“Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley filed a lawsuit against Nevada in May 2020, accusing Gov. Steve Sisolak of treating churches worse than secular institutions in the state’s COVID-19 rules. [And eventually won in the Court of Appeals.]” - C.Post
“The two cases against Newsom’s controversial measures in response to the novel coronavirus were filed by the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit law firm that takes on religious freedom cases.” - C.Post
“The order also prohibited unfair treatment of houses of worship in emergency orders, explaining that the state government could ‘impose capacity or numerical restrictions on religious worship services and gatherings at places of worship that are either identical to, or at least as favorable as, the restrictions imposed on other similar gatherings of similar risk.’” - C.Post
“The pastor acknowledged the injunction, but chose to move forward with today’s service, ignoring requirements for social distancing, mask wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees” - C.Post
“…while the focus here is on church attendance, it’s logical to conclude that individuals who felt comfortable going back to weekend worship were also more willing to engage in other social activities. It is therefore difficult to isolate whether church attendance was the vector that most likely spread the infection” - The Conversation
“According to Ontario’s website on public health measures, accessed Monday, religious gatherings indoors or outdoors cannot have more than 10 people. Attendees are required to wear face coverings and maintain six feet of social distancing.” - C. Post
“…the high court vacated a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that denied South Bay United Pentecostal Church injunctive relief from the pandemic restrictions on in-person worship instituted by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which have since been rescinded.” - C.Post
Read Part 1.
Reading several articles by the activist group of pastors, I find the re-interpretation of Romans 13 best articulated in a series of posts by Tim Stephens, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary.7 He begins by proclaiming the lordship of Christ over the church (all Bible-believing Christians agree with this). He describes the Scriptural pattern for church life as set down by the Lord Jesus Christ:
In which we seek to understand why James Coates took his stand against the Alberta government
“ ‘California treats some comparable secular activities more favorably than at-home religious exercise, permitting hair salons, retail stores, personal care services, movie theaters, private suites at sporting events and concerts and indoor restaurants,’ the majority wrote in an unsigned opinion.” - National Review
