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

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

IRS says it will no longer penalize houses of worship for endorsing political candidates during religious services, as long as it’s framed as part of religious expression. The announcement came tied to a lawsuit by two Texas churches and the National Religious Broadcasters,