Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California has been embroiled in a battle with civil authorities over the right to worship. While Pastor MacArthur and his church originally opted to obey the early shutdown orders from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Grace Community Church began meeting in person again in late July.
MacArthur and church elders said that the lockdown measures they originally conceded to were supposed to be short-term. 20 weeks is not short term. Recently Newsom indicated that such changes to meeting behavior would continue for a long time.
“In these counties, we have added a requirement that we close indoor operations. Until there is a vaccine or effective therapy, we will be mitigating the spread of COVID-19 for the long term. Californians must adapt to new behaviors if we are to slow the spread.”
This statement echoes previous statements from Newsom that Californians would have to adjust to a new normal for many months, possibly for years. In other words Gavin Newsom has eviscerated the First Amendment in California. If you live in California, you will bow down before him.
Grace Community Church has had enough. A church statement read,
“In response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction. Faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.”
“We do not need the state’s permission to serve and worship our Lord as He has commanded. Freedom of worship is a command of God, not a privilege granted by the state.”
On Friday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court agreed with Grace Community Church. The court affirmed that there is no order prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding indoor services or singing or in lifting up their voices in praise of the Lord.
Elle Reynolds notes,
MacArthur’s church isn’t the only one to defy California’s restrictions on worship. Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, California, held an in-person service on Sunday and is suing the state for the right to continue assembling. “We’ve been essential for 2,000 years,” said Pastor Ché Ahn.
Calvary Chapel of Ukiah, Calvary Chapel of Fort Bragg, and River of Life Church in Oroville are suing the state over its ban on congregational singing. South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista renewed a lawsuit over the state’s decision to shutter churches, noting that government favoritism toward the George Floyd protests while churches are forced to stay shut “has caused amazing harm in the form of a general loss of confidence by the American people in the merits of the pandemic restrictions at all.”
Clearly the natives are getting restless in California. How long will it be before there is wholesale civil disobedience of all of the idiotic lockdown rules out in place by tyrannical governors?