Wednesday, May 5, 2021
“Do you want to be
on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on
just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the
rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in
their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to
do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but
also because it’s the right way to live.” (Romans 13: 3 -5, The Message Bible)
But it is the word I will use to
describe those foolish, independent conservative evangelical(?) churches in western
Canada who are challenging the provincial government’s laws regarding closures of all public institutions
including churches during the Covid pandemic. They are even now planning to taking
the issue to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Now as a Baptist, I am all for
the separation of church and state. But the problem here has nothing to do with
some governmental authority interfering and telling churches what to believe or
taking over our denominations and dictating church polity and practice. Nobody
is stopping us from being Church as thousands of others churches have found by
resorting to Webcasts of their services. Temporary closure is the prudent,
realistic, safe and pragmatic thing to do. Nobody in the church-world likes it,
but it is a current necessity. Deal with it. The vast majority of churches have
complied with these restrictions.
But not these two churches. I believe
one pastor has been jailed, if not from these two, then another. He must feel
proudly that he is a Christian martyr, standing up for the right of religious freedom.
Not even close!
What really grinds my gears
about this foolishness is their blatant disregard for scripture. These yahoos
will stand on their soap boxes and spout scripture loud and shrilly when it
comes to using scripture to attack their most hated sins, LGBTQ, women in ordained
leadership, divorce, liberalism, etc.
but turn a deaf ear and a blind eye when it suits them. They are just as
subjective about scripture as they accuse progressive Christians of being.
I don’t know how they manage,
even if they try, to reconcile Paul’s practical advice about being “on good terms
with the government.” Paul would have been an unlikely supporter of the Roman
government, known for its heavy-handed, oppressive, often violent rule. Pax Roman
wasn’t about Peace; it was about “Obey or else.”
But Paul understood the political realities of his time – don’t poke the
Eagle. Trust God and cooperate with the authorities; we don’t need the
attention. The Romans were suspicious of them as it was. Perhaps, he knew of Christ’s
words to love one’s enemies. As Paul wrote himself, “If your enemies are
hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing
this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” (Romans 12:20 New Living Translation)
Instead of wasting money on lawyers
and court costs and taxpayers’ money, use those resources for good. Help out in
the community. Drive people to get their vaccines. Check up on shut-ins and the
elderly in the neighbourhood. Take food and drink to those who are shut-in.
Help people get groceries. A Fellowship Baptist Church in Ajax, Ontario, has
opened its facility to become a vaccination center. Good for them! That’s how a
church should respond to these Covid times.
We are attending Yorkminster Park
Baptist church (Toronto) on the web these days. You can tell the heartache and desperate
desire to come together in the place of worship in the pastor’s voice each and every
Sunday. Nevertheless, they deliver an outstanding worship services via the
webcast. More importantly, perhaps, for now, the people are still active in their
community during the week, having found new, creative ways to support food
banks, shelters, and other needs in the neighbourhood.
Jesus must shake his head some
days!
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