The IRS veered away from banning political endorsements in houses of worship, spurring differing views from Houston's religious leaders.

If a judge approves a proposed court order, the IRS will soon allow churches to endorse candidates from the pulpit again without losing their nonprofit status. Churches lost the right to endorse candidates after the 1954 Johnson Amendment by former President Lyndon Johnson was approved.

In court filings July 7, the IRS has largely backed down on a decades-old rule that barred churches from engaging in political activity.