The IRS agents need only watch the video of Obama’s speech, read the text, or pay any attention to the nature of that particular protion of the event to knwo it is well within the accpetable bounds of politics. This is the denomination that champions the separation of Church and State. So it is very likely that not only was the letter of the law met, the spirit and intent was too. I was at the even and can testify that it was not political. It was the story of how he found the church as an adult, and how it has become a part of his life. It is the nature of the speech also given by Lyn Redgrave, also a UCC member, who spoke of finding the church as an adult.
Without sounding too much I have been feasting on sour grapes, this sounds a bit like someone has been put up to this investigation.

It will be interesting to see and hear Barack Hussein Obama give a political speech about how he found the “Church” when he is speaking to Muslims in an Islamic country. Jesus as the “Son of God” carries a death sentence in Islamic countries. And so does apostasy. Conservatives have been attacked time and time again (ACLU, AU,) over politics in the alter, it is well-past time for the Black Churches which are thinly disguised Democrat voter registration centers, to get the same equal time from the IRS. Jesse Jackson has been selling Democrat socialism to Black Christians for what 30 years now, in Black Church after Black Church? Somehow he always misses the preaching on tax collectors needing to repent though. Obama is no messiah. And his message is Marxist through and through.

Wake Up!
Follow your own advice!
The speech in question was to thousands of Protestant Christians here in Hartford, CT (USA). Know the topic before you address the situation.
Paranoid visions of anyone who is not caucasian is not helping anyone or keeping the process clear. Obama is no messiah – that is thoroughly correct, But he celarly represnts a reconciliation of the people with the government, something Bush has never had any interest in from the beginning. For Bush, the government was there to serve his family’s interests. Though he has been careful to tred the legalities lightly, he has come awfully close to treason – as in betraying his country for his own purposes.

First, the racism card is worthless. Half of Obama is white. And in Christianity, none of the original Christians were white guys or white women. They were middle east Jews. Secondly, the IRS is investigating a Church for NOT seperating Church and State. Words don’t really have a race. The Democrats seem unable to understand the concept. Bill C. and Jesse J. stumped in Churches all the time. The “right-wing” has been hounded from place to place for years by the ACLU and Americans United (for seperation of Church and State). Both are certainly Democrat political action orgs. Where is their condemnation of the clear religious tone to the Obama sales pitch? And, “Black” Churches need to be held to the same accounatbility as do any other kinds of Churches. I know what’s going on.

Now, I wonder where this leaves Huckabee!? All of the candidates court church approval, if not endorcements. Perhaps we need to ban all candidates for public office from speaking at a church druing their campaign.
I know for a fact that American United for Separation of Church and State is NOT a Democratic political action group.
Obama spoke on a religious issue because, long before he declared his candidacy, he was asked to speak on that very topic. I was there and his speech was on spiritual matters, without political refence. In fact NO political signs or even apparel was allowed in the building. He spoke as a member of the denomination.
Most of the “republican” – actually, conservative – churches under investigation are there for failure to disclose tax information. This is an entirely different question. Some of the conservative church are being investigated for overstepping endorcements. At no time has Obama been endorced by anyone in the UCC, speaking for the UCC (which cannot be done by design of the denomination – check out our polity, there is no authority greater than the congregation)

Who’d have thunk it? A Republican for cracking down on church politicking and a Democrat defending it. The very fact this back-and-forth is happening speaks volumes about how the relationship between each of the political parties and religion has changed in a very short time.

There are specific rules that must be followed for a church to remain in compliance with the law and retain its tax-exempt status, as described in IRS Publication 1828. The specific circumstances that surround Barack Obama’s appearance at last year’s UCC General Synod are such that they would seem to have violated those rules in a number of ways. How ironic it is for this liberal church, with a history of pursuing complaints of tax-code violations by other conservative churches through satellite organizations like “Americans United for Separation of Church and State” (led by UCC minister Rev. Barry W. Lynn), to now be crying foul over freedom of religion and speech. They didn’t seem to respect these freedoms before when they were complaining about other churches. I guess we’re seeing proof of the ancient wisdom, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”