All Saints Church retains tax exemption

Well, it’s about time! The IRS has officially ruled that All Saints Church of Pasadena, CA is still entitled to its tax exempt status. You may remember that the church was brought under scrutiny due to a sermon its pastor preached against the war. The LATimes is reporting that “the IRS said the church continues to qualify for tax-exempt status, but said that Regas’ sermon did amount to intervention in the 2004 presidential race. The letter offered no details or explanation for either conclusion.” The church is asking for an apology from the IRS — I wonder whether it could ask for the more than $200,000 it’s spent defending itself. This decision by the IRS is perhaps even more interesting — maybe there are some people over there capable of seeing complexity after all — because the IRS has apparently ruled AGAINST several right wing churches who took various forms of political action.