COVID (Page 3)

To the honorable Premier and Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly, I am the pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary. We have stood with GraceLife church and other Christians who desire to see our fundamental freedoms protected by our government. The government wants to protect the health care system whereas our highest law calls upon the government to protect our fundamental freedoms of religion, assembly, conscience, and so forth. Through openalbertachurches.com and in partnership with the national, multi-pronged initiative libertycoalitioncanada.com there are 20 churches across…

Over the last few weeks we’ve been considering whether Romans 13 and 14 can help us navigate the issues we are facing with COVID-19 and government restrictions. You can read those articles here and here. Today we look specifically at Romans 14 and seek to apply its truths to our situation. Romans 14:1–12 says, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats…

Last week we began our consideration on whether Romans 13 or 14 are passages that help us navigate through COVID-19 and the questions we are facing now. I asked you to read Romans 12 through 14 to get familiar with the contents of those chapters. Today, I’m considering Romans 13 in context and asking: Does this passage address the issues of our day? To begin we must remember that the chapter numbers “13” or “14” were not put there by the apostle…

I was asked these questions by a reporter recently and thought it helpful to share my responses publicly and in their entirety. Will you be holding in-person service(s) this Sunday? For how much longer? Yes. We have resumed our regular services and will continue them indefinitely. How many people attend or will attend the service? Do you intend to adhere to the 15% capacity rule? Masking? We had a full church on Sunday and expect attendance to increase each week.…

This is the first part of a multipart article on Romans 13-14 and church unity during COVID. Christ is Lord over the church. Period. All Christians will agree on this point. If you are hesitant to affirm this or pondering about qualifying that statement, I’m fearful that current events have unseated the primacy of Christ, not only in the church, but also in your heart. The confession “Jesus Christ is Lord” is foundational to Christianity. Men and women were thrown…

We know many have a hard time understanding Christians who desire to gather during this health crisis. We’re accused of being selfish and unloving, overly political, and eager lawbreakers. Christians have great admiration for our government, law enforcement, doctors, nurses, and those who serve in these and other ways. We love God, we love our neighbors, and earnestly desire to see God’s justice, mercy, and kindness hold sway in our city and province. We understand the dangers of COVID-19 but…

Some have expressed concerns over this season of the church that the church (and Christians) are getting too political. There are concerns that politics and church shouldn’t mix or go together. I understand this objection and would agree depending on how we define the term “politics” or “political.” It might be best to say that the church should not be partisan, but must be political. What do I mean by partisan? I mean that the church should not be a…

For readers, here is the transcript of the video. The church and the state, so many questions arise out of the roles and responsibilities of these two institutions. Where does the family fit in? What about the economy? Who should care for the poor and jobless? What about medicine and health care? Who’s responsible for justice? What about the care of the elderly or education? Who defines marriage or sexuality? How do we answer these questions biblically? This is where…

I’m sure many of you who were not at church this past Sunday are curious as to what happened. Media painted a Sunday morning church service as a big showdown between a renegade pastor and police to make a story where there was none. It is true, Calgary Police and Peace Officers did show up in a large display of force as Sunday School was finishing. They took many photos, noted license plates, and counted everyone going into and out of…

This past Sunday I received a $1200 fine from City of Calgary bylaw officers for breaking the province’s COVID health orders. It was not that I was the only one in violation of health orders as we gathered to worship God, but as the pastor and leader I was given this fine in an effort to see our entire church comply with the latest COVID regulations. When the most recent health orders were given on December 10, I wrote to inform…

New health restrictions were announced this Tuesday that take effect this Sunday, December 13th. Concerning the church, these new restrictions would limit our gathering for worship to 22 people (15% capacity) and forbid us from finding a larger venue to gather in greater numbers. They also forbid any social gatherings of any size both inside or outside. This effectively forbids us from gathering together in worship as a church. So what shall we do? Before I tell you, I know…

This week has been a difficult week. For myself, this week was spent from morning hours to late at night in reading, research, prayer, writing, weeping, more prayer, phone calls, debate and discussion. I’ve heard from doctors, lawyers, and poured over the writings of many pastors in Canada as we seek to navigate through these times. I’ve written a number of emails and responses, most of which haven’t seen anyone’s eyes but my own. My struggle is seeking to navigate…