What do you think?
Rate this book
501c3: The Devil's Church
Getting 501(c)(3) status is not wrong for the world, but the church of Christ should have nothing to do with 501c3. It is the covetousness and greed of pastors and elders which causes corruption (i.e. leaven, which comes from sin, 1Co 5:6), and it is through that corruption in their hearts that they seek 501c3 incorporation. In this book, I not only go over the Biblical offenses and legal complications that 501c3 brings to church buildings, but I also demonstrate that 501c3 is not the source of the problem; rather, it is the sin in the hearts of pastors and elders that is the cause of the problem. 501c3 is only a symptom of the underlying cause, and the corruption cannot be fixed without addressing the source of the problem. "Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter." -Isa 56:11
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2020
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 20, 2024
ARE CHURCHES WHO HAVE IRC 501(c)[3] STATUS MOTIVATED BY ‘LOVE OF MONEY’?
Christopher J.E. Johnson leads an independent church, has a website, and writes books.
He explains, “In this book, we will learn about the problem with Christian churches obtaining 501c3 incorporation, but please understand that 501c3 is NOT the source of the problem. If you want to learn what the real source of the problem is, I hope you will read this book in its entirety to gain a full understanding… There is a false assumption by many churchgoers today that in order to be an ‘official church,’ one must obtain 501c3 status, but this could not be further from the truth. There is no law anywhere that requires any church to get 501c3 status… it is most often done for financial benefit. In this book we will learn about the problems 501c3 creates for churches, the spiritual offenses against Christ, and … why so many pastors and elders desire to be incorporated.” (Pg. 1)
He continues, “Indeed, there is nothing generally sinful in 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. (i.e. It is not their ignorance, but their WILLFUL ignorance, which means they do not know, and they do not want to know.) (Pg. 2)
He then asserts, “1. No U.S. law exists that requires any individual to file a federal income tax form… [Aaron Russo’s documentary, ‘Freedom & Fascism’ is his source for this.] 2. The Biblical church is not a legally recognized entity; therefore, it is not taxable. 3. Enticing to give via tax write-offs is not Biblical giving.” (Pg. 2)
He states, “A ‘tax-exempt’ status means that individuals and businesses can write off donations and increase their personal profits, which also increases the frequency and size of donations that appear in the offering plates (or online transactions) in most church buildings and ministries… it is the LOVE of money which is evil, and that is exactly the problem we are facing when we examine the decisions of pastors and elders to get 501c3 incorporated.” (Pg. 5-6)
He contends, “your so-called ‘Christian’ organization (i.e., church, ministry, website, etc.) has NO U.S. Constitutional rights once you sign up for 501c3, outside of having a right to a fair trial in a courtroom. Your church has NO First Amendment freedom of speech or freedom of religion rights, and you have NO Fifth Amendment rights, which means the IRS can … silence any message they do not like, and hold you as a witness against yourself to sentence you for any crime they choose. (This is not to say our government will do that, but I am pointing out that they have the lawful power to do that under a 501c3 contract.” (Pg. 14) [But if a ‘church’ is not a ‘legally recognized entity,’ how can they be taken to court?]
More helpfully, he states, “IRS Form 1023… is the application to get 501c3 incorporated… if you wanted to start a religion that worships jelly beans, you could do that, as long as you put down that there was a statement of faith in jelly beans, and a form of worship for them… as long as you answer each question clearly, and provide all the necessary information, you can receive tax exemption for ‘The Church of Divine Jelly Bean’ Incorporated… Form 1023 goes on to ask if the religious institution has a code of doctrine, religious history, literature, hierarchy, scheduled services… They also ask how many people attend on a regular basis… denominations, associations, baptisms, weddings, funerals, leadership structures, ordainments … all of these are to be listed out in detail for IRS consideration.” (Pg. 31-32) [The IRS’s purpose for the questions, of course, is to weed out ‘fakes’—that is, organizations and individuals with no HONEST ‘religious’ purposes.]
He admits that people get upset with his expressed opinions: “Many churchgoers and church building leaders have gotten very upset with me over the years because I have made these statements… I will show some of the letters I have received so my Christian brethren will be better prepared to handle the backbiting, railing, and false accusations that commonly come from pastors, elders, and churchgoers when we rebuke their 501c3 contracts.” (Pg. 39)
He acknowledges, “I have also not been able to find an unincorporated church in my area either, and … of the few church buildings that are not incorporated in my area, not only are they typically located an hour or more driving time away from my home… all the ones around here that I have investigated are operated by leavened preachers that I have personally seen lie to, and extort, others.” (Pg. 144) He advises, “Start up your own church, just like I did… Our weekly audio teachings started out in a home church back in 2009, and we expanded live over Skype (since 2013) with other Christians around the world who had also been scattered because of the pastors.” (Pg. 149)
He seems unduly harsh toward some of his Christian brethren (although, given the position in his book, ‘Why Millions of Believers On Jesus are Going to Hell,’ he probably doesn’t consider them ‘brethren’): of Greg Dixon Jr. of Indianapolis Baptist Temple, he says, “what he did was wicked and he should have been ashamed of himself… He was a liar and deceiver” (Pg. 57, 61); Eric Hovind [son of Young Earth creationist Kent Hovind] “quickly jumped at the opportunity to get in bed with the IRS… greed, covetousness, and the desire for material wealth was at the core of his heart” (Pg. 92, 98); of Matt Slick of CARM, “we can now confirm that ‘Slick’ is a very fitting name for Matt… eventually, God’s patience will run out and Slick will suffer the consequences” (Pg. 118-119).
Interestingly, he states, “It is common for many church-ianity websites to teach people that Lyndon Johnson’s goal was to enslave and silence the churches of America, but after researching the matter, I do not believe that is the case.” (Pg. 158-169)
I would strongly suggest that Christians considering Johnson’s positions think and research THOROUGHLY before following much of his advice. Tax rebel Irwin Schiff (who developed the ‘you’re not required to file, you’re not required to pay’ argument used by people like Russo) died in federal prison, while serving his third sentence; Kent Hovind spent years in federal prison (and even wrote a book about his experience). It isn’t independent preachers or the Biblical Law Center whose interpretation of the Internal Revenue Code prevails, but that of the IRS and the courts.
No ’church’ is required to seek 501c3 status; but the vast majority of Protestant Evangelical churches do so, because they probably think that giving less to the IRS and more to ‘the Lord’s Work’ is a good idea, and well worth filling out a couple of forms. Caveat Emptor…
Christopher J.E. Johnson leads an independent church, has a website, and writes books.
He explains, “In this book, we will learn about the problem with Christian churches obtaining 501c3 incorporation, but please understand that 501c3 is NOT the source of the problem. If you want to learn what the real source of the problem is, I hope you will read this book in its entirety to gain a full understanding… There is a false assumption by many churchgoers today that in order to be an ‘official church,’ one must obtain 501c3 status, but this could not be further from the truth. There is no law anywhere that requires any church to get 501c3 status… it is most often done for financial benefit. In this book we will learn about the problems 501c3 creates for churches, the spiritual offenses against Christ, and … why so many pastors and elders desire to be incorporated.” (Pg. 1)
He continues, “Indeed, there is nothing generally sinful in 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. (i.e. It is not their ignorance, but their WILLFUL ignorance, which means they do not know, and they do not want to know.) (Pg. 2)
He then asserts, “1. No U.S. law exists that requires any individual to file a federal income tax form… [Aaron Russo’s documentary, ‘Freedom & Fascism’ is his source for this.] 2. The Biblical church is not a legally recognized entity; therefore, it is not taxable. 3. Enticing to give via tax write-offs is not Biblical giving.” (Pg. 2)
He states, “A ‘tax-exempt’ status means that individuals and businesses can write off donations and increase their personal profits, which also increases the frequency and size of donations that appear in the offering plates (or online transactions) in most church buildings and ministries… it is the LOVE of money which is evil, and that is exactly the problem we are facing when we examine the decisions of pastors and elders to get 501c3 incorporated.” (Pg. 5-6)
He contends, “your so-called ‘Christian’ organization (i.e., church, ministry, website, etc.) has NO U.S. Constitutional rights once you sign up for 501c3, outside of having a right to a fair trial in a courtroom. Your church has NO First Amendment freedom of speech or freedom of religion rights, and you have NO Fifth Amendment rights, which means the IRS can … silence any message they do not like, and hold you as a witness against yourself to sentence you for any crime they choose. (This is not to say our government will do that, but I am pointing out that they have the lawful power to do that under a 501c3 contract.” (Pg. 14) [But if a ‘church’ is not a ‘legally recognized entity,’ how can they be taken to court?]
More helpfully, he states, “IRS Form 1023… is the application to get 501c3 incorporated… if you wanted to start a religion that worships jelly beans, you could do that, as long as you put down that there was a statement of faith in jelly beans, and a form of worship for them… as long as you answer each question clearly, and provide all the necessary information, you can receive tax exemption for ‘The Church of Divine Jelly Bean’ Incorporated… Form 1023 goes on to ask if the religious institution has a code of doctrine, religious history, literature, hierarchy, scheduled services… They also ask how many people attend on a regular basis… denominations, associations, baptisms, weddings, funerals, leadership structures, ordainments … all of these are to be listed out in detail for IRS consideration.” (Pg. 31-32) [The IRS’s purpose for the questions, of course, is to weed out ‘fakes’—that is, organizations and individuals with no HONEST ‘religious’ purposes.]
He admits that people get upset with his expressed opinions: “Many churchgoers and church building leaders have gotten very upset with me over the years because I have made these statements… I will show some of the letters I have received so my Christian brethren will be better prepared to handle the backbiting, railing, and false accusations that commonly come from pastors, elders, and churchgoers when we rebuke their 501c3 contracts.” (Pg. 39)
He acknowledges, “I have also not been able to find an unincorporated church in my area either, and … of the few church buildings that are not incorporated in my area, not only are they typically located an hour or more driving time away from my home… all the ones around here that I have investigated are operated by leavened preachers that I have personally seen lie to, and extort, others.” (Pg. 144) He advises, “Start up your own church, just like I did… Our weekly audio teachings started out in a home church back in 2009, and we expanded live over Skype (since 2013) with other Christians around the world who had also been scattered because of the pastors.” (Pg. 149)
He seems unduly harsh toward some of his Christian brethren (although, given the position in his book, ‘Why Millions of Believers On Jesus are Going to Hell,’ he probably doesn’t consider them ‘brethren’): of Greg Dixon Jr. of Indianapolis Baptist Temple, he says, “what he did was wicked and he should have been ashamed of himself… He was a liar and deceiver” (Pg. 57, 61); Eric Hovind [son of Young Earth creationist Kent Hovind] “quickly jumped at the opportunity to get in bed with the IRS… greed, covetousness, and the desire for material wealth was at the core of his heart” (Pg. 92, 98); of Matt Slick of CARM, “we can now confirm that ‘Slick’ is a very fitting name for Matt… eventually, God’s patience will run out and Slick will suffer the consequences” (Pg. 118-119).
Interestingly, he states, “It is common for many church-ianity websites to teach people that Lyndon Johnson’s goal was to enslave and silence the churches of America, but after researching the matter, I do not believe that is the case.” (Pg. 158-169)
I would strongly suggest that Christians considering Johnson’s positions think and research THOROUGHLY before following much of his advice. Tax rebel Irwin Schiff (who developed the ‘you’re not required to file, you’re not required to pay’ argument used by people like Russo) died in federal prison, while serving his third sentence; Kent Hovind spent years in federal prison (and even wrote a book about his experience). It isn’t independent preachers or the Biblical Law Center whose interpretation of the Internal Revenue Code prevails, but that of the IRS and the courts.
No ’church’ is required to seek 501c3 status; but the vast majority of Protestant Evangelical churches do so, because they probably think that giving less to the IRS and more to ‘the Lord’s Work’ is a good idea, and well worth filling out a couple of forms. Caveat Emptor…
June 7, 2020
This book really made me think. I had to think about how are use my own resources. How charitable am I being to others? Am I really using my resources the way the Lord wants me to?
This book covers all the ins and outs of the 501(c)(3) and shows why no church should ever participate in such a legal situation. Then the author talks about people who have a posed him in his research into 501(c)(3), what they said, why they said it, and how he showed them their error.
Overall this was a fascinating book on a subject that I normally would’ve found very dry. When you bring the subject back to the word of God, it suddenly becomes fascinating. I learned so much!
This book covers all the ins and outs of the 501(c)(3) and shows why no church should ever participate in such a legal situation. Then the author talks about people who have a posed him in his research into 501(c)(3), what they said, why they said it, and how he showed them their error.
Overall this was a fascinating book on a subject that I normally would’ve found very dry. When you bring the subject back to the word of God, it suddenly becomes fascinating. I learned so much!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews