Why Would the Government Consider Closing Down Churches?

During the period when the government stay at home orders were in place because of the corona virus, an inordinate amount of anti-Christian events took place. For instance:

In Charlotte, NC, eight people (two below the 10-person limit) were arrested for praying in front of an abortion clinic. Meanwhile, much larger groups of frisbee players and picnickers in a nearby park were unapproached by police.

In San Francisco, CA, police ticketed an 86-year-old man who was praying by himself on a public sidewalk in front of an abortion clinic.

In Tampa, FL, the pastor of The River Church was arrested, even though the sheriff had already given him "permission" to open his church, and they were abiding by the CDC guidelines.

In New York City, Mayor de Blasio threatened to permanently close any church or synagogue that did not shut down for Passover and Easter.

In Washington state, a pastor and his technical staff of well under the 10-person limit, were ordered not to even go to their sanctuary to record online services or they would be arrested and fined.

In Kentucky, the governor threatened to arrest a 77-year old pastor because he had 60 people spread far-and-wide in a 700-seat sanctuary. At the same time, libraries and shopping malls were allowed to be open.

The Island Church in Virginia serves a lot of former drug addicts and prostitutes. Many of those people are now on probation for crimes committed before they came to know Christ. The Virginia Governor made attending church a criminal offense, meaning church attendance would become a probation violation and return these former criminals to prison.

In Greenville, MS, about a dozen congregants sat in their cars in the church parking lot listening to the pastor’s sermon being broadcast over the radio. The pastor was speaking from inside the building. The pastor, his wife, and each of those in their cars of were ticketed and fined $500 for participating in a “mass gathering.”

In Louisville, KY, pastors were threatened with arrest if they held a drive-in or parking lot service with people sitting in their cars – even though those same people can drive to shopping malls and other stores, park in their parking lots, and listen to the radio in their cars.

And this is only a sample of the many anti-Christian activities that happened. The question is, why were these overtly anti-Christian orders being given to churches in the first place, when other businesses and organizations were not being faced with the same demands? While many of the people who were responsible for giving these orders might try to deny it, the root of these anti-Christian displays is based upon the fact that the people issuing them were promoting their own religious beliefs – which were, specifically, anti-Christian.

Government officials who act this way generally portray themselves as promoting a “secular” agenda that has nothing at all to do with religion. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. The fact is, a “secular” agenda is, itself, based on a set of religious beliefs – the beliefs of a naturalistic worldview.

As mentioned above, these people actually don’t see their beliefs as religious – and many even self-identify as “non-religious.” Interestingly, many who self-identify as Christians don’t see the religious nature of these “secular” beliefs either.

Well, Christian believers better wake up. The battle between Christians and secularists that we see playing out in the public square is a religious war – and it is becoming more intense. This war will not be won by implementing laws and rules. It will only be won by promoting the truth in a way that changes hearts and minds. Because of that, Christians desperately need to get up to speed on how to share that truth in the face of opposition. This is a profound deficiency in the Christian community. Difficult days are ahead. It is time to put in the effort to become proficient in sharing the truth.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah. 

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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