Pulpit tax issue is seen as way to marriage bill -The Hill

[Rose Siding]

Social conservatives, frustrated by the lack of movement on a marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution, are shifting their focus to passing legislation this year that would allow religious leaders to endorse political candidates from the pulpit.

Proponents of legislation sponsored by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) say it is a step on the long journey to collecting enough support to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Jim Backlin, vice president of legislative affairs for the Christian Coalition, said passing the Jones bill would enable religious leaders to endorse candidates who support a federal marriage amendment. Down the line, Backlin said, more candidates who support a constitutional amendment would be elected to Congress. Backlin will meet House and Senate Republican leaders this month and plans to stress the importance of the Jones bill.
...
Jones will appear with black ministers at a press conference today to rally support for his bill. The Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, is scheduled to speak out for the Jones measure. The Rev. Anthony Muse, a Democrat and senior pastor of the Ark of Safety Christian Church in Maryland, will also praise the bill today. They are expected to invoke the words of Martin Luther King Jr. to make their case for passing the Jones measure.

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/030205/pulpit.html