One more time for those who keep asking why GCC doesn’t simply meet outdoors: pic.twitter.com/frcbMyWdXn
— Phil Johnson (@Phil_Johnson_) July 29, 2020
The Real Danger is Spiritual
Addressing the accusation that keeping their Sun Valley church open is putting people in danger, MacArthur cited statistics of the current death rate of the coronavirus. He explained that those under eighty years of age have a 99.9 percent chance of living through the virus (if one were to contract it). “That just does not equate to the response that this society has had.” Pastor MacArthur also stated that alcohol kills more than 3 million people a year, yet all the liquor stores remained opened. He continued giving statics on the death rate linked to smoking and asked, “where is the ban on cigarettes?” Continuing to explain the overreaction to the virus he stated, “The great killer in California is death by medical people who do abortions…364 abortions a day! California has more abortions in the state than any other state. Death by abortion outstrips every other kind of death.” Reasoning that by allowing the abortion clinics to remain open during the pandemic so babies can be slaughtered but telling the churches to close, MacArthur said emphatically, “there’s no moral high ground among leaders in this state.”
“Kill people with alcohol. Kill people with cigarettes. Kill people with diseases, because the hospitals don’t function. Lock people up so that everybody is under stress and make sure churches can’t meet, where (it’s) the only place (people) can find hope and help. We will not bow to such bizarre standards. We will follow our Lord and trust Him.”
This Isn’t a Problem to Be Feared
“The church always refines its convictions under duress.” MacArthur said as he started to close his sermon on Sunday. “This is not a problem to be feared. This is a triumphant hour for the church to be the church,” he said as the congregation applauded loudly. Stating boldly that, “standing for the glory of our Lord is more important in this hour than I’ve ever known it in my life. For His glory we will stand, and meet, and worship, and preach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.”
John MacArthur Appears on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight
On Monday night, a day after Grace Community defied the orders to not worship indoors, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson invited him on his show to discuss why they stayed open. MacArthur stated that, “first and foremost, it’s a first amendment right…the government can’t intrude in worship.” Secondly he gave the statistic that out of California’s 40 million people only 8500 have died due to COVID-19. Shutting down churches when people are frightened shouldn’t happen because the church is where “most of the intense relationship in our society exist,” MacArthur explained. The pastor told Carlson that people started coming back to church after the first week that he was preaching to an empty room; “our people didn’t buy the narrative,” MacArthur said. He brought up that the church is the original protesters, “we go back 500 years to the protestant reformation, we are still protesting lies for the sake of the truth.” Carlson concluded the interview by telling MacArthur that he is a brave man.
