system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How can ministers affect public opinion as alluded to multiple times in The Wire?

Hey all! Stupid question, possibly, but I just finished S4 of The Wire and a common issue for the mayor is how a given policy is going to play out with the ministers of Baltimore, reflecting on their ability to sway public opinion.

I was under the impression, however, that political proselytizing, as it were, was verboten in churches. Did I misunderstand something or is there a more subtle sway of public opinion that they just don't touch on in the show?
gpt
In the US, a church cannot openly endorse or campaign for a specific political *candidate* without putting their non-profit status in jeopardy.

But churches absolutely can and do actively support or oppose issues, and that's not illegal. In fact, many of the great movements of social change were driven by churches.