, his lack of temperance and patience (which are the fruits of the Spirit of God - Gal 5:22-23 & 2Ti 2:24-26), and his murmuring, using Scripture and providing evidence from his letter. I told Jim that he made very bad first impression, but was open for him to try again if wanted to provide some context for why he was so upset, and he wrote me back: "Chris! Your responses are full of self-righteousness. Ugh! But I will attempt to explain why I even made a comment.
Some visitors to our church ran across your article can DEMON CHURCH 501c3 or something like that. It messed them up so much so that they are rethinking even being in a church. So that's why I went to your site, to read the article. And after looking at some other articles, I was just saddened. Because of your influence, this family may not find a church home to help them along in their faith.
God's blessings to you Chris! Galatians 5:1 by the way leads us to Galatians 5:23. Can't really have the fruit of the Spirit without freedom from the law.
Respectfully yours, Pastor Jim"

So we are now on Jim's second letter, and he is still making accusations without evidence. What exactly did I say to him that was "self-righteous?" He never provides any details. Even his use of "Ugh!" is evidence that he is a scoffer:

scoffer (n): one who scoffs; one that mocks, derides or reproaches in the language of contempt; a scorner
scorner (n): one that scorns; a contemner; a despiser; a derider; in Scripture, one who scoffs at religion, its ordinances and teachers, and who makes a mock of sin and the judgments and threatenings of God against sinners
(See 'scoffer' & 'scorner', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 8, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
-Proverbs 3:34

Those who scoff and scorn are prideful in their hearts, which is why the correlating verse in James says:

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
-James 4:6

In fact, Jim's pride, hatefulness, and rage was so great, he could not withhold himself from typing "Ugh!" into his email. Consider for a moment that one might react instintively with a verbal sound from his mouth by saying "Ugh!" in a face-to-face conversation, but to write it out takes much more careful thought, and his heart is filled with so much contempt of a scoffer and scorner, he could not resist typing that out into an email.

The reason I know what is in his heart is because I believe the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us that when a man speaks, what he says is a direct reflection of what is in his heart:

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
-Matthew 15:18

Even Jim's hatefulness and malice can be seen by the very lack of details in his letters, and what I mean is that if he truly cared about my soul, why did he not quote what parts of my teachings were wrong and provide Scriptural rebuke? The reason is because he really does not care about my soul, but rather, he's angry that members of his church building are leaving, which, in the long run, deceases his salary.

By now, most readers are probably aware that this book is called 501c3: The Devil's Church, but Jim could not even recall the name of it. He could have just looked it up to verify the information, but he is not only lazy, he also wanted to act as if what I taught was so insignificant, the title was not worth remembering. If he could not recall the name of it, he obviously did not read it, and since he did not read it, that also means that he lied when he said, "I can't even get through one of your articles without crying;" rather, if Jim was crying at all, it was probably at the thought of having to do some actual work (like research and study), and in his laziness, decided to write me false accusations so he could give himself an excuse to not answer the matter.

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
-Proverbs 15:28

That would also make sense as to why he refuses to address anything that I taught in this book. Since he did not read it (knowing that it would expose his own greed), he does not know what I have said, and therefore, Jim's entire letter is coming from emotion, not from reason, and that is why he remains willingly blind to his sin.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
-Isaiah 1:18

Notice that he said he went to the website to read this teaching, but he only confessed that he went TO the website; nowhere did he actually state that he read this book. It's likely that he never read any of it. Instead, he skimmed over the titles to some other teachings that I have (likely not reading those either, and was "saddened," whatever that is supposed to mean because Jim never explains himself.

Jim only found the website because it was suggested by a family that was previously going to his church building at the time, and based on what Jim wrote, it seems as if that family is sanctifying themselves from his leaven. (Thank God for that because, based on Jim's words, I can understand why they would sanctify themselves from that church building; if his doctrine is as hateful and lazy as his emails, I would pray all Christians would be sanctified from his church.) However, what's worse is that he claims that this family is not going to be able to find a church (as if Jim's church building is the only option available), and furthermore, he is heavily implying that those people need Jim (or some other corrupt 501c3 church building) to "help them along with their faith."

For that family, whoever they are, I do not put trust into myself (as Jim puts his trust in his own heart), but rather, I put my trust into the Holy Spirit of God that He will guide you and teach you as need be. I would speak this same message to all those Christians who are scattered due to the wickedness of pastors like Jim:

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:26-27

The reason Jim does not put faith in the Holy Spirit is because, based on his letters to me, I do not believe Jim has ever come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of his sin and true faith in Christ. Jim's conversation simply does not reflect someone who has been humbled to grief and godly sorrow of his sin, and therefore, based on the evidence of his words (and lack thereof), I believe he's a false convert who is playing church, which also explains why the doctrine I am teaching is so upsetting to him.
(Read "Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Jim made his final comment on Galatians was because I had, in my response to him, explained that he lacked the fruits of the Spirit of God, which were in the same chapter of Galatians 5. Instead of answering for the fact that his letters lacked the fruits of the Spirit, he said that he "can't really have the fruit of the Spirit without freedom from the law," which was to imply that I was bringing people under bondage with this book.

I know that some readers might be surprised that a pastor would be so willingly ignorant to believe that this book was bringing Christians under the bondage of the law, when I clearly have done the opposite; I am calling Christians to come out from under the bondage of the law, in which they are under the bondage of a 501c3 contract, and instead live according to the liberty we have in Christ. However, I want to emphasize that this is NOT surprising to me because I have heard this same false accusation from pastors many times, by which they are trying to find a reason to accuse me so they can justify themselves, and I would warn all readers that you should be prepared to hear such things if you get a response from 501c3 pastors.

The fact that Jim would say these things is also more evidence that he did NOT read the teaching as he tried to imply that he did. If Jim had read the book, he would know that HE is the one bringing people under bondage through 501c3, using his liberty to sign over everything to the IRS to satisfy his lust for money and prestige, as is also pointed out in Galatians 5:

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
-Galatians 5:13

I took hours addressing Jim's specific arguments (despite the fact he had no evidence for his claims), writing out the Scripture to answer them, color coding everything for organization, and proof-reading my letters. Jim's responses likely took him 60 seconds to write out, and therefore, there was no charity, no longsuffering, no patience, and no love coming from Jim's letters.

Please do not misunderstand; I do not just believe that Jim hates me, but I also believe Jim hates the family who left his church building. If he truly cared about them, he would have prayed that God would bless them on their journey, and perhaps asked me if our church would care for them if they happened to contact us, but none of those things were on Jim's mind; it was all about the numbers for him, and that's because he's leavened, not a servant of Christ.

Before I had thoroughly responded to his letter, I patiently asked him if he would tell me what specifically about the 501c3 teaching that he thought was incorrect. I waited a few days, but heard nothing back from him, and then decided to go ahead and rebuke him for his false accusations, murmuing, and railing, as the Bible instructs us to do, for the sake of his soul.

Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
-1 Timothy 5:20

At that point, Jim ended with a final letter:
"This will be my last reply. I simply don't have the desire for this sort of back and forth stuff. It's about as enlightening as listening to elevator music.
We just have different perspectives on life with Jesus. I do wish you well. If you're ever in San Antonio give me a holler. It'd be a hoot to meet you face to face over some good tacos -my treat!"

First of all, if Jim did not have a desire for a "back and forth" conversation, then why is he a pastor? Why would he chose to become a teacher, having no desire for discussion? If we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, then we follow His Word (which is what makes us disciples, John 8:31), and God's Word says that we persuade men, knowing the terror of the Lord, but there was no persuation in Jim's letter, only childish whining about his feelings.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
-2 Corinthians 5:11

Secondly, if he has no desire for "back and forth" conversation, then why did he write me in the first place? In essence, what Jim attempted to do was slap-and-run like a coward, instead of standing boldly for the faith in Christ and exercising the patience of the Holy Spirit.

Jim then takes on a holier-than-thou attitude to say that my use of God's Word to rebuke his sin was "as enlightening as listening to elevator music," which is taken to mean that it is boring and he gained nothing from it (likely because he did not read my last letter to him, just as he did not read this book). The reason he hates the correction is because he has forsaken the ways of God:

Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
-Proverbs 15:10

This is not a conflict of "different perspectives," rather, this is a conflict of a lazy and (when I saw his photo) gluttenous preacher (which is why he would rather eat than discuss Bible doctrine) who takes advantage of a lot of people for a paycheck. In short, Jim is a hireling:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
-John 10:11-13

As a pastor, Jim does not want to talk about Scripture, and though that may surprise many readers, again, I am NOT surprised because this is standard operating procedure for most pastors I have engaged in conversation. Most of the pastors I have met in my lifetime have a great aversion against Scripture as soon as you begin to cover a topic that exposes their error. Instead of wanting to discuss doctrine, and have a reasonable conversation together, to discern the good and depart from evil, the so-called "Pastor" Jim just wants to eat tacos.

For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
-Jeremiah 10:21

I did end up finding Jim's church building through some investigative research from some of the information I found listed with his email address, and I did not include that information here because Jim did not confirm it, nor did I have any other eye witness who could verify it. (Normally, a 501c3 preacher's information is public domain and can be published openly, but I do not want to share that information if I have not verified with certainty.) However, I had a lot of evidence that supported my suspicion that this was the man, and when I saw his picture, he was the typical gluttenous, overweight preacher from a mega-church that had the typical new-age rock bands and stage lights shows that are common in America today, and their church building (unsurprisingly) extorts their congregation by teaching the false doctrine on storehouse tithing; all of which made perfect sense based on the letters I got from Jim. (i.e. It's no wonder why he did not want to be forthcoming with who he is.)
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" & "What's Wrong With Christian Rock?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Remember, Jim did not end up this way because he signed up for 501c3, or in other words, the IRS contract did not turn Jim into a railing, lazy, false accuser. Jim was already a railing, lazy, false accuser BEFORE he signed up for 501c3, and that's why his IRS contract does not weigh heavy on his conscience.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
-1 Timothy 4:1-2

LESLIE: ELDER FROM MISSOURI

The name 'Leslie' can be used for a man or woman, and this Leslie is a male, and I found that out after investigating the information I found with this man's email address. It turns out that one of the men in our church used to attend the same church building that Leslie attends, and that gave me an eye witness to state publically that this man's full name is Leslie Augur, and he was (at the time of his letter) an elder of Words of Faith Life Ministries, a 501c3 church building in Mountain Grove, Missouri. Augur is also the author of a fiction book called Saint Thomas's Guide to Faith in which he "tried to bring this scenario to life with the Apostle Thomas teaching on Faith," or in other words, instead of simply teaching doctrine, Auger hides behind Thomas, and makes up a story about what he believes Thomas (who is not mentioned very much in the New Testament at all) would have taught.
(See GuideStar, "Words of Faith Life Ministries," EIN 81-4103012, retrieved Oct 9, 2019, [guidestar.org/profile/81-4103012]; See also Leslie Augur, Saint Thomas's Guide to Faith, CreateSpace, ISBN: 9781985213340; Read "Fantasy Novels: Invitations to Hell" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Augur wrote me the following letter:
"Just curious, is there anyone who knows more than you and who is right, besides you. I have never seen an ego as big as yours since Jim Jones and I will tell you you are dead wrong about the reason for incorporating a church, it has almost nothing to do with taxes and everything to do with liability.
When a group incorporates it creates a legal entity that is liable and limits potential lawsuits from personal injury attorneys to the assets of the corporation and not the individuals whose names make up the board because it is the corporation that owns the assets that can be the bases for a suit. A corporation is legally treated like a living breathing person.
Furthermore, NO ONE except the board members and the bylaws controls that entity, you imply that the Government has control, it does not! There are carpet baggers within the Government that would have you believe they can exert control by threatening to remove said tax-exempt status but a well-educated board would laugh at such a threat.
In everything, I have read and listened to from you, I am amazed that any Bible reading, Spirit-filled person could possibly believe the tripe you are espousing. Perhaps you are doing Jesus a service by removing the benchwarmers from the real churches midst, we want them there because we hope that the Spirit will open their heart and they will become a true follower of Christ but you just wish to stop that possibility. May God have mercy on you."

First of all, you may have noticed that Augur never actually stated that he had a problem with this book on 501c3, and even though it becomes fairly clear with discernment, he should have just stated it openly. The way he wrote this letter, you would think he and I were in the middle of a conversation of letters we had been sending back and forth for many days, but I had no idea who he was, nor had he ever written me before. Secondly, he opens with a question that was not intended to have an answer, which is why he did not put a question mark at the end of it. (i.e. You would think that a published author would know how to put a question mark at the end of a sentence that intends to pose a question.)

I want readers to stop for a moment and consider these questions: Have you ever met anyone who claims to know more than everyone else on the planet? Have you ever met anyone who claims they are right more than anyone in this world? Likely, your answer was "No," you have never even heard of someone who makes such a claim in seriousness, and obviously, from anyone who reads or listens to my teachings, they know that I do not make any such claim either. (In fact, I publically post corrections to my teachings on our forum, which most pastors and elders, like Augur, do not do.)

Obviously, almost no one has met someone who claims to be all-knowing, so why would he ask such a silly question? Again, he never intended it to be a question, but rather, it is a disguised accusation because, when he very briefly looked over only the beginning of this book on 501c3 and realized it rebuked him, he lifted himself up in the pride of his heart because of his self-glorifying position in the church building he attends, and therefore, he wanted to come up with with a false accusation against me for the purpose of giving himself a justification for his malice, which led to him lying about me in his claim that "no one knows more than you or is right besides you." (This also means that he lied when he said he was "Just curious.")

The evidence of this is followed up in his next sentence, in which he accuses me of having a "big ego," but the problem with this is that an "ego" does not exist. That was an invention of imagination by Sigmund Freud, and is a word that distracts from the Biblical term 'pride'.
(Read "Psychology: Hoodwinked by the Devil" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Then, he associates my teachings with Jim Jones, who was a man who claimed to be Jesus Christ and led 600 of his followers to drink poison and kill themselves. Obviously, this is a malicious back-handed slap against me that has nothing to do with 501c3, and if anyone has ever listened to Jim Jones preach, you will know immediately that what Jones taught and what I teach are like night and day.

Already, we can see that Leslie Augur is a railer, and we are instructed in the New Testament to remove from the church any man who claims to be of Christ and brings railing and false accusations against others:

railer (n): one who scoffs, insults, censures or reproaches with opprobrious [contemptuous and hateful] language
(See 'railer', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 9, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
-1 Corinthians 5:11-13

The Bible tells us that we are to remove men like Augur from the church, and we are not even to sit down to have a meal with him. Here is the list of the railing accusations Augur made against me in his letter:

Augur accused me of believing I am all-knowing. Augur accused me of being prideful. Augur accused me having the same arrogance as Jim Jones. Augur accused me of being "dead wrong" about this book. Augur accused me of teaching 'tripe', which is meant to be "nonsense." Augur accused me of preventing people from hearing the Gospel of Christ.

Of course, as you can see in his letter, he did not provide evidence of any of these things. Again, this is just a like a child throwing a temper tantrum, and we have no such tradition of railing and contention like this in the church.

But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
-1 Corinthians 11:16

One of the reasons I know that Augur did not bother to read this teaching before writing me is that, in his second paragraph, he made a mostly true statement, namely, "When a group incorporates it creates a legal entity that is liable and limits potential lawsuits from personal injury attorneys to the assets of the corporation and not the individuals whose names make up the board because it is the corporation that owns the assets that can be the bases for a suit. A corporation is legally treated like a living breathing person." If Augur had taken a little time to actually study what I teach on this topic, he would have found that I teach the same thing, and thus, he is writing to "inform" me of that which I already teach.

The one correction I would make to his statement is that he believes that the corporation is separate from the board members from a financial aspect. That might be true at first glance on paper, but a corporation does not produce money by itself; that would be like saying, "The dining chair is a separate entity from the person sitting in it, therefore, the dining chair will cook meals for itself." That's complete nonsense because inanimate objects do not produce things of themselves. In a religious organization that is NOT-for-profit, the money has to come from somewhere, and it does not typically come from the board members, but rather, it comes from the individual attendees of that religious organization, and so when lawsuits arise against the corporation (i.e. against the church building), it is the individual members who pay the price because the corporation does not produce anything on its own.

Augur then claims that the government does not have control over that corporation, but all he did was give his opinion. You will notice that Augur did not provide any references or other information that would show that he has investigated this subject, but in this book, I have provided many quotes, references, and Scriptures that provide a solid foundation for what I am teaching.

The only thing Augur ended up providing evidence of is his willful ignorance, as he does with his next statement: "There are carpet baggers within the Government that would have you believe they can exert control by threatening to remove said tax-exempt status but a well-educated board would laugh at such a threat." First, most people do not know what a "carpet bagger" is, and based on the context, Augur is likely referring to a political candidate who seeks office in a place where they have no local connections, but since Augur did not explain himself properly, we are left to assume he means that a political candidate could shut down a church building if they do not like the message their pastor is teaching.

Political candidates do not have any power to remove tax-exemption, and it seems Augur does not understand this. The IRS has the power to remove tax-exemption because they are the ones who granted it, and their ruling would be based on whether or not that church organization has breached their contract, not whether there were threats from "carpet baggers."

Trying to "exert control" by threats is what is known as "blackmail," which is illegal in the United States. A political candidate that has an ounce of intelligence would never do such a thing; they would just report them to the IRS for breach of contract and let the law take care of the rest.

Furthermore, I provided evidence in this book from many sources, including so-called "Christian" ministries, that know they cannot say certain things or they could lose their tax exemption. However, the statement Augur made (i.e. "NO ONE except the board members... has control") simply proves that he has no idea what he's talking about because the government can shut down any of its established institutions whenever they please, including 501c3 church buildings.

The major point to notice about Augur's letter is that he has no concern about being right with the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather, is more concerned about losing tax-exempt status, and that helps prove the overall point I was making. The love of the money is what is at stake for pastors and elders like Augur, and furthermore, Augur does not trust in the Holy Spirit of God for the protection of his church building, but rather, he needs his true master, the IRS, which why he wrote me so fervently defening his faith in his tax-exemption.

I also found one of his last comments interesting, specifically, "Perhaps you are doing Jesus a service by removing the benchwarmers from the real churches midst," and the reason is because that is not what I am doing, nor have ever done. The problem with Augur's statement is that he believes he has a "real church" through his 501c3 contract, and after I received testimony about his church building (from those who have attended it in the past), and looked more closely at the doctrines they teach, I can confidently say they do not follow the Word of God.

What I am doing is calling Christians to sanctification (i.e. to be set apart for a holy use unto the Lord God) apart from corrupt church buildings and leavened preachers. This is what Jesus prayed for the church as well:

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
-John 17:9-19

Therefore, when Christians are in a church building that is leavened, I call them to sanctify themselves, and that those who have the true faith in Christ would depart from those who profess Christ in a fake faith. It does not concern me if a benchwarmer wants to be a part of some 501c3 church building because those who are lukewarm belong with the rest of their lukewarm brethren, but we who are of Christ should depart from the evil and be separate.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:11

However, Augur believes that by hearing the lukewarm, watered-down, leavened messages in the church buildings, those benchwarmers will hear Christ's doctrine and start doing some work. The flaw in Augur's philosophy is that he does not understand that a man cannot hear true and complete doctrine of repentance and faith in Christ from a leavened ministry with leavened preachers who bow the knee to the IRS in hopes of fulfilling their lust for money.

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [i.e. money].
-Luke 16:13

The Lord God has certainly given me much mercy and longsuffering; far beyond anything I would ever deserve. Despite Leslie Augur's false accusations against me, I pray the Lord God would give Augur as much mercy and longsuffering as He has shown me.

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
-1 Peter 3:9

As a side note, Augur has more than one Facebook profile that I found, and after searching through them, I found nothing about Scripture or doctrine. Instead, I found a lot of posts about politics and aliens, some others that had some vile language in them, and even endorsements for books by false new-age mega-preachers like Joel Osteen, which demonstrates that Augur is much more worldly than he is willing to reveal in his deceptive letter, and that he puts his trust into the doctrines of men.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
-1 John 2:15

CHRIS: CHURCHGOER FROM NEVADA

Based on the information I found with his email address, I was able to locate a pastor in Nevada with this man's same full name, but I was unable to verify if it was him. He would not come forward and tell me who he is so I can judge the matter clearly with all the information. Again, these men cower in fear because they have no faith in Christ, loving the darkness and being scared of an actual discussion on the topic because it would require them to do some actual work and study (or they would be exposed for their ignorance and embarrassed in front of others), and sadly, most American church building leadership today is far more worried about appearances than doing some actual work.

Chris write me the following letter:
"You seem like a nice enough guy. Do you understand the damage your are causing? 26 U.S. Code § ?6012. requires (with some exceptions) to pay taxes ( just ask Kent Hovind, he knows all to well). There is no doubt truth in what you say. There are indeed some very wicked people who take advantage of 501c3, and I admit the system is not ideal. Still, there are many fine, dedicated and Godly men who serve in 501c3 churches.
I find it ironic that you claim to teach pure scripture, while at the same time living in active rebellion to God's word, not being a local church member. If I am wrong about you attending church, I apologize.
You are a smart guy, but you drunk too much of the conspiratorial Kool-Aid on many things. In this respect, you are no better then Steven Anderson. I commend you in you desire to serve Christ faithfully, but I also urge you to be factual, have some common sense, conduct solid research, and just use some simple logic when weighing arguments. You have bought into too many bad arguments solely because of your tradition. Your were taught something, you liked it and have never questioned it.
I beg you to throw away all your preconceptions and start from scratch with the bible. Go line by line through scripture, utilizing all the manuscripts and tools we have. Examine the church fathers and the other theologians throughout history and see what they say. BUT examine these sources and documents for yourself, don't trust what someone says about them. Do the work yourself. I promise you, at the end you will see; A lot of what we have been taught comes from bad hermeneutics/ exegeses and is retained simply cause of tradition. Please...just do the research and see. If you are truly a man of God and you truly love Christ, then you will examine your teachings and you will seek truth. You have some great material but you are in some serious error on other areas."

This letter begins worse than the others because he starts out with flattering lips and double heart by saying "You seem like a nice enough guy."

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
-Psalm 12:1-2

flatter (v): to praise falsely; to raise false hopes by representations not well founded
(See 'flatter', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 15, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Once I had read this first sentence, I knew the rest of his letter was going to be mostly whining and railing accusations. People that start out a letter with flattering lips have no intention of having real discussion because they lie in their hearts, which is why the Bible says they have a double-heart; it means they say one thing with their mouths to appear pleasant outwardly, but inwardly, they are devious and malicious.

Chris's deception was easy to see through because if you consider the sentence, "You seem like a nice enough guy," the first question it raises is: "Nice enough for what?" Exactly what standard am I being held to, and how did I meet the requirements for that standard? No one knows, and I would say Chris does not know either, simply because these are vain words which he foolishly thought would cancel out the railing and false accusations that were to follow.

Next, Chris reveals his ignorance on a variety of issues by saying "26 U.S. Code § ?6012. requires (with some exceptions) to pay taxes ( just ask Kent Hovind, he knows all to well)." There are two main problems with his statement, the first is that he said 26 U.S.C. § 6012 "requires [people] to pay taxes," which is not what U.S.C. 6012 says, and the second is that Chris is claiming Kent Hovind was arrested and jailed over a violation of U.S.C. 6012, which is also not the case.

Cornell Law School's legal department provides a copy of 26 U.S.C. § 6012:
"(a) GENERAL RULE Returns with respect to income taxes under subtitle A shall be made by the following:
    (1)
       (A)Every individual having for the taxable year gross income which equals or exceeds the exemption amount, except that a return shall not be required of an individual—"
-Legal Information Institute, "U.S. Code §?6012. Persons required to make returns of income," Cornell Law School, Oct 15, 2019, [law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/6012]

Of course, the average American typically believes he brings home income with his paycheck (because of his casual use of the word 'income'), but that is not the meaning of the LEGAL definition of 'income', and people like Chris choose to remain in willful blindness on this matter. In most cases, American citizens bring WAGES into their household, not income.

Most Americans (in everyday conversation) use the word 'income' in its general sense, which is payments for goods or services, and therefore, they call their wages "income," but the government does not operate on implied meanings. Rather, the government defines specifically what is meant by the term 'income' in law dictionaries, and according to Black Law Dictionary, income is gain by corporate profit; wages is never mentioned:

income (n): The return in money from one's business, labor, or capital invested; gains, profit, or private revenue. Braun's Appeal, 105 Pa. 415; People v. Davenport, 30 llun (N.Y.) 177; In re Slocum, 109 N. Y. 153, 02 N. E. 130; Waring v. Savannah, 00 Ga. 99. 'Income' means that which comes in or is received from any business or investment of capital, without reference to the outgoing expenditures; while 'profits' generally means the gain which is made upon any business or investment when both receipts and payments are taken into account. 'Income,' when applied to the affairs of individuals, expresses the same idea that 'revenue' does when applied to the affairs of a state or nation.
(See 'income', Black's Law Dictionary Free, 2nd Edition, retrieved Oct 15, 2019, [thelawdictionary.org/income])

As I stated at the beginning of this book, I am not going to go deep into this topic because it is not one that I prefer to cover in my ministry, because I want to focus on Christ, His Word, and His church, to protect and edify the saints of God. However, I will briefly point out that 'income' (in the legal arena) only refers to gain by business owners and investors, not by individual wages, and that 'income' for individuals (according to the court cases listed in the definition) applies the same way as revenue of the state, and since revenue of the state is not taxable, therefore, wages are also not taxable; meaning that the only time an individual is required by law to file an income tax form is if they have a license/corporation (e.g. business, marriage license, etc) registered with the state.

Many individuals, like Chris, make the mistake of reading the law with implied or generalized defintions, based on what they think the words mean, rather than looking them up in a law dictionary and finding out what the state says it means. The problem we have today is that income taxes are taken out of employees paychecks automatically by the business they work for because, as a corporation, they are required by law to do so, and to put it bluntly, it is a very deceptive on the part of the IRS to force it out of peoples' paychecks through corporate businesses, rather than creating an actual law for individuals.

Next, Kent Hovind was convicted and sentenced for refusing to pay withholding taxes on his registered business (Creation Science Evangelism Enterprises), not for refusing to file an income tax form for personal wages. Kent was also convicted guilty of using something called "Structured Bank Transactions" to cover up the fact that he had employees he was paying, but refusing to comply with the IRS regulations to pay withholding taxes (which is lawful), and he ended up getting in debt to the IRS for millions of dollars over the better part of a decade.
(Read "Wolves in Costume: Kent Hovind" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Typically, if anyone is to take more than $10,000 (in cash, not with check or card) out of a bank account at any one time, they have to file an IRS form, which is a regulation made to leave a paper trail on money to catch drug dealers and money launderers, and so what some people do is simply remove $9,900 at a time to avoid having to fill out a form. If someone chooses to do this, there is no law against avoiding the $10,000 rule, UNLESS that person is doing so to avoid being seen doing something unlawful, which is what Kent was doing.
(See The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989, p. 394-395)

So this means that Chris (just like others who write me to whine about their 501c3 contracts) does not know what he is talking about, but I am sure in his daily conversations that he is able to deceive a lot of people because he can impress them by reciting some IRS tax code numbers. (i.e. 26 U.S.C. § 6012) Next, Chris reveals that he is either protecting his own 501c3 contract, or he is trying to justify his favorite leavened pastor's 501c3 contract, because despite all the wickedness I have revealed in this book, Chris deceptively claims that most of them (not few) are good guys by saying, "Still, there are many fine, dedicated and Godly men who serve in 501c3 churches."

If those men were dedicated and godly in their words and deeds, they would have had no need for 501c3 at all; they would not have felt the need to satisfy their lust for money. However, it's all about the money for them, which is why a lot of the things I have discussed in this book are almost never heard in the halls of church buildings today.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:10

Chris then moves to falsely accuse me before researching the matter by saying, "I find it ironic that you claim to teach pure scripture, while at the same time living in active rebellion to God's word, not being a local church member. If I am wrong about you attending church, I apologize." Do not be decieved; Chris was not sorry, and his so-called "apology" was vain because he did not bother to find out if it was true. Chris could have just asked me if we have a church, but he had no intention of having a discussion with me (i.e. this letter was a slap-and-run tactic of a coward), and he just wanted to ASSUME his false accusation was true so he could justify himself and his favorite leavened 501c3 preachers.

However, it should be noted that even if it were true that I did not assemble together with our church, it would still not make Chris right about 501c3. What Chris did is a logical fallacy called "Poisoning the Well," which is an attempt to spread negative information about me before my teaching has been heard, so he can attempt to persuade others to not listen to what I have to say.
The strategy some pastors and elders have taken is to accuse people like me of not being a part of a local church, which is not true, but they like the accusation because it allows them to tell people things like, "The author of that book on 501c3 is against going to church at all." The problem with this is not only the lie (which God will hold them accountable for on the Day of Judgment), but also their temple-based philosophy in which they believe that in order to be a church, you have pay for the overhead of having a separate building with pews and an altar, which is not in accordance with New Testament doctrine. (i.e. The body of Christ is not a building.)

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
-Romans 12:5

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
-1 Corinthians 12:12

Chris continues to say, "You are a smart guy, but you drunk too much of the conspiratorial Kool-Aid on many things," which first assumes that my understanding of this matter has come from me being "intelligent," which is not the case. I am a simple-minded person that has been given gifts of wisdom and understanding from the Lord God, who gives to all men freely if they will ask Him, and if Chris would ask God for it, he could have the same.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
-James 1:5

In the previous letter, I had quoted Leslie Augur accusing me of being like Jim Jones (a religious cult guru who claimed to be Jesus Christ), and Chris is doing the exact same thing. Jim Jones had led his followers to drink poison mixed in with Kool-Aid (an artificially-flavored fruit drink mix), and so the implication here again is that because I expose the truth behind 501c3, and the greed of pastors and elders, I am accused of being equal to Jim Jones, which is a lie based on no evidence.

I laughed when Chris went on to say, "In this respect, you are no better then [sic] Steven Anderson." The funny thing is that Steven Anderson hates what I teach, meaning that Anderson defends 501c3 and claims there is nothing wrong with it, or in other words, Anderson agrees with Chris, which would mean that, "In this respect, [Chris from Nevada is] no better than Steven Anderson."
(Read "Wolves in Costume: Steven L. Anderson" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Perhaps I should not be surprised, but I still get surprised at the level of hypocrisy in men like Chris, especially when he says, "I commend you in you desire to serve Christ faithfully, but I also urge you to be factual, have some common sense, conduct solid research, and just use some simple logic when weighing arguments." Thus, Chris (in the fashion of a coward) will not simply come forward and be direct to say that he believes this book on 501c3 lacks facts, common sense, solid research, and simple logic, to which I will let readers decide if that is the case, but the hypocrisy is that Chris's email to me lacked facts, common sense, solid research, and not just simple logic, but it also lacked Scripture of any kind. (Would it not be reasonable for the man accusing me of not have facts, research, and logic to provide those things in his letter to show me a better example?)

Chris continues to say, "You have bought into too many bad arguments solely because of your tradition. Your were taught something, you liked it and have never questioned it," but notice that he never mentioned what specifically he was talking about. This is a vague statment. What specifically did I say that was "bad?" What specific "tradition" did I try to justify? What exactly was I taught that I "liked" and "never questioned?" What I find fascinating is that, today, 501c3 is a common tradition (which I stated at the beginning of this book), and I am trying to set Christians at liberty from the bondage of their traditions, but Chris accuses me of doing the opposite with no evidence whatsoever.

To that, I will simply quote what Paul said to his false accusers:

Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
-Acts 24:13

Chris then says, "I beg you to throw away all your preconceptions and start from scratch with the bible. Go line by line through scripture, utilizing all the manuscripts and tools we have," but if he would have investigated what I teach, he would have found that I have hundreds of hours of audio teachings in which our church goes through Scripture verse-by-verse, line-by-line. Again this is another false accusation, because he implies that I do not study Scripture, and furthermore, based on the things written in this book, any reader can obviously see that I am trying to get pastors, elders, and churchgoers to throw away their preconceptions about church buildings and traditions, and start from scratch with the Bible.

Chris also tells me to, "Examine the church fathers and the other theologians throughout history and see what they say," and this gave me a lot more information about Chris than he might have realized because, first of all, most of the men who are typically referred to as the so-called "early church fathers," are the very pagan philosophers who paved the way for the Catholic Church, and are named "church fathers" by the Catholic popes and priests. Secondly, I do not worship and serve "early church fathers," nor do I rely on them to teach me the truth, but rather, I rely on the Holy Spirit of God, as the Bible instructs us who are born again in Christ.
(Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
-Matthew 23:9

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:26-27

Perhaps if Chris took the time to pray to God for wisdom and understanding (Jms 1:5), and studied the Bible line-by-line (Isa 28:10), and actually did some work to study to show himself approved unto God (2Ti 2:15), then he might have noticed that following the wisdom and traditions of men is in opposition to what Christ taught us:

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
-1 Corinthians 1:17

So as Chris finishes his letter, he implies A LOT of things that he will not directly say. The following is a list of the things I was falsely accused of in Chris's very short and vague email:

I was falsely accused of not understand basic tax code. I was falsely accused of not understanding what happened to Kent Hovind. I was falsely accused of being in rebellion against God. I was falsely accused of not being a member of a local church. I was falsely accused of being like false preachers Jim Jones and Steven Anderson. I was falsely accused of not presenting facts. I was falsely accused of not having common sense. I was falsely accused of not conducting solid research. I was falsely accused of not using simple logic. I was falsely accused of using bad arguments. I was falsely accused of following tradition. I was falsely accused of never questioning what I am taught. I was falsely accused of being blinded by preconceptions. I was falsely accused of not studying the Bible verse-by-verse. I was falsely accused of not researching and studying for myself. I was falsely accused of not doing work. I was falsely accused of being in serious error.

In his letter, Chris only gave one specific example, which was over 26 U.S.C. § 6012, and as I demonstrated, he did not know what he was talking about. Should we then conclude that all his accusations have merit? Or, should we conclude that Chris wrote this letter out of an emotional rage, rather than from a position of reason from the Scriptures?

In short, Chris is just a railer, and although we learned what a railer is earlier, I want to repeat this again so that Christians will take notice of such wicked men:

railer (n): one who scoffs, insults, censures or reproaches with opprobrious [contemptuous and hateful] language
(See 'railer', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 9, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

And again, the Bible says we are not to sit down and eat a meal with, nor fellowship with, any man who claims to be of Christ and talks like that to others:

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
-1 Corinthians 5:11-13

Chris is supposed to be kicked out of the church if he will not come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of his sin. His railing and false accusations (i.e. lying) are not customs of the church, nor reflective of a born again Christian, and thus, we need to mark men like Chris, and avoid them.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:17-18

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Although I could provide many more examples beyond these few emails because, over the years, I have received hundreds of letters on this topic alone, I believe these should be enough evidence to prove the point, and enough example to warn Christians about what to expect. If you are going to approach a pastor, elder, or churchgoer on the subject of 501c3, be prepared to hear these very same things.

When sitting down at a table to discuss the matter of 501c3 with a pastor, you have remember that you are essentially exposing his willful ignorance and sin, even if you are doing it in kindness and gentleness. You may even be approaching the subject from the position that your pastor was innocently ignorant of what he has done, but once he sees the fullness of the matter, he will know that he is in error, which is an embarrassment to him, and because most pastors hate correction, you will likely be falsely accused. (Or, if you share this book with a pastor, he will accuse me of those things to try and avoid direct confrontation with you because he knows that condemning me is his best option when attempting to save face and keep your wallet in his church building.)

In my experience, your greatest difficulty in talking to pastors about this subject is deflection, meaning that they will try to avoid staying on topic, and they will try to avoid having to provide evidence for the things they say, as you can see in the letters above. When you ask pastors a question, you have listen carefully to see if they actually answered the question you asked because, most of the time, they will (much like a politician) lead you on a merry chase down an avenue of things that do not pertain to the questions you're asking, or they will just pass the buck to a lawyer, claiming that the matter is too complicated to be understood by the average person.

Sadly, it is also my experience that after confronting pastors on their willful ignorance and sin, they will often go on their own self-righteous crusade to spread false rumors about you. Do not be surprised if this happens, as I have had it happen to me, and many others have written me letters (even some in our own church) in which they have testified that such backbiting and gossiping from those pastors was brought against them, but this is what Jesus Christ said would happen to us if we teach the truth:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
-Matthew 5:10-12

As anyone can learn by reading the Old Testament books, like Jeremiah for example, these exact same things were done to the prophets. Paul spent years passionately warning the church that wolves would arise among them (i.e. from within, not from without) to deceive them and draw away people after their false doctrines:

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
-Acts 20:29-31

The good news about this is that you have no obligation to confront any pastor. There is no commandment in Scripture that, during the process of sanctifying oneself from leaven, that you must confront the leavened peoples in question. However, if you are convicted by the Holy Spirit of God to address your concerns to those in charge of the leavened 501c3 church building, then by all means, do as you are led to do, but I share these things as a warning, to prepare Christians for what they will hear, so that they might better prepare themselves to depart from respecting a pastor's person in sin, trust in God's Word exclusively, and be sanctified unto God, that they might be children of the Father.

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons... But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
-James 2:1-9
(Read "Respecting Persons Is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Remember that Jesus taught us that many would come to Him, claiming that they followed and served Him throughout their lives, but He will reject them unto everlasting punishment on the Day of Judgment:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23

If you want to learn why there are so many leavened and false preachers, as well as leavened and false converts among churchgoers, I would highly recommend reading another book I wrote called Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell. It's free-to-read here at creationliberty.com, and it will give a lot more details and correlating verses to explain the matter. For those of you who would read and understand, I pray that the Lord God would make all of you prosperous and healthy in your endeavors to honor His Word in all that you say and do, and though Christ has told us few will find the way to eternal life (Mat 7:13-14), I hope that as many of you as possible would learn the truth about repentance and faith, and be sanctified for the Lord Jesus Christ.

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