On a recent Friday night, the Reverend Dr. Debra Whitlock-Lax took the mic to warm up a crowd of voters who were at her church to hear from candidates running for office in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County.
“If you can hear me, clap your hands!” she said, to applause and cheers.
Whitlock-Lax is pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Sparks. Her church was hosting the forum in partnership with Faith in Action, a nonprofit activist network that organizes people of faith around social issues.
She opened the event by asking audience members to commit to vote – but she didn’t say for who.
“We don't endorse any candidate,” she said. “But we do invite all candidates to come and be a part, and to show their voices. You know, to share what it is that they're about.”
Across town, Pastor Phil McKay of Calvary Chapel Reno Sparks has also been engaged in the election. But he’s taking a different approach.
“We've prepared – our community impact team has prepared for you guys – a voter guide, that is going to hopefully help you to be educated on casting your vote so you know who you're voting for and what you're voting for. Amen,” he said during a recent sermon.
McKay preaches a literal interpretation of the Bible, and promotes conservative cultural values, including an opposition to gay marriage and trans rights.
And in his church’s voter guide, McKay endorses a slate of Republican candidates. According to experts, that’s a violation of federal tax law. His church’s involvement in politics is also a key component in a national effort to activate evangelical voters for former president Donald Trump.
KUNR reviewed dozens of McKay’s sermons, social media posts, and podcast episodes – as well as content from other local pastors. The investigation found McKay’s been working with Turning Point USA and its founder, Charlie Kirk, since at least Nov. 2023, when he hosted Kirk for a question-and-answer session at his church.
“What would you say to the Christian who is here tonight, struggling with their conscience about voting for a candidate who doesn't align 100% with their biblical values?” McKay asked the 31-year-old Republican activist and campaign operative.
“First of all, I'm glad you're here,” Kirk responded. “I'm glad you're contemplating that. So, I mean, obviously the only person they ever say that about is Trump.”
Kirk went on to compare Trump to biblical figures like Cyrus II, a Persian ruler who liberated the Hebrews from captivity.
According to the Old Testament, Cyrus was anointed by God, even though he was a nonbeliever.
“If you were to hire a bodyguard, do you want someone that's polite or someone that can win?,” Kirk continued. “[Trump] is the bodyguard of Western civilization.”
As the crowd cheered, McKay responded with an emphatic, “Amen.”
Kirk is running voter outreach for the Trump campaign in Nevada and other battleground states through Turning Point Action, a social welfare organization related to the Turning Point family of activist organizations, which Kirk established in 2012.
But that night at Calvary Chapel Reno Sparks, he appeared under the Turning Point USA Faith brand, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. IRS regulations prohibit such tax-exempt organizations from speaking for or against any candidate for public office – a prohibition that extends to churches, too.
Notre Dame law professor Lloyd Mayer said both Kirk and McKay broke the law by endorsing Trump.
“Charities are free to talk about issues,” Mayer explained. “It's only when they start talking about candidates that we have a problem.”
McKay told KUNR he was too busy for an interview before this story was published. And Turning Point never responded to a request for comment.
But experts in Christian nationalism say Kirk is building relationships with churches to get evangelical Christians to support the former president. In Reno, he’s also tapped into Center of Hope Christian Fellowship and CONVO Church.
Religion scholar Matthew D. Taylor said after the pandemic, Kirk restructured Turning Point around a Christian nationalist philosophy called the Seven Mountains Mandate. It divides societies into distinct areas of influence, or “mountains,” which Christians should seek to control.
“There's the mountain of government, the mountain of education,” Taylor said. “The tops of those mountains are either controlled by Satan and the demons or by God and the Christians.”
Taylor said adherents to this idea believe once Christians are in charge, they’ll be able to bring the U.S. into alignment with what they deem to be “biblical values,” and bring God’s blessing upon the nation.
There’s nothing illegal about promoting those ideas. But according to Mayer, McKay overstepped by promoting a voter guide from the pulpit – which includes at least two members of his congregation: Sam Brown, who’s running for U.S. Senate; and Reno city council candidate Denise Myer.
“It's a little surprising that more groups haven't pushed the envelope in this area, especially given the sharp partisan divides we have today,” Mayer said.
McKay’s political activities could jeopardize the tax exempt status of his church – at least in theory.
But Mayer says it’s doubtful the IRS will look into them, because the agency is short on resources. He also suspects it’s wary of going after churches, especially in this political climate.
Back at Bethel AME in Sparks, however, Whitlock-Lax is firmly on the right side of the law. The forum she hosted featured candidates from both major parties, and a few nonpartisan races.
The point was to help voters get engaged, no matter who they plan to vote for.
“I believe that an educated community is a community that can vote wisely,” she said.