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“State Rules Against Mont. Church for Backing Marriage Amend,” Baptist Press
This article by Michael Foust, published on March 9, 2006, discusses a recent ruling that a Baptist church ran afoul of state campaign finance laws while supporting an amendment to ban gay marriage:
In a decision that conservatives say chills religious expression, a Montana state official March 7 ruled that a Southern Baptist church violated state election laws in 2004 by endorsing a constitutional marriage amendment petition drive without notifying the state…The church placed petitions for the amendment, known as CI-96, in the foyer, and its pastor, Berthold G. Stumberg III, encouraged support for it from the pulpit . . .
The violation could result in a fine ranging from $50 to several thousand dollars, Higgins told a Montana newspaper . . .
The complaint against the church was filed in 2004 by the homosexual activist group Montanans for Families and Fairness . . .
The church is currently involved in a lawsuit fighting the restrictions.