Did your Church FAIL the COVID test?

There has never been a time in Human History equal to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Although new diseases have emerged numerous times throughout the ages, what was unique was our reaction to it.  As a planet, we thought we could through government-mandated lockdowns prevent the spread of a disease.   

Many States and jurisdictions within the US responded very differently to the pandemic, as did many churches.  Some States like Utah, Nebraska, and Florida had very limited SIP (Shelter in Place) restrictions, while others were much longer and more restrictive.  Likewise, many Church leaders only suspended services for a couple weeks realizing quickly that the media had portrayed the virus as being much worse than it was.  Church of God organizations like Celebration Church of God, CBCG, Church of God Assembly, and many others quickly resumed Sabbath services knowing the government lacked the authority over religious freedom.  However, at the same time, many corporate churches virtually canceled the Sabbath for almost a year.  In California, where they had the longest lockdowns, many corporate churches were shuttered for almost a year and a half. Weekly email announcements were given by Pastors, not about whether or not the Church leadership felt it was safe to resume the Sabbath, but what permissions were now being granted by government officials to keep the commanded day of assembly.  

As we all know this period of confinement was a tremendous trial for all of us, especially our children.  Many younger children suffered significant developmental and academic delays while teenagers struggled with depression.  Suicide attempts by all teens jumped 22% while teenage girls suffered the most with a 50% increase of suicide emergency room visits. Several studies showed High School test scores dropping between 15-20% depending on age and topic.  Adults didn’t fare much better during the lockdowns with a 28% increase in drug overdoses, an 8.1% increase in domestic violence, and a 327% increase in depression. 

To make matters worse, as we look back on the effectiveness of the Pandemic lockdowns, there is yet any data to show that any of the confinement measures slowed the rate of infection or prevented anyone from getting infected.  In many instances we see States with the lightest and shortest lockdown period fared much better than those who were locked down heavily.  For instance, Utah and Colorado are not only neighbors but have very similar demographics.  However, despite the fact that Utah had the lightest lockdowns and Colorado had the heaviest, Utah fared much better with fewer infections and deaths. Florida versus New York had similar results.   A study published by John Hopkins University in 2022 confirmed that the COVID-19 lockdowns had “little to no effect” on either the mortality or infection rate of the virus and “should be rejected out of hand as a pandemic policy.” A joint study by the University of California and the Rand Corporation also showed that “excess mortality increases” after “the implementation of SIP [shelter-in-place] policies” rather than decreasing.  A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research once again showed the same results.  In reality, targeted quarantine only for the elderly, those with preexisting conditions, and those currently infected, not only would have been much more sensible but would built herd immunity for the rest.  To this date, there is not a single case of a healthy minor dying of COVID-19 that did not have a pre-existing condition. And yet minors were subject to the same lockdowns as an 80-year-old diabetic. 

Since the Covid-19 shutdowns, many churches have seen significant drops in weekly attendance – and typical sermons and messages explaining the need to keep the Sabbath holy didn’t carry the same weight as before. Quite a number of teens and young adults who were on the fence never came back after the lockdowns.  Many began to ask themselves: “If I can keep the Sabbath or Holydays from the comfort of my home simply because the government told me I could, was it really holy in the first place?”.  Is the Sabbath and Holy Days REALLY a commanded day of Assembly?  

When church leaders are posed with these questions, they are standing at a cross road with two options: Either they can admit they were wrong OR they can justify their sin.  And unfortunately, many church leaders have chosen to justify themselves rather than admit any wrongdoing.  Some corporate Church of God organizations even went as far as to suspend or discipline their members because they were vocal about the lockdowns and/or had gatherings at their homes during COVID.  A pastor in one Church of God group was fired because he refused to enact COVID protocols at the Feast of Tabernacles 2020 because they were more restrictive than what the local government required. In another Church of God organization, a deacon was removed because he had a Sabbath campout unsanctioned by the government authorities. Several corporate Church of God groups initiated a policy of suspending or disciplining members who conducted their own Sabbath services even at a time when their own congregation was not.

Also in the last couple years, multiple church organizations have given numerous sermons justifying these actions and why they had to cancel the Sabbath and Holy Days.  They have claimed it was because of Health or safety reasons and because it was required by law.  Was the spread of the disease prevented because Churches were shut down? Was the disease more likely to be spread at church than at the grocery or department store?  Is shopping more essential than our weekly worship?  What if you already had COVID?  Was it then safe for you to go to church? What about children and young adults with healthy immune systems?  Were churches required by law to close their doors? 

We know now that the lockdowns had little to no effect on health or safety and often had the opposite result.  But the biggest problem is that it seemed as though many church leaders never asked themselves any of these questions or resisted any of the restrictions threatened by the government whether they were legal or not.  However, by February of 2021, the US Supreme Court had ruled that many of the restrictions imposed on Churches were unconstitutional, not legal, and were not enforceable. 

According to the appeals decision in Calvary Chapel vs California: “For the reasons stated below, we conclude that the temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions are facially unconstitutional pursuant to the recent guidance of the United States Supreme Court regarding the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion in the context of public health orders that impact religious practice,” the California appeals court ruled.

“As the underlying orders which Calvary Chapel violated are void and unenforceable, we will annul the orders of contempt in their entirety and reverse the orders to pay monetary sanctions,” 

Canceling the Sabbath and Holy Days was not legal and it was not required by law.  However, even if it had been legal, Acts 5:29 is clear, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” 

One argument that has been given by Pastors who try to justify the lockdowns is that quarantine is a biblical mandate.  However, what they are not acknowledging is that biblical quarantine only applies to those who are currently sick or those who have touched a dead body.  During the lockdowns, everyone was quarantined, even those who already had gotten the virus and recovered. There is no biblical justification for healthy people – especially those with natural immunity- to “skip” the Sabbath for a year because a government official told them to.  

Historically men and women of faith have willingly confronted insurmountable persecution, imprisonment, and even death in order to obey the truth.  Throughout the multiple Catholic Inquisitions Sabbath observance was a provisional means of identifying Jews and Seventh Day Christians across the Holy Roman Empire.  However despite the threat of severe punishment, even death, many remained faithful to the Sabbath, even to the end.  

And so why did many Church leaders close their doors indefinitely, waiting for a government official to give them permission to come back?  Fear of infection?  Fear of the government?  Afraid of getting into a lawsuit?  Afraid of public condemnation? Although we may never get an answer to this question, we do know that fear is directly linked to a lack of faith.  

Faith is described by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 11 as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”: where the promises of God and the evidence of our Creator -even though we have never seen him- that evidence is more real and important to us than the demands of our employer, government officials or the news media.  Faith is where we hold fast to the promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us even when everyone around us is telling us that we should just “pause from keeping the Sabbath”.  Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to defy a government decree because the promises of God were more real than the penalties of the King.  When Peter and John, under threat of imprisonment, were strictly commanded directly by the High Priest and his cabinet to stop preaching of Christ, they quickly answered: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge you.” Why?  Because the Kingdom of God and the eternal promises of God were more real to Peter and John than the temporary rulers of this world.  

As many students of prophecy know there will be a time of persecution upon the Church and upon the Saints at the time of end as the 5th seal of Revelation depicts.  This is echoed in the Olivet Prophecy where right after the first 4 seals (Mat 24:5-7) we are told by Jesus Christ  that:

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Matthew 24:7

To endure this intense persecution, it will require an exceptional amount of faith. Not in compromising men, but in the Almighty God of Israel who has always delivered his people in time of trial.  We will need the faith of Abraham.  The faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  We will need the faith of the Apostles who told the government leaders of their day: We ought to obey God rather than men. (Act 5:29)