(ChurchLeaders) On Oct. 11, the Family Research Council (FRC) collaborated with Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in California to host an event called Freedom Sunday 2020. The purpose of the event, according to FRC president Tony Perkins, was to speak out against the fear some people have of not meeting for church in person because of COVID-19. The event’s speakers explained their view that there is a scriptural and constitutional basis—even responsibility—for churches to remain open in defiance of government orders.
“As the country has re-opened, some officials have taken unconstitutional steps to restrict churches from worshipping and to unfairly silence them,” says a statement on the website of FRCAction, a legislative affiliate of FRC. “The U.S. Supreme Court essentially said it was OK for casinos, tattoo parlors, abortion clinics, and liquor stores to operate with little or no restrictions, while churches around the country are still being held to a different—and even discriminatory—standard. Friends, as you know, the church is more than essential. It’s time to choose faith over fear. It’s time to honor God over man. It’s time for a Court that will honor and uphold our First Freedom.”