{"id":12309,"date":"2020-05-08T15:59:28","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T22:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/?p=12309"},"modified":"2020-05-08T16:26:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T23:26:51","slug":"hundreds-of-california-churches-plan-to-open-may-31-not-asking-for-permission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/hundreds-of-california-churches-plan-to-open-may-31-not-asking-for-permission\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of California Churches Plan to Open May 31, Not Asking for Permission"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HundredsBrave and inspiring leadership from our Protestant brethren. Christians can be safe, loving, and faithful, without being lukewarm or fearful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Heather Sells \u2013
\nNearly 500 California pastors are preparing to open their doors on Sunday, May 31st \u2014 whether or not they have guidance from the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe churches are not asking for permission,\u201d said Bob Tyler, a\u00a0religious freedom attorney advising the pastors<\/a>. \u201cThe governor is sitting here as a dictator, trumping the Constitution and is kind of hanging on to this state of emergency for as long as he can hold it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll give the governor an opportunity to amend his order,\u201d said Tyler. \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t, these pastors have told me that they\u2019re committed to opening regardless of what the governor decides.\u201d <\/p>\n

Tyler says the pastors, including Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, Matt Brown of Sandals Church in Riverside, and Danny Carroll of Water of Life Community Church in Fontana, have signed a petition and plan to advise Gov. Gavin Newsom of their plans which include social distancing.<\/p>\n

The churches are not asking for permission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right now, Newsom has relegated churches to stage 3 of the state\u2019s re-opening plan, which could be weeks or months from now.<\/p>\n

Starting today, Newsom is allowing the opening of \u201clower risk\u201d workplaces like clothing stores, florists, and sporting goods stores under stage 2 of his plan.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s bolstered by a federal judge\u2019s decision in Sacramento this week. Judge John Mendez ruled that Newsom has the right to temporarily ban church gatherings for the sake of public health.<\/p>\n

But the California pastors are arguing that there\u2019s public health reasons for reopening churches.<\/p>\n

Pastor Brown says his church has called thousands of its attendees and found that many are struggling. \u201cWe have all kinds of emotional issues that are going on. We have marital issues in our church. We\u2019re seeing a spike in depression, suicide, drug addiction,\u201d he said in a\u00a0video posted on the church website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California pastors are arguing that there\u2019s public health reasons for reopening churches<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. John Jackson, the president of\u00a0William Jessup University<\/a>, a Christian college outside of Sacramento, says people of faith need a human connection right now. \u201cThe presence of God matters, but touch matters,\u201d he said. \u201cI love technology but it is not a replacement for physical presence and I think we can do so with social distancing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson said he disagrees with governments prioritizing businesses before churches. \u201cI find it very inappropriate that I can go to the grocery store and buy a loaf of bread and be with all other kinds of people. I can go to the hardware store and get my supplies for my home maintenance but I cannot go to a church,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Judge Mendez pushed back against that idea in his ruling, saying that shoppers going to a business to buy a specific item is different from churchgoers communing together.<\/p>\n

Dr. Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptists\u2019\u00a0Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission<\/a>, says he\u2019s been pleased to see that most churches nationwide have complied with public health guidance during the crisis. \u201cI think that\u2019s the real story here is how well congregations and governments have been working together so far,\u201d he told CBN News. He encouraged churches to work with their local health authorities to make decisions about reopening.<\/p>\n

government must view churches as essential<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But he also warned that government must view churches as essential. \u201cI don\u2019t think that churches should be treated differently because they\u2019re churches,\u201d he said. \u201cThe issue has to be safety and so you have some areas where churches are treated in a different category that sees churches as less essential than other means of gathering. I think that\u2019s a real mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tyler says most of the California churches that reopen May 31st will allow 25 or 30 percent capacity. Some, he says, may use a reservation system and when one service fills up they will add another. Pastor Hibbs<\/a>\u00a0told CBN News that he wants to follow Romans 13 and obey the government. \u201cI don\u2019t want to blow our witness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s\u00a0eager to gather people for worship and be able to minister in person to the sick and dying. He\u2019s also mindful that state and local governments may impose a new round of restrictions in the fall. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get out and get our world back before the next flu season starts next winter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sacramento pastor\u00a0Sam Rodriguez<\/a>, one of the president\u2019s closest faith advisors, also plans to reopen his church in the coming weeks. He started in that direction last Sunday, preaching in the parking lot of his church campus to parishioners parked in their cars.<\/p>\n

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\nHT: FaithWire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Hundreds<\/p>\n