MOBILE, Ala. — A Mobile pastor says Tuberville is right that ministers should be more willing to address public issues from the pulpit, and he is urging fellow church leaders and Christians across the community to become more politically engaged ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
Travis Johnson, pastor of Pathway Church in Mobile, said he regularly talks about political matters with his congregation. While many pastors avoid such topics, Johnson said he believes Christians have an obligation to take part in civic life.
Responding to Tuberville’s campaign remarks
Johnson’s comments came in support of remarks U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Auburn, made at a campaign event in Mobile. Tuberville, the Republican nominee for governor, said the nation was founded on Christian values and that he wants voters to recognize what he described as anti-Christian ideology entering politics.
Tuberville said he had spoken with about 100 preachers while campaigning and that some ministers were reluctant to get involved in politics. He urged them to stand up for the country and to put God first.
Tuberville faces Democratic nominee Doug Jones, a former U.S. senator, in the governor’s race. The two men met previously in the 2020 U.S. Senate election, which Tuberville won.
Johnson said he agrees with Tuberville’s message, referring to the senator as Alabama’s next governor even though voters have yet to decide the race.
“I think our soon-to-be governor, Tommy Tuberville, is right,” Johnson said. “Politicians are getting more theological and because of that, pastors have backed up and they are quieter politically. It really is not even political speak. The sanctity of life is theological, it’s moral. Human identity is not first political, it’s theological and it’s moral. And so when pastors fail to speak, they’re ceding ground to other people. And when there is a fog in the pulpit or when there’s a mist in the pulpit, there will be a fog in the pew.”
Experience in Cambodia shapes his views
Johnson acknowledged that addressing political issues from the pulpit can offend some church members. Still, he said he considers those discussions essential, and he pointed to his own work overseas as a reason.
Johnson said he has worked in Cambodia for two decades and has seen the lasting damage left by socialist and communist rule there. The Khmer Rouge, a communist movement, controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, a period in which historians estimate roughly 1.5 million to 2 million people died from execution, starvation, forced labor and disease.
“I don’t want that anywhere near my community or my nation. It ends poorly,” Johnson said. “I’ve been working in Cambodia for two decades, and we’ve been picking up the pieces from the Khmer Rouge, or in English, the Red Khmer, the Red Cambodians, and communism is destructive. It ends in economic ruin and even loss of life. Communism is one of the greatest killers that our world has seen. It’s right up there with some other progressive policies like abortion. Then we see what Islam has done. So I don’t know why a pastor would ever choose to be silent on issues that are theological, that shape their people and also shape our country.”
‘When Christians don’t vote, they leave a vacuum’
Johnson said the effects of a pastor’s silence or engagement flow from the pulpit to the pews and eventually out into the wider community. He argued that low turnout among Christians allows other viewpoints to shape public policy.
“When Christians don’t vote, they leave a vacuum. That vacuum will be filled by other voices, many of whom will be diametrically opposed to Biblical values, to Christian values,” Johnson said. “So, we can’t complain when our children are being gender indoctrinated in our public schools if we aren’t showing up to vote.”
He stressed that local races deserve as much attention as high-profile contests.
“I know that we can look at presidential elections or gubernatorial elections. Those are absolutely important, but some of the most important votes are for our school board, for our county commission, for our city council,” he said. “I would encourage every single Christian, and to echo the words or the sentiments of our next governor, Tommy Tuberville, is that pastors should have courage, stand in their pulpits, and give people a Biblical reason to go and vote.”
Six reasons Christians skip the polls
Johnson identified six reasons he believes keep Christians from voting:
- Lack of interest
- Dislike of the candidates
- Disagreement on policies
- A belief that one vote will not matter
- A desire to avoid controversy
- Not knowing enough about the issues or candidates
Despite those obstacles, Johnson said participating in elections is part of a Christian’s duty to protect freedoms.
“Interest in the laws that shape our schools, safety, families and religious freedom is part of loving our neighbors and protecting the freedom to share the Gospel,” Johnson said. “When Christians stay disinterested, others decide the direction.”
The rules on churches and politics
The question of how far clergy can go in addressing elections has long been debated. Since 1954, a provision of the federal tax code commonly known as the Johnson Amendment has barred tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches, from participating in political campaigns for or against candidates. Speaking about moral and social issues has generally been permitted.
In July 2025, the Internal Revenue Service said in a federal court filing that houses of worship that speak to their congregations about candidates through their usual channels, in connection with religious services, should not lose their tax-exempt status. The position was widely viewed as loosening how the restriction applies to churches.
Johnson did not frame his call as a matter of tax law. Instead, he described political engagement as a moral and theological responsibility for pastors and their congregations.
A call to ‘get active’
Johnson encouraged Christians to vote in the Nov. 3 general election and urged pastors to take a more active role in the public square.
“Get active and speak up and do it effectively,” Johnson said. “Do not shrink back because someone that doesn’t like us and will never like us disapproves of us. We should just get busy about God’s work and seeing that His kingdom comes here in our community and that we’re a part of building that.”
Voting in Mobile County
Polls in Alabama are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, and voters must show an acceptable photo ID. Mobile County residents can confirm their registration status and polling location through the Alabama Secretary of State’s office or the Mobile County Board of Registrars.
In addition to the governor’s race, Mobile County ballots include congressional, legislative and local contests, along with other statewide races. Sample ballots are generally available from the county probate office before Election Day.
