The Internal Revenue Service has proposed regulations that would allow the government agency to audit churches, revoke tax-exempt status and impose penalties without considering churches' rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act or the First Amendment.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the regulations give the government too much power.
"Any time the government gets involved in regulating the church," he said, "we have to be vigilant and really hold the government to account."
Religious liberty groups are asking the IRS to regulate itself.
"Rather than just giving themselves unbridled authority and unbridled rights to interfere with a church's governance," Hausknecht said, "the IRS should comply with the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act."
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Learn more about the proposed regulations and changes that would protect churches.
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