The news yesterday was just as expected. Governor Roy Cooper laid out an approach toward reopening that drags things out much longer.
What is the effect on churches? You cannot reopen until some time after May 23, unless you limit your services to 10 persons or less. But there are no guarantees as to when the reopen date will be. It could be much later. Of course, for many churches, limiting services to ten participants is completely unworkable.
Churches throughout the state were blindsided by Cooper's edict 6 weeks ago to shut down. Most of us never imagined this would happen in the United States, and particularly in North Carolina. But here we are.
The reaction among churches of various denominations thus far has been muted and patient. Some cite biblical verses suggesting that we are subject to civil authorities, all of whom are presumed to be ordained by God. Some have justifiable humanistic concerns for their members and even their clergy. There has been a longstanding feeling among significant elements of the evangelical community that our role is not to be political actors; and that it certainly is not the role of the church to be a political actor.
But some might argue that the non-response of the churches and denominations warrants major concern.
Some churches and clergy likely fear ostracism and even arrest in the current environment. We have seen how the media have portrayed the church and Christians over many years. And we have seen over the last six weeks how the media, government and the progressive/secular communities have been eager to target churches that attempt to reopen.
But I have several additional concerns.
First, it is clear that the response to COVID-19 has been a massive political over-reaction. The virus and its effects are real, but the response is a scam and a fraud. I have written about this here previously.
Second, the response of the various churches and denominations seems to place little emphasis on the importance of believers physically coming together for corporate worship. It seems to place little emphasis on our obligations to God Himself.
Worshiping online or by watching a televised service is not an adequate substitute for corporate worship. After all, if they were, why even bother going back to church? These are simply not comparable, and we would not ordinarily recommend these as adequate substitutions except for those who have no other choice.
Third, my concern is that Governor Cooper and his chief health officer are part of a broader progressive/socialist community that would be more than happy for the authentic Christian church to never meet. And my intuition, which I cannot prove, is that their actions are part of a broader political effort to achieve a certain agenda. Cooper is a liberal mainline Presbyterian-- a branch of the Protestant church that is no longer truly Christian. And his health secretary, a former Obama Administration official, has a Jewish surname.
Let's think about the reaction to the church shutdowns among some of the state's orthodox Christian communities. The Catholic church, when I was growing up, used to consider weekly attendance at Mass and partaking of the Eucharist to be an absolute requirement. It was considered to be a sin to "play hooky". But the Catholic church in North Carolina has been fairly silent. The influence of Pope Francis is beyond the scope of this discussion.
I think about my own group, the Baptists. There are different types of Baptists, but none thus far have made a fuss, as far as I know. Nor have the Eastern Orthodox, or the other various conservative/evangelical/orthodox Protestant denominations.
Apparently, we are to believe that religious liberty no longer matters. But let's think about our history.
John Witherspoon was the great Founding Father who was extremely influential-- a huge figure. He was a Presbyterian minister and an original signer of the Declaration of Independence. Witherspoon was among a group who put everything on the line, and assumed enormous risks, for liberty. He had been particularly concerned about the possibility of the British government, or the new American union, imposing an established church.
Here is a great quote from Witherspoon:
There is not a single instance in history, in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage.
Roger Williams preceded Witherspoon. He was a Puritan minister who helped establish the first Baptist Church in America. That church still sits in Providence, Rhode Island-- just a stone's throw from Brown University. He was also an ardent advocate for religious liberty, and extremely influential in his time.
The Baptists-- again, my own group-- have an enormous legacy with regard to religious liberty. It dates back to Thomas Helwys nearly 500 years ago in England. But many fought for religious freedom during the earliest days on this side of the Atlantic also.
It was the struggle of Baptists in Virginia that led James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to advocate for religious liberty; and ultimately write and get passed the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786. This statute is considered to be a forerunner for the religious liberty clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Prior to the passage of religious liberty laws in Virginia, Episcopalians were persecuting Baptists there mercilessly.
But let's be clear. All Christians in America benefit from this legacy left by Witherspoon and Williams and the work of the early Baptists.
What do we do with that legacy now that civil government prohibits our activities with little justification in the wake of COVID-19?
I recommend a few things.
Local churches ought to begin having discussions with law enforcement authorities-- county sheriffs and police chiefs-- as soon as possible. They need to seek their agreement not to interfere with their constitutional rights. And after having these discussions, they should meet for worship services every week (or Mass), taking all necessary precautions and with warnings delivered to the elderly and vulnerable individuals.
And if they elect to re-open, as they should, they need to steel themselves and be fully prepared for the reaction from the corrupt media and various other elements of the community.
Denominational bodies ought to pursue litigation against the state on constitutional grounds. Those suits ought to be filed as soon as possible to seek an injunction against Cooper and Cohen. In the case of my group, the southern Baptists, that would be the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina that ought to be acting. Perhaps these denominational bodies could seek help from the various legal groups that work heavily on religious liberty issues. But if necessary, local counsel could be retained.
One of the effects of Governor Cooper's prohibition on church services is that some churches are now in major financial difficulties. Fixed costs do not magically go away. He has dealt a major hit to churches.
But it is clear that now is the time to act.
Addendum 4/25: Our Place Cleveland County points out that The Black Regiment is Missing.
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