When California Gov. Gavin Newsom in July announced revamped restrictions on worship, churches statewide resisted, drawing the attention of pastors nationwide as they prepare for a renewed struggle over church closures.
Newsom’s restrictions require all churches to suspend singing during services and most to hold their churches outside. Citing already burdensome restrictions placed on them in the spring, many church leaders refused to comply, most notably John MacArthur, a celebrity pastor who declared in a Sunday sermon that “Christ, not Caesar, is head of the church.”
MacArthur’s sermon won widespread approval from many evangelicals. Greg Locke, a Tennessee pastor with a large social media following, in a video this week cited MacArthur to make clear to his congregation that he has no plans to close again if shutdowns return to the state.
“Churches should be open,” he said. “There should be no excuses. I will go to jail before I close my church.”
Locke added that his church, Global Vision Bible Church, which resisted previous pleas in March from Gov. Bill Lee to close, was not requiring social distancing or mask-wearing from any of its members.
Locke said in a statement that his decisions arose from a refusal to “live in constant fear and media hysteria.”
A series of churches in California sued Newsom after he banned indoor services. Others have outright ignored the orders, holding demonstrations to protest alleged attacks on religious liberty. Some counties, such as San Diego, have retaliated by promising to crack down on churches that violate Newsom’s orders.
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