Trump-backed pastor Jackson Lahmeyer accused of sexting staffer as Oklahoma primary nears
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Oklahoma will have its primaries today, which means right-wing Christian Nationalist pastor Jackson Lahmeyer could finally be the Republican nominee for Congress (after a failed previous attempt). But despite an endorsement from Donald Trump, the campaign may have just suffered a major blow after a woman who worked for his campaign said that Lahmeyer—a married father of five—had been sexting her for months… at least until his wife found out.
A quick recap: Lahmeyer is pastor of the internet-friendly Sheridan.Church, based in Tulsa and the founder of “Pastors for Trump,” which was organized to get conservative Christians to support Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The MAGA base loves him because he’s a massive conspiracy theorist. He has said Black Lives Matter was founded by “witchcraft-practicing lesbians,” signed vaccine exemption forms for anyone who became an online member of his church, claimed Dr. Anthony Fauci was a “mass-murdering Luciferian,” said January 6 was an “inside job” by the FBI, claimed that Alex Jones “did nothing wrong,” and fully embraces QAnon… even though he’s been accused of Satanism by other QAnon conspiracists.
He also seeks the “eradication” of Islam from the country and thinks Black women like Jasmine Crockett are guilty of acting “like a GHETTO fool in Congress.”
Soon after Trump nominated Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to take over Kristi Noem’s job as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, there was a flurry of replacements and newly vacant seats, including the one Lahmeyer is now angling for in the House.
Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District is a fairly red district where all the real competition occurs in the GOP primary. The Cook Political Report currently rates it a solid Republican district, meaning Democrats don’t stand a chance. But Lahmeyer has the one thing no one else in his race does: The Trump Stamp of Approval.
That endorsement is what led Caitlin Simmons Key, a former Miss Oklahoma USA and a fundraiser for Lahmeyer’s campaign, to post about why she was also supporting him:
… Today, Jackson Lahmeyer received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and regardless of where anyone lands politically, that is a huge moment in this race.
I support Jackson because I actually KNOW him. I know his family. I see the conversations people don’t see, the work people don’t see, and the heart behind all of it.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years working around politics, it’s this: politics can be ugly… but not every person in politics is.
There are good people trying to do good things, and Jackson is one of them.
She actually KNEW him. She knew his family. She knows he’s a good guy trying to do good things.
And she knew this because the two of them had been texting for months in a way that any white evangelical pastor would say crossed every boundary. She told her story to the right-wing Daily Mail—with the screenshots of their messages to back it up—adding that she remained on Lahmeyer’s payroll even after his wife found the messages.
She says the two of them didn’t have sex. But their text messages were never supposed to be made public because it was clear he would have gone further if he thought he could get away with it, even inviting her to his hotel room. She said no because he was still married to his wife.
‘Eventually the conversations crossed the line of probably what most people would consider appropriate for a married man and a single woman,’ she said.
…
He sent a selfie from his room at a Hyatt Place and floated a ‘late invite.’ She declined. Key says she was the one urging realism about his marriage. ‘And at some point- if u need to get divorced. Then ok,’ she texted him. His reply: ‘Not right now tho lol.’
…
She put it to him bluntly: ‘U r in love with me and we don’t even have sex.’
‘Well… hahah,’ he replied. ‘I’m a fan of you how about that lol.’
‘Nobody knew how close we were,’ says Key. ‘Not one person on the planet besides me and him.’
When his wife found Lahmeyer’s texts, she was predictably furious—and lashed out against… Key. As if this were a one-sided interaction.
‘How dare you,’ Kendra wrote on May 9. ‘Don’t you ever contact my husband again. He told me everything.’
Key denied it. ‘I am not romantically involved with him. At all. If he feels differently towards me, that is nothing I have control of. I am dating someone!’
‘You are a liar,’ Kendra replied. ‘So just stop. You are out of our lives, don’t ever contact my husband again. Do you understand? Im not kidding. It was romantic, I saw it.’
…
‘You are a home wrecking whore. Did you enjoy ruining our family?’ Lahmeyer’s wife Kendra wrote to Key on May 9: ‘He has 5 kids.’
It’s not clear how much, if any, responsibility she puts on Lahmeyer himself, even though he apparently told Key to delete their messages (she didn’t). Did his wife know Key was still on the payroll, presumably so she wouldn’t go running to a British tabloid about their relationship?
In another interaction between the two, he told her she was “super thin and very cute” before leaving Mar-a-Lago to go to a strip club. As conservative Christians do. (Don’t worry, though. He said no to the offer of cocaine.)
Her response was incredible:
Her reply now reads as prophecy: ‘Jackson if u become congressman & if ever got caught u would be headlines.’ Then, one word: ‘Pastor.’
Yes. There would be lots of headlines. Because when you have a right-wing MAGA preacher who promotes “family values” and Trump, the inevitable hypocrisy is bound to be a major part of the campaign. It’s just a matter of which flavor. (Just ask Mark Robinson.) Is Lahmeyer a Christian who wants to help the “least of these” while persecuting refugees? Someone who promises fiscal responsibility while allowing Trump and his family to practically rob the Treasury? Someone who champions “pro-life” policies while opposing programs that keep people healthy and alive? Or a pastor who denounces same-sex relationships while trying to score himself a mistress?
I don’t normally care about these MAGA cultists’ private lives when it doesn’t affect anything else. Former Oklahoma official Ryan Walters recently got divorced. It wasn’t a scandal. There was no evidence of hypocrisy (other than the hypocrisy of an evangelical getting divorced at all despite pushing for covenant marriages). So it wasn’t a story. This, on the other hand, is a secret Lahmeyer didn’t want anyone to know about.
When the story was published Sunday night, Lahmeyer responded by blaming the messenger. He didn’t deny the texts. He just called the story “distorted”—without going into any details about what the Daily Mail purportedly exaggerated—and suggested the story may have been “paid for.” There’s no evidence of that. He also claimed he handled the matter privately and that his wife “may” have more to say soon.
Notice he doesn’t say the story is a lie.
And then his church canceled its Sunday service. Because Jesus can wait if the alternative is being in the spotlight after a story like this breaks.
Will any of this matter in today’s primary? Probably not. Lahmeyer’s base consists of white evangelical voters and they don’t actually give a shit if their most prominent pastors break their own moral codes. They’ll just chalk it up to sin and then celebrate whenever the pastor gets around to his forgiveness tour. Only Democrats are ever held to any standards these days. It’s the Christian Way™.
It should matter, though, because Lahmeyer has built his entire public career around judging other people’s morality. Yet here’s evidence of him violating his own supposed standards and what’s his response? Denial and deflection.
You know how all of these people would react if a Democrat did anything like this. They would spend months treating it as proof of moral corruption. But because Lahmeyer is a Republican, the rules don’t matter. His supporters on Facebook are already calling it a distraction or a lie.
That’s the hypocrisy at the heart of Christian Nationalism.
New Report Touts Importance of “Religious Liberty for All” at America 250
Tags:American Humanist, Politics, Religion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2026
Contact:
Logan Bayroff, lbayroff@westendstrategy.com
Sam Hananel, shananel@americanprogress.org
Andrew L. Seidel, media@au.org
Court Beyer, cbeyer@americanhumanist.org
Diverse advocates’ defense of religious freedom counters Trump’s discriminator “Religious Liberty Commission”
WASHINGTON – The Center for American Progress, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Interfaith Alliance, and the American Humanist Association today launched “Religious Liberty for All: Celebrating This Founding Freedom at America 250,” a new report featuring 20 prominent voices, including elected officials and faith leaders, on what religious liberty means in their lives and for the nation.
The report makes the case for a vision of religious liberty rooted in dignity and the Constitution. It serves as a powerful alternative to the anticipated upcoming report from the Trump administration’s so-called “Religious Liberty Commission,” which has elevated a very narrow ideological perspective, perpetuated Christian Nationalist doctrines, and sought to weaken the separation of church and state.
The “Religious Liberty for All” report makes clear: “Religious liberty belongs to all people, not to any single tradition, party, or administration…As America reaches its semiquincentennial, these perspectives affirm that America’s strength lies in protecting the freedom of belief and nonbelief and ensuring that religious liberty is not misused to decide who belongs, whose rights are protected, and who has power.”
“Humanists have always understood something that gets lost in the current debate: religious liberty isn’t a prize to be won by the most powerful,” said Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. “It’s a foundation that only holds if it holds for everyone. That principle isn’t new, and it isn’t controversial. It’s why we’re proud to stand alongside this coalition in defending it.”
Elected officials contributing to the report include Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Representatives Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Jared Huffman (D-CA), and Jamie Raskin, (D-MD). Faith leaders include Rabbi David Saperstein (Union for Reform Judaism), Sunita Viswanath (Hindus for Human Rights), Rev. Terri Hord Owens (Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)), Dr. Homayra Ziad (American Islamic College), Rev. Carlos L. Malavé (Latino Christian National Network), and many more.
To mark the report launch, the organizers are holding an event at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m. ET. The event features keynotes remarks by Senator Coons, introductory remarks by CAP’s president and CEO Neera Tanden, and multiple panel discussions with experts on religious freedom.
The Trump Administration’s Religious Liberty Commission is expected to release its own report as early as the end of June—the publication has been repeatedly delayed as the commission faces ongoing litigation from diverse faith organizations including Interfaith Alliance, which allege illegal discrimination in the makeup and actions of the commission. In April, Democracy Forward and Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a motion to pause the release of the report, on behalf of the Interfaith Alliance, Muslims for Progressive Values, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Hindus for Human Rights.
###
The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The post New Report Touts Importance of “Religious Liberty for All” at America 250 appeared first on American Humanist Association.
A religious hospital refused critical ectopic pregnancy care. Now the patient is suing.
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Anti-abortion laws are ruining lives, even in blue states that aim to protect women’s rights. And a new lawsuit is a perfect example of that. It involves the traumatic episode experienced by 28-year-old Harmonie Perrone, an Illinois woman who had an ectopic pregnancy (where the fertilized egg implants inside the fallopian tube).
Perrone had been pregnant before—and had suffered ectopic pregnancies before. In fact, the first time that happened, she required surgery and lost her right fallopian tube. The second time it happened, she was treated with methotrexate, which stopped the egg from dividing, effectively inducing an abortion without the need for surgery.
When she became pregnant this time, she knew there was a possibility that something similar could happen, so when symptoms began to appear, she knew exactly what had to happen: She needed the methotrexate and she needed it fast.
Unfortunately, her local hospital, Advocate Good Shepherd, was a religious hospital with abortion rules similar to Catholic hospitals where anything involving contraception or abortion is forbidden. That meant treating ectopic pregnancies was even more of a hassle. Simply put, these kinds of faith-based hospitals don’t generally allow abortions unless there’s literally no other option. In this case, the only way they were going to give her the drug was if her fallopian tube was moments away from rupturing (and putting her life in danger).
She didn’t know that.
When she was admitted into the emergency room, she explained her situation and that she needed methotrexate immediately to avoid surgery. After confirming her situation through blood tests and an ultrasound, the ER staff told her they still couldn’t take action. They needed to consult an on-call OB/GYN “specialist.”
As a lawsuit later explained:
An hour later—and four hours into her ER visit at Advocate Good Shepherd—ER staff returned and told Ms. Perrone they had consulted with the on-call OB/GYN who was a “specialist.” They assured Ms. Perrone she would be fine and that she did not need surgery. They told Ms. Perrone they had made an appointment for her to visit the specialist the next day. Ms. Perrone again asked for methotrexate but was told that the emergency room could not prescribe the medication and she would need to talk to the specialist OB/GYN the next day.
When you have an ectopic pregnancy, it needs to be treated immediately. The longer you delay treatment, the riskier everything becomes. But she visited that specialist, Dr. Dympna Coll, the next day. (The lawsuit says there were ads for Botox on the wall, which didn’t exactly scream professional…)
After more tests, and another explanation of her medical history, Coll told Perrone she would still not prescribe methotrexate. The lawsuit then chronicles snippets of what Coll told Perrone:
“We have to weigh the pros and cons of the life of the baby and the life of the mother.”
“There is a 1% chance that there is a baby in there.”
“I cannot in good faith intervene at this time.”
“I will only intervene if your tube is rupturing.”
“You are not going to bully me into giving you methotrexate.”
“We do not do abortions here. You will have to go somewhere else.”
At one point, Coll cited Illinois law, presumably one that says doctors don’t have to perform abortions if they have a personal objection to it. But that law requires doctors to then send patients to someone who will perform the procedure. Coll didn’t do that.
Another Illinois law is supposed to prevent situations like this too:
The Illinois Hospital Emergency Service Act explicitly identifies ectopic pregnancy as an acute medical condition that requires stabilizing care. If the facility is unable to provide that care, the law requires immediate transfer. A separate law in Illinois, called the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, does not apply in the context of emergency medical care, said Allison Siebeneck, director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project at the ACLU of Illinois, which is supporting Perrone’s lawsuit.
“A hospital under federal law as well as state law has to both screen the patient and either stabilize them or to transfer them. This is what makes sense in an emergency. You can’t just say: ‘OK, bye,’” [Amplify Legal litigation director Molly] Duane said.
All of this was bizarre, partly because Coll is a board certified OB/GYN. She should know the risks involved with an ectopic pregnancy. But her own notes from their meeting weren’t in line with the field’s knowledge:
Then, instead of treating Perrone, she sent her to another location. A Catholic location. Mercy Health. Which wasn’t even a hospital and refused to help her.
At that point, they started driving to Northwestern Medicine Huntley, 30 minutes away, and Perrone didn’t think she would make it:
As they left the second Mercy facility, one thought kept going through Ms. Perrone’s mind: “This is it, I am going to die.”
She was quickly admitted and soon after given the methotrexate. It had been a day and a half since the symptoms began. Far too long given the risks. “For the successful treatment of ectopic pregnancy, every hour counts,” the lawsuit noted.
That’s when Perrone posted about her predicament on social media, where she usually focuses on beauty products. She talked about Dr. Coll and Advocate Good Shepherd and how it wasn’t until she went to Northwestern that she was properly treated. She opened up the video by (accurately) saying, “There is a war against women’s bodies and let me tell you my experience.”
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(She didn’t name-check Dr. Coll in that video, though she confirmed Coll’s involvement in the comment thread.)
Days after that video, however, Perrone felt sudden severe pain and knew the drug hadn’t completely fixed the problem. She and her husband returned to Northwestern and the same doctor told her there were two options, both involving surgery. The doctor could remove the ectopic pregnancy without further damage, but if things were too far along, and her life was in danger, they would have to remove her other fallopian tube, removing the possibility of any future pregnancies.
They went through with the surgery… but because the tube was in danger of rupturing any moment, the doctor had to remove it to save Perrone’s life. It was devastating for her—but at least she was alive. What bothered her was how all of this could have been avoided if the pregnancy was treated sooner.
So she posted a new video. This time, she named Coll directly in it.
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“Had Dr. Coll intervened on Oct 9th when I showed up to the hospital, most likely I would still have my tube. And if she wouldn’t have dicked me around on Friday Oct 10th, maybe I would still have my tube. Maybe she could have given me methotrexate or even intervened surgically to save my tube. But because she could not in good faith practice that, I had to go forty minutes away from the hospital that I was currently at, and wait hours and hours, which with ectopic pregnancy, every single hour counts.”
After all this occurred, Perrone was getting ready to file a malpractice lawsuit against those responsible for her inability to have children in the future. But then something truly astonishing happened:
As Perrone began working with the lawyers on the lawsuit, she received a knock on the door – Coll was suing her for defamation.
“Not only has she lost her ability to have children without IVF, but she’s now being sued for speaking out about that experience,” Duane said.
The doctor whose inaction could have killed Perrone was suing her for talking about what she lived through. Coll demanded those two videos be taken down and a new one be posted in which Perrone retracted her statements.
Perrone not only refused that, her legal team pointed out “inconsistencies between Dr. Coll’s account of events and Ms. Perrone’s medical records and memory.”
In December, Coll formally filed her defamation lawsuit anyway, citing in part how the videos “prompted negative commentary, a cascade of adverse online Google reviews, and resulted in numerous existing patients contacting Dr. Coll and her staff expressing concern about the TikTok’s [sic].” Perrone has since asked a court to dismiss that lawsuit.
But now she’s fighting back in her own way. She’s filing her own lawsuit against Coll and Advocate Good Shepherd for violating Illinois law by not treating her immediately and for medical negligence. She points out that she’s not only dealing with infertility because of what they did, but medical expenses for the care they didn’t actually provide, and future expenses for potential IVF treatment.
All of this is a reminder of how faith-based and Catholic hospitals and anti-abortion extremism can affect you no matter where you live. It’s not like anyone lacked all the information here. Perrone had an ectopic pregnancy and knew the risks. The medical tests confirmed her hunches. Everyone knew what needed to be done; what the religious hospitals and doctors couldn’t pull the trigger on was how serious things needed to be before they helped someone. They were willing to put her life in danger. Thank goodness she didn’t let that happen.
But even though the medical literature was clear about the risks and even though Illinois law was clear about a hospital’s obligations, and even though the doctor she begged for help from was a board-certified OB/GYN, none of it mattered because of faith-based ideology that treats abortion as if it’s some sort of sin.
That’s the ugly reality of what happens when the Catholic Church or any religious system has any control over healthcare. They could have helped her the moment she walked through their doors. Instead, because of their lack of intervention, Perrone is unable to get naturally pregnant again. The damage has already been done.
There is a broader lesson to take away from all this, too: Anti-abortion extremism doesn’t stop at elective abortions. It inevitably affects miscarriages, emergency medicine, and even treatment for ectopic pregnancies when there’s literally no viable fetus to save and where any delay can cost a woman her life. The people who pretend to care about women and families are responsible for this woman not being able to have a larger family. And their negligence was completely unnecessary. If they treated Perrone by prioritizing her health, this whole disaster could have been avoided.
Update: I have corrected the article to reflect that Advocate Good Shepherd is not a Catholic hospital, but a faith-based one. My apologies for the error.
Retiring Democrat Lloyd Doggett joins Congressional Freethought Caucus
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The Congressional Freethought Caucus just added another member: Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). But this one comes with an expiration date.
Doggett first entered Congress in 1995 after a long stint in the Texas Senate (1973-1985) and the Texas Supreme Court (1989-1994). After Republicans further gerrymandered their state last year, and after those maps were upheld in court, Doggett announced he’d retire once his term ended rather than run in a primary battle against fellow Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Doggett was also the first House Democrat to call on President Joe Biden to step down from his re-election bid after his disastrous debate in 2024. He sits on the House Ways and Means committee, where he chairs the subcommittee on Health. He’s also a member of both the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Equality Caucus.
Like most of his colleagues in the CFC, Doggett is religious. The Pew Research Center, in their 2025 roundup, listed him as a Methodist. Still, he supports church/state separation and pledges to protect freedom of religion for everyone (including the non-religious).
The caucus now includes a record 36 members, all of whom are Democrats.
In case you need a refresher, the CFC was first announced in 2018 by Rep. Jared Huffman, currently the only openly Humanist member of Congress.
The 36 members now include:
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) (Co-cha)
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) (Co-chair)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA)
Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX)
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA)
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL)
Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT)
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX)
Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA)
Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR)
Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA)
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ)
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)
Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA)
Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-MN)
Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE)
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA)
Rep. Herb Conaway (D-NJ)
Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR)
Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-CA)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
(Eric Swalwell was a member of the CFC until his recent resignation.)
To be clear, this isn’t an “atheist club” for Congress, as some critics have suggested. This is just a group of lawmakers dedicated to promoting reason-based public policy, keeping church and state separate, opposing discrimination against non-religious people, and championing freedom of thought around the world. There’s really no reason anyone should be against this. That’s why there’s nothing hypocritical about the fact that nearly every member of the Caucus is religious.
The hope is that the membership continues growing—making the Caucus more influential—while the stigma of being an atheist (or even being associated with non-religiosity) decreases across the country. Those two things are more closely linked than we might imagine. Keep in mind that the Congressional Prayer Caucus, which typically promotes a version of conservative Christianity, is much larger and has members from both major parties. By that metric, the Freethought Caucus has a long way to go.
As I’ve said before, perhaps the most shocking thing about the Caucus is that, based on the relative lack of media interest, people don’t seem to care who the members are… which is to say, no one—not even in right-wing media—thinks it’s a big deal for sitting House members to align with a group defending atheists.
That also means none of these lawmakers believes the Caucus will be a concern for them during the second Trump administration. That may come as a shock to anyone who remembers a time when aligning (even remotely) with atheism was considered one of the biggest taboos in politics.
(Portions of this article were published earlier)
The Waseca Public School system in Minnesota will ensure that future district choir performances will not include religious content. (June/July 2026)
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
Minnesota —
The Waseca Public Schools system in Minnesota will ensure that future district choir performances will not include religious content, thanks to FFRF fighting for a secular family of the community.
A concerned parent reported that the Waseca Junior/Senior High School’s Feb. 24 Select Choir concert included mostly overtly religious songs. A program from the event confirmed the presence of religious content, such as the Christian songs “Even When He Is Silent,” “Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down,” “In Paradisum” and “Praise His Holy Name!” The parent stated that while “In Paradisum” was sung in Latin, it included an English spoken word section “highlighting the importance of faith with a religious context.” FFRF was also informed that Select Choir students were required to attend and perform in the concert for a grade, and that this was “not the first time this director has had religious themes sprinkled into her programs.”
FFRF contacted William L. Hoversten, the district’s legal representative, to ensure compliance with the Constitution.
“Requiring students to perform Christian worship music for a grade violates students’ First Amendment right to be free from religious coercion,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote. “Additionally, the selection of songs highlighting a single religion — Christianity — signals school favoritism toward religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths.”
Thankfully, the district decided to change its tune.
“The information you have provided has been forwarded to the Waseca Public Schools administration, and they have responded that they will look into the circumstances and the concerns raised by the parent who has contacted you,” Hoversten wrote. “This will include working with the high school team to review the concert selections and related student requirements and making appropriate adjustments.”
The post The Waseca Public School system in Minnesota will ensure that future district choir performances will not include religious content. (June/July 2026) appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Campaign headquarters or church? FFRF asks IRS to investigate Oklahoma pastor
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on the IRS to investigate an Oklahoma church after its pastor, congressional candidate Jackson Lahmeyer, publicly stated that supporters could pick up campaign yard signs directly from his church.
In a complaint filed with the IRS, FFRF reports that Sheridan Church in Tulsa appears to be using its facilities and resources to support Lahmeyer’s congressional campaign, a practice prohibited for tax-exempt churches under federal law.
“Tax-exempt churches are not permitted to function as campaign headquarters for political candidates,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “When a pastor tells supporters they can pick up campaign signs at his church, it shows that the church is providing tangible institutional support for a political campaign and it also inappropriately links the church with the candidate.”
FFRF’s legal complaint notes that this is not the first time concerns have been raised regarding political activity at Sheridan Church.
FFRF previously alerted the IRS to violations of the tax-exempt code after Lahmeyer hosted Tulsa mayoral candidate Brent VanNorman at Sheridan Church and solicited campaign donations from congregants in 2024. Lahmeyer has publicly joked about the repeated complaints filed against his church, remarking: “If I had a dollar for every time somebody reported my church to the IRS, I’d be a very wealthy guy.” The apparent lack of IRS enforcement or action clearly has emboldened the pastor to continue violating the law.
Federal law is clear that organizations receiving the privilege of tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code may not “participate in, or intervene in … any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” That protection, commonly known as the Johnson Amendment, has been part of federal law since 1954 and helps ensure that tax-deductible charitable contributions are not used to subsidize partisan political campaigns.
The FFRF complaint comes at a time when the Johnson Amendment is under renewed attack by the Trump administration and Christian nationalist groups seeking to transform churches into tax-subsidized political organizations. Earlier this year, a federal court rejected an effort by the National Religious Broadcasters and allied churches to effectively nullify the Johnson Amendment through a proposed settlement with the IRS. FFRF hailed the decision after warning that it would open the door for churches to become virtual tax-free PACs while retaining their tax-exempt status.
FFRF notes that churches are financial “black holes,” already enjoying unique privileges under federal law, including exemptions from many of the financial reporting requirements imposed on other nonprofit organizations. The Johnson Amendment provides one of the few safeguards that ensures that tax-deductible donations intended for religious or charitable purposes are not diverted to partisan electioneering.
FFRF clarifies that 501(c)(3) organizations are free to participate in politics, but in that case should not receive special tax advantages while doing so. Likewise, pastors and other religious figures as individuals are free to endorse or fund candidates, but may not do so using any charitable resources.
FFRF’s complaint emphasizes that the situation is particularly concerning because Lahmeyer is both a church leader and a candidate for federal office, creating an obvious risk that church facilities, staff, communications channels and other tax-exempt resources are being used to advance his personal political ambitions.
FFRF is asking the IRS to investigate the extent to which Sheridan Church resources are being misused to support Lahmeyer’s campaign and to take appropriate enforcement action against any violations found.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 41,000 members (including hundreds in Oklahoma), FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
The post Campaign headquarters or church? FFRF asks IRS to investigate Oklahoma pastor appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.
