Orlando, FL -- This coming Sunday, September 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm (CT), Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Arkansas, will host a nationally televised, simulcast and webcast program entitled "Battle for Marriage III -- We Vote Values." The event is designed to educate and activate millions of Americans to urge their Congressional representative to vote in favor of a Federal Marriage Amendment ("FMA") to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Simulcast information is posted at wevotevalues.com.

Dr. Ronnie Floyd and the 14,000 member First Baptist Church of Springdale, the largest church in the state, were thrust into the national spotlight after Pastor Floyd preached about the biblical and moral issues facing America as we go to the polls. This message was part of the church's "Stand Up, America" patriotic program. Following his message, Arkansas and national media reported on Pastor Floyd's message and the stir it caused among groups which promote a radical version of "separation of church and state."

Prior to 1934, churches and nonprofit organizations had no limit on how much activity they could devote toward lobbying for or against legislation, including voter initiatives like the FMA. In 1934, the IRS Code was amended to prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations (tax-exempt and tax-deductible organizations) from devoting more than a "substantial part" of their overall activities toward lobbying. Although the IRS doesn't have a bright line rule, one case indicated that a nonprofit organization could devote at least 5% of the overall activities toward lobbying while another case ruled that 20% was too much. If one were to use the 5% rule as the minimum, that means a church which operated only 4½ hours per week with no paid staff and no volunteer time outside of this minimal activity could devote up to 14 minutes each Sunday toward lobbying activities. Of course, churches engage in much more activity than merely 4½ hours per week, especially if a church has a paid or volunteer staff, or daycare, school or other community outreach. From 1934 to the present, no church has ever lost its tax-exempt status for engaging in too much lobbying. Thus, churches may clearly lobby for the passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment and may also urge people to contact their legislators to vote in favor of the FMA.

Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, represents Dr. Ronnie Floyd and the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Arkansas, and has written a book entitled Political Activity of Nonprofit Organizations and has published scores of articles on the subject. Liberty Counsel provides free advice and legal representation to any church or pastor regarding political activity. Staver said, "Dr. Ronnie Floyd and the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Arkansas, have set an example for pastors and churches. Pastors have the right to speak on moral and social issues, and most especially on marriage. If pastors and churches cannot urge their members to contact their legislative representatives to support traditional marriage, then we have lost the First Amendment. We should not exchange the First Amendment megaphone for a muzzle that some ill-informed doomsayers wish to impose."