On July 13th, California shut down churches, hair salons and other places of commerce in at least 32 counties. Early on Gov. Newsom banned singing as a way to curb the spread of the coronavirus. We should add that this shut down is indefinite, which means government officials do not want to play the prophetic role. After all, the virus is spreading, people are dying, and the only reasonable solution is to shut down pubs and ecclesiastical gatherings. In their minds, there is no distinction between a beer and the Eucharistic wine.
Whether one thinks the governor is singling out churches is not the point. The point is that in restricting public gatherings on the Lord’s Day indefinitely Newsom has now entered into a zone of warfare with God and his saints.
Throughout this entire process, I have heard well-intentioned Christians who give the impression to have never read a single commentary on Romans 13, or whose commitment to worship itself is highly suspicious, throw out single verses as an attempt to cause radical dismay upon any who would dare not concur. But by now, arguments to obey government authorities indefinitely have gone straight down Dante’s Inferno where they belong.
One surprising feature in this entire process is the recent position taken by Grace Community Church in California, the home of over 10,000 members pastored by the prolific pastor, John MacArthur. Grace Community shut down in the early days for reasons I found unhelpful, but still understandable. Well, no more! MacArthur penned a powerful letter in response to the Newsom mandate. In it, he noted that “We, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction, and faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.” And further, with great objectivity, he writes, “The biblical order is clear: Christ is Lord over Caesar, not vice versa. Christ, not Caesar, is head of the church…these are distinct kingdoms, and Christ is sovereign over both.”
There will be a lot of interesting follow-ups given MacArthur’s eschatological disposition and his history of escapist statements in the last 40 years. But suffice to say, as Joe Boot noted, MacArthur has expressed the basic Kuyperian vision we have advocated since the beginning. It’s the “indefinite” part that changes the trajectory of the conversation. The Gospels tell us that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church which means that shutting down church indefinitely is to open up ourselves to delivish attacks when we should be as the men of Nehemiah working with one hand and carrying a sword with the other (Neh. 4:17) ready to attack hell’s emissaries. This is not the time to retreat! Our children one day will ask us how we acted during this season. I want to boldly look at them in the eyes and say, “We did not give an inch to Satan’s domain!” As MacArthur rightly concluded, “How can the true church of Jesus Christ distinguish herself in such a hostile climate? There is only one way: bold allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
