In early September, he sent letters to the pastors of more than 1,000 Iowa churches, asking them to urge their congregants to vote against the three Iowa Supreme Court Justices up for retention

With the battle lines now drawn, the Rev. Cary Gordon, associate pastor with Cornerstone World Outreach, is standing his ground in his statewide campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices in the Nov. 2 retention vote.

“In fact, I hope the IRS tries to do something about it,” Gordon said Friday, adding that he was fully aware the church’s tax-exempt status prohibits him for making overt contributions or public declarations in support of or against any candidate. “I think that the current IRS code is a violation of the First Amendment.”

That stance could prove costly.

If the Internal Revenue Service investigates Cornerstone and determines that it has indeed violated federal tax law, it could take the unusual step of stripping the church of its 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status, costing it thousands of dollars in tax breaks.

The IRS also could levy fines, according to federal code, although those fines generally are kept confidential, according to an official with the Washington, D.C-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The IRS declined comment when contacted about this article.

“Revocation is the most serious thing that could happen,” said Robert Burns, senior policy analyst for Americans United. “That happens to nonprofits every year, but it’s difficult to know how many because of confidentiality.”

Other consequences could include fines of various sizes, which only become known when they are challenged in court, he said.

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