After having a frank and friendly, enlightening, and robust dialogue with Rev. Steve Shipman Monday evening in Minneapolis Convention Center Room 204 during the Minneapolis ELCA Convention of 2009, something just occurred to me.

Most ELCA (along with Methodist and Presbyterian) churches with their sometimes massive and ornate church buildings on substantial acreage of land do not pay property taxes and are exempt from federal, state, county, and city Equal Opportunity laws, Human Rights laws, Equal Rights laws, Civil Rights laws, Environmental Quality laws, along with absence of internal intrusion from government assessors and inspectors and all levels and types of law enforcement in which the State does not have a "compelling interest" to investigate, arrest, and prosecute.

Exceptions involve Federal-Reserve-Note-related monetary private church-entity contracts with non-government local utility companies providing water, sewer, electricity, garbage disposal, lawn maintenance, insurance, investments, plus professional painters, roofers, plumbers, etc.

This separation of church from state, involving partnership with the IRS and their national military forces under the three main branches of United States Government, is based on an IRS (and thus Government) bestowed status of: "tax exemption" as a "non-profit religious organization." The IRS is, of course, under obligation to federal, state, county, and city Equal Opportunity laws, Human Rights laws, Equal Rights laws, Civil Rights laws, Environmental Quality laws, along with absence of internal intrusion from government assessors and inspectors and all levels and types of law enforcement.

Pertaining to those tax-exempt religious denominations, there is a very real vulnerability at hand in stark contrast to instead being "tax free" (as Peter Kershaw would put it).

All three of the religious denominational and sectarian groups listed above (e.g. Lutheran, Methodist, and Presybterian - amongst others of a similar protestant nature) state in their charters and constitution that their identity as registered with the IRS is associated with adherence to The Holy Bible in whatever translation or translation the three have embraced in relation to their very nature of the particular religious non-profit organization of each one. Whenever any of the three contradicts that association against their own Bibles by - let's say - proclaiming adherence to seasonal immodesty in general public view, and/or anti-creationist/anti-Genesis evolutionist mythology as purported origins-theory "scientific fact," and/or ordaining and placing women clergy over men, any of which males are themselves capable of leading the congregation of men during primary worship services on Sunday morning (contrary to Isaiah 3:12, I Corinthians 11:1-16, I Corinthians 14:33-38 and I Timothy 2:12-14), and/or ordaining and placing homogay and homosodomite clergy over congregations consisting of both genders with or without homoclergy committing same-gender pseudo-marriages (contrary to Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, and I Corinthians 6:9-10).....the headquarters of the denominations and all those associated with them risk having their tax-exempt status revoked on the grounds of violating the Bible-stated conditions they made when registering with the IRS to start with.

Certainly, church charters and constitutions can change (concerning newly-written disavowment against the Bible relating to Bonafide-Occupational-Exemption-type exclusions), but the precise wording comprising such must be registered with the IRS within a time limit determined by the IRS who granted the tax exemption and manages it.

Such non-disregardable, non-ignorable, and significant deviancy will inevitably be brought into question and exposed by various groups eager to do whatever they can to eliminate tax-exempt protections of certain religious non-profits they disfavor - such various groups as The American Civil Liberties Union, People for the American Way, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State..

The threat is very real....and devastating.

Ultimately having lost religious tax-exempt protection, all rostered clergy within those denominations will then be liable to discrimination lawsuits for refusing to do what Equal Rights laws, Equal Opportunity laws, Human Rights laws, Civil Rights laws, etc. require every other non-profit organization plus for-profit companies and corporations to comply with.

First Amendment freedom of speech for individuals would not be applied in such non-profit group cases. Indeed, all individuals within the noncompliant group would be liable to both civil and criminal infractions, associated lawsuits, court adjudications against them, fines payment, and even perhaps limited-time imprisonment. Not only that, but consequential questioning of acquisition and dispersion of denominational pensions, now protected by federal law, would result.....seriously jeopardizing all sorts of financial transactions involving the internally-discrepant-against-themselves religious-denomination non-profit headquarters and all those associated with them.

In essence, internally allowing heresy against Scripture would bankrupt and dissolve the errant religious-denomination non-profit organizations across the board, much to the delight and satisfaction of the ACLU, PAW, AUSCS, and others.

1 Cor 6:9-10 (YLT) Have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? Be not led astry: neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, 1 Timothy 1:10 whoremongers, sodomites, men-stealers, liars, perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that to sound doctrine is adverse,

1 Cor 6:9 (NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 1 Timothy 1:10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine....

1 Cor 6:10 (Douay Catholic) neither effeminate nor liers with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor railers nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God.

1 Cor 6:9-10 (NASV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals....will inherit the kingdom of God. (Greek/English Interlinear (tr) NT) 1 Corinthians 6:9 | h <2228> {OR} ouk <3756> oidate <1492> (5758) {KNOW YE NOT} oti <3754> {THAT} adikoi <94> {UNJUST ONES [THE]} basileian <932> {KINGDOM} qeou <2316> {OF GOD} ou <3756> {NOT} klhronomhsousin <2816> (5692) {SHALL INHERIT?} mh <3361> planasqe <4105> (5744) {BE NOT MISLEAD;} oute <3777> {NEITHER} pornoi <4205> {FORNICATORS,} oute <3777> {NOR} eidwlolatrai <1496> {IDOLATERS,} oute <3777> {NOR} moicoi <3432> {ADULTERERS,} oute <3777> {NOR} malakoi <3120> {EFFEMINATE} oute <3777> {NOR} arsenokoitai <733> {SODOMITES,}
(Greek/English Interlinear (tr) NT) 1 Corinthians 6:10 oute <3777> {NOR} kleptai <2812> {THIEVES,} oute <3777> {NOR} pleonektai <4123> {COVETOUS,} oute <3777> {NOR} mequsoi <3183> {DRUNKARDS,} ou <3756> {NOR} loidoroi <3060> {RAILERS,} ouc <3756> {NOR} arpageV <727> {RAPACIOUS, [THE]} basileian <932> {KINGDOM} qeou <2316> ou <3756> {OF GOD} klhronomhsousin <2816> (5692) {SHALL INHERIT.}

Romans 1:27 (RSV) and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

(German Luther 1912) Leviticus 20:13 Wenn jemand beim Knaben schläft wie beim Weibe, die haben einen Greuel getan und sollen beide des Todes sterben; ihr Blut sei auf ihnen.

(French LS) Leviticus 20:13 Si un homme couche avec un homme comme on couche avec une femme, ils ont fait tous deux une chose abominable; ils seront punis de mort: leur sang retombera sur eux.

(RVR 1960) Leviticus 20:13 Si alguno se ayuntare con varón como con mujer, abominación hicieron; ambos han de ser muertos; sobre ellos será su sangre.

(Douay-Rheims) Leviticus 20:13 If any one lie with a man as with a woman, both have committed an abomination: let them be put to death. Their blood be upon them.

Jeremiah 1:17 But you, gird up your loins; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.