Enlarge By Brian Ray, Associated Press After the Iowa Supreme Court ruling brought gay marriage to the state, Jodi Linley of Iowa City, left, holding 18-month-old Norah, the couple's daughter, and her partner Brenda Linley celebrates after applying for a marriage license. An Iowa pastor says he will defy federal law on preaching politics from the pulpit against re-election of three Supreme Court justices who ruled for gay marriage in the case. SIOUX CITY, Iowa  The Rev. Cary K. Gordon has a prayer he recites as he campaigns against the three Iowa Supreme Court justices who are up for retention in next month's election. "Dear God," he says, "please allow the IRS to attack my church, so I can take them all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court." Gordon, an associate pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, says he will defy federal law this month when he urges the congregation to vote to not retain the three justices, who participated in a unanimous ruling that allowed same-sex couples to wed. His mass mailing to 1,000 church leaders in September prompted one national religious liberty group to file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service. Advocates of the separation of church and state and some religious leaders say Gordon's plan is illegal, immoral and an attempt to falsely frame his dispute as a freedom-of-speech violation. The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State in Washington, D.C., called Gordon's actions one of the most outrageous attempts to politicize a church that he has ever seen. Others, such as Jeff Mullen, senior pastor of Point of Grace Church in Waukee, are urging Iowa pastors to communicate to their congregations the "biblical mandate for involvement in local and national elections." Religious leaders on both sides of the gay marriage debate voiced strong opinions after last year's Iowa Supreme Court ruling. But on the Nov. 2 ballot question of whether to retain the three justices, many say they plan to stay silent. The push by some churches comes in the heat of what could become the tightest retention election in history. A recent Iowa Poll found that 44% of Iowans who plan to cast a ballot in the retention election say they will vote to retain all three justices. Forty percent will vote to remove all three, and 16% say they want to retain some. An IRS spokesman declined to comment. Political campaign ban stems from '54 measure Gordon's campaign, "Project Jeremiah 2010," is named for the Old Testament prophet who rails against forces that "defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination," and those who "handle the law." Gordon said he has recruited leaders at more than 100 churches, which he declined to name, who will speak against Justices Marsha Ternus, David Baker and Michael Streit on the three consecutive Sundays before Election Day. The Liberty Institute, a socially conservative nonprofit group in Texas, has promised free legal protection to any church that joins the campaign. The ban stems from a 1954 congressional amendment offered by then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, which prohibited churches and charities from engaging in political campaign activity. Churches cannot advocate for or against a specific candidate, but are free to lobby for or against ballot measures or speak about political issues. Churches that violate the law can be warned, fined, or — in extreme cases — have their tax-exempt status revoked. Gordon's plan is one of several efforts by conservative churches to challenge the IRS on a law they view as unconstitutional. The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona organization that promotes conservative biblical values, has sponsored a "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" in recent years, a day when pastors speak specifically about candidates for office. Connie Ryan Terrell, executive director of the Iowa Interfaith Alliance, which supports gay marriage, said several church leaders contacted her when they received Gordon's letter. The alliance, working in conjunction with the "Justice, Not Politics" campaign to promote impartial courts, has not taken a stand on the retention vote. "What the Cornerstone Church is doing is simply illegal and, in a lot of people's estimations, immoral," Terrell said. "Synagogues, churches and clergy can talk about the issue. They can talk about how their faith informs the issue. But they cannot cross that line and tell people how to vote." Pastor: 'We are the authority' on marriage Iowa's Supreme Court justices, in the unanimous April 3, 2009, opinion, stressed that their ruling does not infringe on religious rights and pertains only to government-sanctioned marriage. Gordon said the ruling attempts to redefine the institution. "My great concern is, we now have a court that believes they have now become the authority on what marriage is," Gordon said. "That is offensive to the religious community. We are the authority on what will be considered marriage. And frankly, it is an offense to natural law." University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle said churches may have more influence than usual in elections when not much is known about a candidate. "I'd be surprised if this effort was successful," said Hagle. "But even if they don't win, it might serve as a wake-up call to some judges." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more