I had the honor and privilege of being invited to participate in a Zoom call a few weeks ago with friends I know from Advocates for Faith and Freedom—a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Their aim is to uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage, and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights, while including the message and influence of God in all of their actions with a Christian world view as a driving force, and the Christian Orthodox Bible as their foundation. On the call was the founding attorney Robert Tyler, law enforcement, a senator, pastors, and several doctors, including the new-famed Dr. Dan Erickson from Kern County, California, who’s video regarding Covid19 went viral and was taken down by You Tube.
The purpose of the meeting was to strategize as to how Advocates could best resolve the attack on the rights of the church by the governor of California in light of the undue hardship he is causing our state by keeping churches closed among other business establishments in his effort to keep California “safe.”
As a result of this meeting, Advocates new-laid plans came to the attention of many supporters of Advocates and non-supporters as well. One seventy-seven year old woman wrote to Advocates with her concerns about opening churches too soon. She had two concerns.
- The actions of Advocates could exacerbate the situation with our governor in a negative way. Couldn’t Advocates put off their defiance just a little longer in order to protect others?
- The “defiance” of Advocates puts them in the same category as “those who bear guns, and refuse to socially distance, or wear masks.”
Why Churches Need to Open
On May 22nd 2020, president Trump announced that places of worship are deemed essential and that they should be allowed to open immediately. Where the state of California and some other states were out of step with God’s will for his church, the federal government has shown that it is in full step with, and support of God’s wishes. But does President Trump have the authority to force states to comply with his wishes and allow places of worship to open? No. There is no existing statute that can confer that kind of authority on the president. Second, there is little chance that today’s congress would pass such a statute. However, in light of Trump’s position, I would like to answer the above objections to demonstrate why Trump’s desire for America’s places of worship to open is the right one.
- Regarding the first concern,. When laws violate scripture, we must obey God rather than man. In this case, the laws of man are clearly violating scripture. We were created with inalienable rights. That means that our rights come from God. Not government. We have rights simply because we are human beings made in God’s image. It appears as though our governor of California believes that man’s rights come from government (or man). He is wrong. If the government does not provide inalienable rights, then they are not the government’s to take away. Finally, if orders are illegal because they defy the constitution, and in this case they do, then we, as citizens, are not required to follow them.
Churches must open. People have the constitutional right (Freedom of assembly, and freedom to worship), and the God-ordained duty to worship God. God’s law is above all else.
Biblical Precedents
There are some Biblical precedents that were set in ancient times regarding whom our highest authority should always be. Paul was martyred for his faith. In fact, that’s why all of the twelve disciples were martyred except for John. Paul was imprisoned, beaten, and eventually martyred because he would not stop preaching. Peter was crucified upside-down. In the Old Testament, Daniel went to the lion’s den because he would not follow the decree of the king to not pray to the God of the Bible. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went to the fiery furnace because they would not worship an image of gold instead of their God. The Old and New Testaments are replete with examples of those who suffered and died for God. Jesus willingly went to the cross out of obedience to God. Worship is what we are to do, and no one, no king, and no governor, should prevent God’s people from doing so.
American Precedents
Not only are there ancient Biblical precedents set to prove this point, but American history has demonstrated that our freedom is above the need to be “safe.” Everett Piper, former president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University puts it this way,
We are at a point now where we must decide what kind of nation we want to be going forward. What kind of country do we want to leave for our children? What is our highest good? What do we value the most? Before we move forward we must look back. This battle seems unprecedented. But we have been here before. We fought the revolutionary war, the civil war, WWI and II, and other wars. None of these battles were “safe.” None of these battles were fought for the preservation of our health. They were all fought to preserve our personal liberty.”[1]
This is what our choice comes down to, do we want to be safe or free? Who’s to say what keeps us safe? Shouldn’t we be able to decide that for ourselves? Is it right for the government to make our choices for us? Ronald Reagan said,
“You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We can preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we can sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here [and] did all that could be done.” — Ronald Reagan, 1964
We can’t sit idly by while watching our constitutional rights be taken from us. This battle feels like a tug of war doesn’t it? In a tug of war, you want the big, burly guy on your side. He ends up doing all the work—no rope burns for anyone else. But this battle is winnable for us because we have Christ on our side. We can submit the rope to Him. His resurrection power can come out and dominate this tug of war we’re facing, while we use the gifts and talents with which He has equipped us.
In the book of Ezra, The Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia to let the exiled return to Jerusalem and build a temple. Then he sent back all the silver, gold, and other valuables that king Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from Jerusalem. So the exiles had their land returned to them, and their temple was rebuilt. The Lord can move the heart of our governor the same way. Now is the time we must ask ourselves, do we really believe that we have this same power in us that raised Jesus from the dead? Do we really believe it or not? Will we give Jesus the rope?
Should we “put off our defiance to protect others?”
Putting off our defiance to protect others does two things. First, it prolongs our disobedience to God. As Christians, we are called to fellowship with others. You can find this in the book of Acts. Contrary to what some believe, the church is not a building. The church is the body of believers. The book of Acts in the Bible clearly states that the body of believers is to worship together. Second,“putting off our defiance to protect others” does not protect others but harms them. Everyone needs God. We all have the need for forgiveness and fellowship with God. There are those who are suffering because they cannot go to church and speak with their pastor, or be prayed for, be fed with the word of God, or worship in a way that brings them closer to God. People are hurting and burdened from losing their jobs everywhere. Not just those who are afraid of the death of their body, but of the deterioration of their soul while they have lost their jobs, and can’t put food on the table, they can’t see their loved ones, they are lonely, experiencing mental and physical suffering. There are many reasons why people need God. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He promises this, and Christians know this. We all need rest, and peace in our souls. Finally it is important to understand that we answer to God before man. This means that we must be obedient to God first, before man. In fact Matthew 10:28 tells us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
2. In exactly what category are “those who bear guns, and refuse to socially distance, or wear masks?” What does that mean exactly? Does it mean those who want to stand up for their rights? Does it mean those who bear guns are wrong, and that they shouldn’t? Does it mean that those who don’t wear masks are “deplorables?” Those who bear guns do so because of their constitutional right to do so. There is no other justification needed than that. If she means those who want to stand up for our rights, then yes, we have that in common with everyone who stands up for their constitutional rights, bearing guns, wearing masks or not. Whether or not someone bears guns, or wears a mask or a MAGA hat, no matter their race, sexual orientation, or religion, none of those things have any bearing on our right to assembly, or freedom of speech. Our right still stands as Americans and as Christians, whether one agrees with our world-view or not—everyone has the same constitutional rights.
Clearly this is a very personal issue for this woman and for many. But this is a matter of free will. Whether or not someone is ready to leave the home, and go to a church, or anywhere, must be one’s own decision. Keeping everyone from church because a few are afraid is not for the good of the masses because it takes away our freedom, and does not contribute to human flourishing. No one is forcing anyone to leave their home and go to church. If one feels ready to walk into a church and hear the comforting Word of God, then that is one’s right, and that person should do it. However, if one still feels threatened by the Covid19 virus, or has a pre-existing condition that might put them at a higher risk, then that person needs to decide whether or not they should go, or stay home and watch a church service on line. But as a church, a body of believers, we cannot sit and watch our government take away our inalienable rights that were given us by God, our constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and freedom to worship, nor defy the law of God—to worship him with the body of believers with the free will God has given us.
So What Do We Do?
- We must be in fervent prayer for our state and our country. Pray that the Lord will move the heart of the governors who don’t have a heart for the church body, and are keeping their citizens held captive. Not just in terms of opening churches, but opening businesses. People are hurting.
- Pray for president Trump, for his strength to continue to do the right thing for our country, to stay in step with God’s wishes, and pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen Trump’s advisory and spiritual support systems.
- Our constitutional right allows us to conduct peaceful protest, which we should feel free to do.
4. We can push back against our governor as Advocates is doing. The data doesn’t lie. With the credible medical data we now have, we can prove that this lockdown is needless. One senator on our Zoom call said this, “If you can’t make politicians see the light, make them feel the heat.” The governors are feeling it. Know your rights, and stand up for them.
On May 31st several churches will open on the anniversary of Pentecost. Please pray for the strength of the church body and safety of these churches. This government is for the people, and by the people. However it is not the governments job to keep us healthy. It’s the government’s job to protect our rights. So it’s up to us. Our American history has always been a long and bloody fight for freedom. The highest good is never safe. When you trade liberty for safety, you end up losing both.
[1] Everett Piper, “Freedom Hangs in the Balance During this Election Season,” Washington Times, May 2, 2020, accessed May 2, 2020, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/2/freedom-hangs