What is the Context?

At first glance, this appears to be a very different response to the global pandemic than recent decisions from other high profile churches. North Point Community Church in Atlanta and Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham both announced recently that they would not be holding in-person services until next year.

While you may agree or disagree with the move, the Grace Community Church decision does not seem quite so unreasonable once you understand the context of this action. The current government situation in California is very different from Georgia and North Carolina. The governor of California has taken extreme measures against churches, even going so far as to prohibit the meeting of small groups in the home.

Similar restrictions have been challenged by churches in Nevada as well. Last week a Calvary Chapel church sued to block the Nevada governor’s restrictions against churches, and the US Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision voted against a church’s freedom to assemble. At the same time, the state of Nevada permits concerts, shows, and casinos to operate without restrictions. In both California and Nevada, the government restrictions are indefinite.

In his dissent, Supreme Court Justice Alito rightly accused the court of permitting direct discrimination against religious liberties protected by the Constitution:

The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. It says nothing about the freedom to play craps or blackjack, to feed tokens into a slot machine, or to engage in any other game of chance. But the Governor of Nevada apparently has different priorities. Claiming virtually un- bounded power to restrict constitutional rights during the COVID–19 pandemic, he has issued a directive that severely limits attendance at religious services. A church, synagogue, or mosque, regardless of its size, may not admit more than 50 persons, but casinos and certain other favored facilities may admit 50% of their maximum occupancy— and in the case of gigantic Las Vegas casinos, this means that thousands of patrons are allowed.

That Nevada would discriminate in favor of the powerful gaming industry and its employees may not come as a surprise, but this Court’s willingness to allow such discrimination is disappointing. We have a duty to defend the Constitution, and even a public health emergency does not absolve us of that responsibility.

Where Do you Draw the Line?

Recognizing that this issue is a direct assault on the freedom of churches to assemble, John MacArthur and the elders at Grace Community Church determined to draw a line and defy both the state of California and the US Supreme Court. In many ways, John MacArthur is an ideal candidate to take a stand on this issue. He has a high degree of credibility based on a preaching ministry of more than 50 years and if he were arrested, he would prove to be a very effective witness against the state.

Moreover, keep in mind that John MacArthur has a deep respect for governing authorities, and has argued for years that America’s founding fathers were in violation of Romans 13 when they rebelled against King George III. In his commentary on Romans 13, MacArthur stated,

Many evangelicals strongly believe that the American Revolution was wholly justified, not only politically but biblically. They believe that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness not only are divinely endowed but that their attainment and defense somehow is Christian and thereby justified at whatever cost, including that of armed rebellion when necessary. Obviously, such action is forbidden by God, and, judged in light of our present text, it is equally obvious that the United States was born out of violation of Scripture. That does not mean that, in His grace, God has not bestowed great blessing on America, which He unquestionably has. It does mean, however, that His blessings have been in spite of the disobedience to His Word which was involved in the revolution bringing the nation into being.

This means it is difficult to accuse MacArthur of grand-standing or taking this opportunity to stick a finger in the eye of the governing authorities. This is a clear violation of the Constitution, as noted by Justice Alito, and a clear overreach by the governor of California.

[NOTE: I would be highly surprised if the state of California even challenges John MacArthur. They will wait until they have a more suitable target to go after, a pastor who stands waving his fist at the government and shouting that COVID-19 is a vast government conspiracy cooked up by the opposing political party. That’s the kind of pastor they want to arrest and put in front of a camera.]

WAs IT the Only RIGHT Response?

This does not mean that there has been universal affirmation in the Christian community that the Grace Community Church decision was the only correct response. Jonathan Leeman, editorial director for 9Marks, wrote a critique of the statement in a blog post. His critique was not that their decision was wrong but that the elders’ statement seemed to make it a moral imperative that all churches must respond in the same way.

We have been fortunate in Iowa to serve under the supportive leadership of a governor who respects and appreciates religious liberty and the right of churches to practice their religion as they see fit. Many states have not enjoyed the blessings of a benevolent governor, but, instead, are under the heavy-handed overreach of leftists governors seeking to take advantage of a public health crisis to openly and unashamedly discriminate against Christians. 

There may come a time when we all are required to make a choice between bowing to the demands of unbiblical, unconstitutional governing authorities or defying those governing authorities. It’s good time to be thinking critically about where we stand on these issues.