Links to books, essays, and articles which explain all matters related to the church/state relationship from God’s perspective as prescribed in His Word. These resources explain why church non-profit corporation status, federal tax-exempt status, charitable trust status, or legal entity status of any kind is spiritual prostitution; combine the heavenly with the earthly, the holy with the unholy, the eternal with the temporal; grieve our Lord; start a church on a downward slide toward heresy and apostasy; and corrupt the church, the state, and the people. All aspects of these matters are covered in the materials linked to below.
All resources and links below are from on jeraldfinney.com.
Bible Studies on the Doctrine of the Church
Separation of Church and State: God’s Churches: Spiritual or Legal Entities. This book explains why church corporate status, church Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3) or § 508(c)(1)(A) tax-exempt status or legal status of any kind is spiritual fornication. Churches who obtain such status betray their first love.
God Betrayed/Separation of Church and State: The Biblical Principles and the American Application. This book covers the Bible principles regarding God’s desired relationship between church and state and the American application of those principles. Section VI, “God Betrayed: Union of Church and State,” is an amplified version of Separation of Church and State: God’s Churches: Spiritual or Legal Entities.
Short Answers to Some Important Questions
gives links to short relevant articles which serve as good quick references:
The New Testament of Jesus Christ: His Executor Named and Empowered
- What is a Spiritual entity?
- What is a legal entity?
- Is a church a Spiritual entity, a legal entity, or a Spiritual/legal entity?
- Is it illegal for a church in America not to incorporate? Does a church have to be a 501c3?
- Does God Care if our Church is Incorporated?
- Should a Church Be a 508 Church?
- Does a church in America need an Employer (Tax) ID Number?
- Did President Trump do away with 501(c)(3) Requirements?
- What does church, inc. mean?
- Who Is the head of an incorporated church?
- What is 501c3?
- What is 508?
- What is the history of the First Amendment?
- What is the History and Meaning of “Establishment of Religion” in America?
- What is an established church?
- What is a First Amendment Church?
- Question from a Church Concerning Church Organization
- The Bible Answer to the Question, “Is an Incorporated 501(c)(3) or 508 Church a Church of Christ?”
Essays and articles linked to at https://jeraldfinney.com/miscellaneous-articles/.
Here are links to articles there which are relevant to church/state relationship:
Why Understanding and Applying Church and State Law Is Important for Believers and Churches
- Questions from a man regarding “the option of starting a church” (101522)(For other questions and answers, see Questions and Answers on various topics (starting 070118) and Answers to letters and questions from pastors and others (before 070118)
- More StartChurch deception: Every church member can be sued if the church is an unincorporated association. Therefore, every church should incorporate. Wrong. (091322)
- Putting the Lighted Candle under a Basket: The Shame of Many “Unregistered” Churches (Churches under Christ Alone) (052822)
- A Biblical and Legal Analysis of the Helping Hand Outreach Publication, “WHY ALL CHURCHES SHOULD BE A 508(c)(1)(a).” (042322)
- Are Churches Automatically Tax Exempt (040822)
- The Rules and Regulations that Come with Church IRS Code Sections 501(c)(3) and 508(c)(1)(A) Tax-Exempt Status (031722)
- Church Spiritual Fornication Does Not Matter?
- What Does Romans 13 Teach Regarding Man’s Obligation to Civil Government? A Bible Study (091021)
- God’s Word Commands a Holy, Separated Church (050221)
- Sad that the State of the Church is the Church of the State (Pastor Arthur Neal, 033121)
- Pastor Martin Jones, a Hero of the Faith: Testimony Concerning His Battles Against Government Intrusions into God’s Churches (010621)
- Church Property Ownership: Another Lame Excuse for Contracting with Civil Government for Church Corporate Status: (102720)
- John MacArthur Continues to Dishonor God and Make a Mockery of Truth (081720)
141. A Warning From God’s Word to Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church (072920) - A Short Treatise on Romans 13 (052720)
- According to the Bible, God Grieves when a Church Chooses to Organize Under Any Law of Man (Non-Profit Corporation Law, Federal Tax Exempt Law, Charitable Trust Law, Etc.) (052120)
- Stewards of the Mystery of the Church Found Lacking, Except for a Remnant (033020)
- More lies of “Christian” law firms and lawyers concerning church organization and the common law trust as a means of establishing a church under Christ alone outside civil government law (021120)
- Cross dressing Teachers in “Christian” Schools in Virginia? Questions Answered Regarding the Article “Liberty Counsel: New VA LGBTQ Bill Would Mean Baptist Schools Can’t Fire Cross-Dressing Teachers” (013120)
- The Church May, and God Will, Hold the Trustee to Account (090719)
- Another Victory for a Church under Christ (092419) (https://jeraldfinney.com/2019/09/24/victory-for-a-church-under-christ-in-minnesota/)(Trustee in Minnesota won in Court)
- Church Members are approaching their pastors about church corporate 501c3 status, some are leaving churches who refuse to repent of that status, and some are seeking to communicate with their pastors about the matter! (090619)
- Remnant Churches under Christ in America (013019)
- The Indiana Board of Tax Review Determines that Property Held in Trust for the Lord Jesus Christ Must Be Granted Property Tax Exemption (012319)
- My reply to pastor teaching on Matthew 16.18 and Ephesians 1.22 thereafter questioned by accountant about church non-taxable status and the First Amendment (011419)
- Letter and reply to a believer who left a church that would not discuss the issue of church corporate 501(c)(3) status (010819)
- Legal answer to Pastor’s inquiry concerning whether a potential donor of substantial gift an claim a tax deduction under IRC Section 508 even though the church will not give an IRS acknowledgement (123118)
- The Rose of Sharon (Transcript of a sermon depicting the love relationship between Christ and His local visible church , emphasizing the importance of organization under Christ only as opposed to corporate 501c3 or 508 status or legal status of any kind)(120118)
- THE HYPOCRISY OF PASTORS WHO ASK THEIR HIGHEST AUTHORITY TO OVERTURN LGBT NONDISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE (101218)
- The Bible Answer to the Question, “Is an Incorporated 501(c)(3) or 508 Church a Church of Christ?” (https://opbcbibletrust.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/091318_iscorp501c3churchachurchofchrist.pdf)(Prepared for a talk given at the September 16-19 Liberty Baptist Church of Albuquerque, NM, Southwest Baptist Heritage Camp Meeting.Click here to go to video of that presentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pf6xIbs9xs&list=PL_eghFgGMLTjhJ7kt1OFB87dzwop7ZJ29&index=9). Click here to go to Part II of that presentation, “Why a Church Is Not a Business.”
- Roger Williams: Quotes and Other Information from God Betrayed (012918)
- Isaac Backus Quotes from God Betrayed (012918)
- The History and Meaning of “Establishment of Religion” in America (121817)
- A Call to Anguish: Churches Reject God’s Authority (November 21, 2017)(The real meaning of church 501(c)(3) application and status emphasized in analysis of new article: “A New Religion Forms That Will Worship A ‘Godhead’ Based on AI”)A “Christian” Refuge of Lies: An Expose of “The Church that Birthed America” (113017) (https://jeraldfinney.com/2017/11/21/the-real-meaning-of-church-501c3-application-and-status-emphasized-in-new-article-a-new-religion-forms-that-will-worship-a-godhead-based-on-ai/)
- What God Has Committed to Man’s Trust: “Ye Cannot Serve God and Mammon” (110817)
- What is a Church under Christ (a New Testament Church), and What Upholds Her Integrity? (110217)
- An Informed Christian Response to the Article, “IRS Again Pressured To Hammer U.S. Churches” (102516)
- Legal Explanation of Incorporation of Churches (121012)
- Bible Studies on the Doctrine of the Church (not an article)
- Romans 13 and Related Verses (020717)
- The Local Church: A Building or What? (020617)
- Quiz on the Bible Doctrine of the Church (013017)
- The Only Way a Church Can Organize to Remain a New Testament Church (Holding Property In Trust For God Is A Scriptural Principle Which Churches Should Honor) (050616)
- Expose And Reject The Teachings and Methods of Church Organization Con-Artists and Charlatans (050616)
- Church Submission to Christ – A Works Agenda? (011916)
- Kicking someone out of church for speech, the state church versus the New Testament church, and Nicolaitism (011716)
- Facebook interchange: Testimonial concerning the book God Betrayed and the ignorance of fundamentalist pastors revealed (100515)
- Can a church force a homosexual to turn straight to stay in the church? (090915)
- One Church Under God (081615)
- The concerns of this Charity Baptist Tabernacle Separation of Church and State Law Ministry: Church Order and Sound Doctrine (073115)
- The Hierarchy of Law as it relates to sodomy and sodomite marriage (060115)
- Will Churches in America Have a Choice about Sodomite Marriage: A short critique of the Article “Christian schools will have no choice about gay marriage: Column” as it relates to churches(052315)
- Comparison of Bible Trust (ordinary trust), Incorporation (Includes corporation sole), and Ecclesiastical Law Center Trust (020815)
- Is the “trust” recommended by this “Separation of Church and State Law Ministry” a legal entity? (103114)
- More On Romans 13.1-2: The Governments That God Has Ordained (091614)
- Self-proclaimed Non-501c3 Churches Who Are 501c3 Churches (081314)
- Corporation: A human being without a soul (072914)
- The Monumental “666-CLA” Sermon that Was Attacked by Satan (050114)
- Church Internal Revenue Code § 508(c)(1)(A) Tax Exempt Status (042814)
- Confirmation Bias in the courtroom, in the media, and in the churches (032314)
- Is Separation Of Church And State Found In The Constitution? (020714)
- The Force Is All Around Us –Even in Our Courtrooms (020514)
- Spiritual versus Legal Entities (121512)
- A Critique of Pastor Steve Anderson’s Youtube Comments on Church Incorporation and Church 501c3 Status (101413)
- 1,000 Pastors who pledge to defy IRS and preach politics from pulpit ahead of election misunderstand the law and the hierarchy of
- First Amendment Protection of New Testament Churches/Federal Laws Protecting State Churches (Religious Organizations)(022610)
- Does God and/or Civil Government Require Churches to Get 501(c)(3) Status?(March 2010)
- ChristiansWho Call Evil Good and Good Evil (September 2009)
- The False and Misleading Teachings and Advertisements of StartCHURCH, Another Spiritual and Legal Deceiver (091312)
- Separation of Church and God (December 2009)
- Preaching on Sodomy in a Hate Crime Atmosphere (061610)
- The Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) Exemption-Definition-Control Scheme (September 2009)
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