Calvary Chapel church in Chattanooga, Tennessee was under fire Friday after committing what one tax law expert described as a “pretty blatant” illegal act in its efforts to help bolster Republican candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Last Sunday, Calvary Chapel church hosted several Republican candidates up for election in varying races, with the church’s civics and culture ministry leader, Adam Calabrese, explicitly encouraging attendees to support the candidates, per a report Friday from the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
“We can vouch for them,” Calabrese said, inviting the Republican candidates to join him on stage.
However, by wading into politics as a church with tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status, Calvary Chapel church officials almost certainly violated the law, Samuel D. Brunson, a federal income tax expert, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
“I've seen a lot of sermons that endorse, that try to endorse, that try to endorse without endorsing. This one's pretty blatant,” Brunson, who also serves as the associate dean at Loyola University Chicago, said.
“This is as explicit a violation as you could design. They have done literally everything they could possibly do to violate the Johnson Amendment part of Section 501(c)(3) – like they couldn't have done a better job violating it if they had tried, and maybe they did try."
Church leaders did not respond to questions from the Chattanooga Times Free Press, but their actions did spark outrage among critics.
“Unfortunately, expect much more of this in the coming election cycle,” reads a statement from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national Wisconsin-based secular advocacy organization, issued on Friday. “When the rules against partisan electioneering from the pulpit go unenforced, abuses become the norm.”
Unfortunately, expect much more of this in the coming election cycle.
When the rules against partisan electioneering from the pulpit go unenforced, abuses become the norm. https://t.co/U9bETtjU1H
— FFRF (@FFRF) July 25, 2026