A Pastor was arrested this week; we all need to be concerned
Like you, I am all ready to get back to normal, if there will ever be such a thing. But I also take the c****av***s seriously and you should to. Those who scoff at the seriousness of the situation need to think about this: Do you really think the NBA, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, the NCAA, the Masters and all other sports would shut down and lose billions of dollars if not for a real p******c threat? Would entire nations impose absolute quarantines? Would major corporations close their doors? And would the President urge a virtual shutdown of our nation’s previously thriving economy during an e******n year if this weren’t deadly serious?

In adherence to “shelter in place,” most churches in the nation have closed their on-campus services to conduct services online. A few have remained open, but have taken extraordinary measures to try and protect the attenders.

My pastor of my own small church of less than 20 people is doing services online. Personally, I think that we should still be meeting because the Bible tells us that God has given us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control and that for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But alas, there are others to think of like my pastor’s wife who has COPD, others in our church whose health is c*********d, my wife, people in the communities we live, and my obedience to God to listen to my pastor. So, I think that he has made a prudent choice and I will abide by it.

But one such church that remained open is The River at Tampa Bay Church. To maintain an atmosphere that mitigates spreading the c****av***s – similar to the essential business that I work for supplying forklift truck parts – it required attendees to separate 6-10 feet from others, supplied hand sanitizer at every door for every attendee, spent $100,000 for a hospital quality air-flow system, and had every staff member wearing gloves.

This week, Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, FL actually arrested Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne for having conducted church services. Think about that. A pastor was arrested for having a church service. He didn’t sneeze or cough on people. He didn’t deny the v***s was real and in fact, took great precautions to maintain social distancing. But he was arrested and taken to jail for opening his church. No one was forced to attend. The attendees arrived on their own and one wonders why those who attended weren’t arrested also? This case will set up a colossal legal battle as to whether the government at any level can tell a church, synagogue or mosque it cannot provide what to many, are essential religious services to its members. Think of it as there are essential products and services that feed our bodies. And there are essential church services that feed our souls with word, prayer, and fellowship.

But should the government actually arrest a pastor for having church? And if government can shut down a church now, when will some government decide that a church is dangerous because it believes what the government deems is wrong. If a church who believes the Biblical pattern of marriage of one man/one woman is considered discriminatory, will the pastor be arrested? If a church believes that men and women should have separate restrooms and dressing rooms and g****r-separate dorms and showers at youth camp, will the pastor be arrested and jailed for not following what the government deems right?

While I believe the risks to public safety and life are real from the c****av***s, I also believe that we cannot and must not sacrifice our first amendment guarantees of freedom of religion, free speech, and freedom to assemble. I urge you to protect your family during these times, but be equally vigilant that government doesn’t become a deadly v***s to k**l our liberties and turn us into a police state.