CLE Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: ThomasHGW on July 28, 2018, 02:44:08 PM
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To be honest, the teachings that Christopher Johnson and Scott Johnson did on 501(c)3 incorporated church buildings were some of the first times I ever heard about what 501(c)3 even is. I have done a little bit of searching myself, enough to know that what they teach on it is true. I have only really researched and heard about church building incorporation, and heard a little bit about other religious buildings getting incorporated.
My point is that I don't know a whole lot about the topic other than it is unbiblical to be signing contracts that put the government at the head of a church and not God.
This might be a stupid question but I'm just curious.
Is 501(c)3 incorporation itself bad? I mean if there is an organization that is 501(c)3 incorporated but isn't a church and doesn't claim to be Christian is there anything wrong with signing the contract? And more specifically is this the kind of organization that a Christian should steer clear of simply because they are incorporated?
Context of what the organization is may be important, and I will provide information if I'm asked, but I mean very generally speaking about non religious organizations is what I'm talking about.
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Chris states near the beginning of his article:
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.
That being said, I personally will not support any 501(c)(3) organisation myself. I base this on the fact that all of these organisations are 'yoked together' so to speak, and though many of them profess to be doing charitable/humanitarian work, you really don't know anything about the leadership and what goes on behind the scenes. Take the scandal of the Red Cross for instance; they took so much of the material that was donated for hurricane relief last year (Harvey in Texas, for example) and just threw it in the garbage because they 'could always get more'. If they do this with the goods they receive, who knows what they do with the money?
That's just one example, but there are more and more stories coming out of other organisations and foundations being nothing more than fronts for illegal activity, such as human trafficking. I'm not saying there are no good organisations that are 501(c)(3) incorporated; I'm just saying that I, personally, do not trust any of them. I'd rather support an individual or group of people with specific needs directly than throw money to a 'corporation'.
Even then, I wouldn't give money to an individual just because they said they needed it for something (although I have done that in the past). I'd rather find out what it is they claim to need and buy that specific item for them because you'll find scammers at all levels.
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If you want to raise that question tomorrow after I do the teaching, we can talk about it.
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Ok and thanks Jeanne, I completely missed that. I was kind of under the impression that "charitable" organizations were the only ones doing it or ones that provide a public service of some sort and this one I'm thinking of doesn't to my knowledge and that's what raised the questions.
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Because of what I've learned about 501(c)(3) I'm questioning my annual contribution to
Tennessee Right to Life
via my license plate.
Anyone have any thoughts about that?