Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), joined Pastor Jack Hibbs at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, California, for “Freedom Sunday,” an event calling on churches to reopen for in-person worship.
“The church is more than essential,” Perkins said in an announcement about the event, referring to coronavirus restrictions imposed on churches because they are not “essential.”
“It’s time to choose faith over fear,” Perkins said.
“It’s time to honor God over man,” Perkins said. “It’s time for a court that will honor and uphold our First Freedom. It’s time for Freedom Sunday.”
“Freedom Sunday is a call for the resumption of in-person church services in obedience to Scripture (Hebrews 10:25) and a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution,” the FRC announcement said.
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The 90 minute event featured remarks by Pastor Garry Leist, Pastor Che Ahn, Pastor Rob McCoy, Pastor Cristian Ionescu, Pastor Brian Hermsmeier, Pastor Amado Huizar, Dr. John MacArthur, Dr. Albert Mohler, Eric Metaxas, FRC Executive Vice President General Jerry Boykin, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), FRC Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell, Larry Taunton, Dr. Carol Swain, Virginia Prodan, FRC Senior Fellow and Executive Director of the Human Coalition Action Dean Nelson, and Dr. Wayne Grudem.
“Government officials continued to take unconstitutional steps to restrict churches from worshipping, unfairly silence them, and hold them to a different — and even discriminatory — standard,” Perkins said. “Does it make sense to reopen casinos, tattoo parlors, abortion centers, and liquor stores while keeping houses of worship closed?”
“Scripture instructs Christians to honor the government — unless it oversteps its authority,” Perkins said. “With government officials exceeding their constitutional authority, we are left with the clear command in Hebrews 10:25 that believers should be ‘not neglecting to meet together.’”
Perkins said churches should use “proper health and safety measures to their services, both as a matter of prudence and out of love for one another” but that “the time is now” to reopen places of worships across America.
