When Adam Hamilton returned to Resurrection United Methodist Church last month, the megachurch pastor stood onstage looking almost sheepish. It was his first time preaching there in months, or roughly since he announced he was running for US Senate in Kansas back in April.
But as the pastor peered out at the hundreds gathered in one of the church’s three worship spaces, he made a point to thank his congregation for their prayers—whether or not they plan to vote for him.
“There are times when you feel pretty lonely doing this thing that I’m doing, that we’re not talking about here at church,” Hamilton said—a thinly veiled reference to a provision in the US tax code that bars nonprofits, including churches, from endorsing political candidates. The room laughed knowingly.
