John MacArthur’s Church Defies California Orders To Close Doors

By Elle Reynolds - Posted at The Federalist:

'We cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship,' MacArthur and the church's elder board said in a statement.

John MacArthur, evangelist and pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, defied state orders to limit worship gatherings in a statement released Friday.

“In response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction,” the statement said. “Faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.”

On July 13, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions, requiring certain counties on a “monitoring list” to stop indoor worship services. Los Angeles County, where Grace Community Church is located, was one of 30 counties on the monitoring list as of July 13.

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See also:

• Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church (GTY.org)
• We Must Obey God Rather than Men (GTY,org)