'Compliance Would Be Disobedience': Prominent California Church Defies State Lockdown To Resume In-Person Assembly
"We cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship..."
By Jon Brown
Jul 25, 2020
DailyWire.co
'Compliance Would Be Disobedience': Prominent California Church Defies State Lockdown To Resume In-Person Assembly | The Daily Wire
The pastor and elders of a prominent evangelical church in California issued a statement on Friday explaining why they will no longer comply with the state's mandate ordering them to refrain from in-person gatherings.
John F. MacArthur, the 81-year-old senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, also claimed that the state had overstepped its legitimate, God-given authority. Citing Christ and the Bible as the ultimate authority over his congregation, MacArthur wrote in the lengthy blog post replete with scripture that "we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord's clear commands."
MacArthur went on to explain the church's view that God has given different spheres of authority to the family, the church, and the government, and that "when any one of the three institutions exceeds the bounds of its jurisdiction it is the duty of the other institutions to curtail that overreach."
MacArthur also suggested that the statistics government officials have offered as justification for their sweeping mandates may not be accurate. "History is full of painful reminders that government power is easily and frequently abused for evil purposes," the statement reads. "Politicians may manipulate statistics and the media can cover up or camouflage inconvenient truths. So a discerning church cannot passively or automatically comply if the government orders a shutdown of congregational meetings—even if the reason given is a concern for public health and safety."...