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Democratic governor throttles worshipCARSON CITY, Nev. (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Department of Justice (DOJ) is telling Nevada's Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak to open churches. In a letter Sisolak received on Tuesday, the DOJ noted that the governor is unfairly limiting churchgoers while barbershops, salons and restaurants were allowed to reopen May 9. "We are concerned, however, that the flat prohibition against 10 or more persons gathering for in-person worship services — regardless of whether they maintain social-distancing guidelines — impermissibly treats religious and nonreligious organizations unequally," observed the DOJ. Commenting on Sisolak's shutdown orders, the letter added, "These directives may violate...

It has become a common theme at Church Answers. We are hearing from pastors and other church leaders about members who have divergent opinions on the timing for regathering the in-person services. No surprise here. It might be helpful, however, to understand the reasons behind the disagreements. We see five major themes. Strong extroverts and strong introverts will have major disagreements on timing. The reason is obvious. The extrovert is dying to resume interaction with fellow church members. He or she thrives on in-person gatherings and conversations. The strong introvert, however, has done well seeing few people and interacting with...

When asked what authority he had in mind when threatening to overrule governors on reopening houses of worship, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he “can absolutely do it” if he wants to. “I can absolutely do it if I want to, and I don’t think I’m gonna have to, because it's starting to open up. We need our churches and our synagogue and our mosques. We want them open - churches, synagogues, mosques and others. We want them open, and we want them open as soon as possible,” Trump said during a White House Rose Garden press conference on...

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been facing a lot of criticism (and lawsuits) over the way he’s been dragging his feet on allowing the churches, mosques and synagogues to reopen. But as of Sunday night, it appears that Newsom has blinked first in the ongoing standoff. Originally slated to be part of phase three of his reopening plan – which could still be weeks away – the state announced that areas with lower rates of infection would be allowed to decide if the houses of worship could reopen sooner. That could come as early as this week, but there...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday released guidelines for reopening houses of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic, after President Trump deemed them “essential” last week. Under the governor’s guidelines, churches and other houses of worship can reopen if they are given approval from county health officials, but must limit attendance to 25 percent of capacity or 100 people, whichever is less. In order to reopen, churches in California must set physical-distancing guidelines, establish new cleaning and disinfection protocols, encourage all to wear face masks and set parameters for singing and group recitations.

Days after MinnesotaÂ’s Catholic and Lutheran churches publicly declared they would defy Gov. Tim WalzÂ’s order restricting in-person services to not more than 10 people, the state has announced it's lifting that limitation to let larger groups gather for worship beginning Wednesday. At a press briefing Saturday, Gov. Walz announced that churches will be able to hold services starting Wednesday if they follow social distancing guidelines and limit the gatherings to not more than 25% of a buildingÂ’s capacity, MinnPost reported. The governor has recognized that churches can reopen safely and carefully in the same way as malls and other...

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said Friday that President Trump does not have the authority he says he does when it comes to overriding governors who will not allow churches or synagogues to reopen. However, Napolitano told "The Daily Briefing" that the governors' bans are "ill-advised" and that the president does have one major recourse should a state executive fail to listen to his orders. "In a word, no," he said of Trump's authority on the matter.

"Either we have liberty to worship or we have permission to worship," Shiflett told Fox News about his decision. "It has become abundantly clear that if we settle for permission, we will never have liberty again." . . . Baltimore Mayor Jack Young extended the stay-at-home orders limiting public gatherings, including "spiritual" and "religious," to no more than 10 people.

Gov. Andy Beshear may no longer discriminate against churches for religious gatherings – whether those gatherings be in-person or in the parking lotBULLITT COUNTY, KY – Yesterday, the federal District Court acknowledged that to the extent there are differences between its injunction issued Friday evening and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ injunction issued Saturday, on behalf of Maryville Baptist Church, the latter takes precedence. In his Friday injunction, District Judge Hale ruled: “The Governor and other Commonwealth officials are ENJOINED from enforcing the ban on mass gatherings as to in- person services at Maryville Baptist Church so long as...

The belief that President Donald Trump, as well as presidents in general, were “anointed by God” has increased considerably among church attendees, according to a recent report.Among white Protestants who attended church once a week or more, belief that Trump was anointed by God had increased from 29.6% last year to 49.5% this year, according to a report titled “Trump the Anointed?” that was published by Religion in Public.Researchers Paul A. Djupe of Denison University and Ryan P. Burge of Eastern Illinois University compared survey data from May 2019 among white Protestants to a survey they conducted in March of...

I just participated in my first Lord’s Supper via a streaming service. My pastor asked us to have juice and bread ready in our homes. I served my wife, and then I served myself as our pastor prayed and read Scripture regarding the Supper. It was different, but it was meaningful. To be clear, I know different churches handle this ordinance differently. Some call it by another name such as Communion. Some have a common cup. Some have different theological understandings of its purpose and meaning. Many churches in my tradition have very small cups of juice on a plate...

OKLAHOMA CITY - Norman Mayor Breea Clark amended her city’s reopening plan on Friday to allow churches to open immediately. The change came after admonishments from Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing that the plan discriminated against places of worship. Clark defended her plan for churches to open on May 15 as consistent with restrictions on gatherings but said, “I will not spend years feuding with the federal government over one week.” Hunter and Downing told Clark this week that keeping places of worship closed while some businesses were allowed to open violated First Amendment...

A network of 3,000 California churches are planning to defy Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shutdown orders by reopening for in-person services, Fox News reported Friday. California Church United pastors, which represents nearly 2.5 million members, announced Thursday that they plan to reopen May 31 instead of waiting for stage 3 reopenings, which includes churches along with businesses like salons and gyms, according to Fox. The leaders chose May 31 because it marks Pentecost and the birth of the Christian church, making it fitting for a “rebirth” of services. “Our churches are part of the answer, not part of the problem,”...

Pritzker must believe the First Amendment is optional. As Cassandra Fairbanks previously reported an Illinois church filed a lawsuit against Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker in April for violating the First Amendment and the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The lawsuit, filed by the Thomas More Society on behalf of The Beloved Church in Lena, claims that the governor has a “hostility” towards religious faith. Pastor Steve Cassell is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop him from being arrested if he holds a service at the beginning of May. We now know that top US physicians based their COVID-19 plan...

A Kansas City phased reopening guideline requiring churches to keep “lists” of attendees, has alarmed many who see it as an infringement on religious liberty and privacy.In the policy issued by Mayor Quinton Lucas, houses of worship are treated with the same restrictions as “non-essential” businesses in terms of keeping records of who attends a service, or even anyone who enters the building.“Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined Nazi-like measures designed to surveil, track and spy upon what was once a FREE American people,” Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said. “Yet that is exactly what Kansas City’s misguided government...

A California church that police shut down on Palm Sunday for allegedly disobeying coronavirus health restrictions filed a lawsuit this month accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom and local authorities of violating its fundamental rights. The Sacramento Bee reports the Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi and Pastor Jonathan Duncan argue in the lawsuit that Newsom and San Joaquin County health officials abused their authority through the public health restrictions. “Civil rights are not suspended by a virus,” the lawsuit states. “Fundamental and unalienable rights are, by their very nature, ‘essential.’” The National Center for Law & Policy in Escondido is representing...

Wisconsinites are signaling they're done playing political games and aren't buying into the idea that they're 'Safer at Home.' MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin stay-at-home orders were supposed to expire Friday. Instead, thousands of disgruntled Wisconsinites descended upon the capitol in protest after the Evers administration extended the Dairy State’s so-called Safer at Home order another month. Endless blaring honks turned to white noise as vehicles backed up East Washington Avenue before circling the capitol, with many waving signs and flags out of windows and sun roofs. One man drove a Yukon decked out with Trump 2020 gear, pulling a trailer...

On Easter, Kentucky State Police were circling the parking lot of a church that’s packed for Easter service — defying state orders — and issuing warnings, if not citations. Following Governors’s license plate order, which applies anyone who attends an in-person church service or any mass gathering, police will refer those motorists to local health departments, which will then order 14-day quarantines – although several attendees told The Courier Journal they have no intention of following the order. While situations like this are happening all over the country on Christians, Muslims can hold their daily prayers in the “epicenter” of...

We have a continuous feedback loop from church leaders. Through Church Answers, social media, our podcast, and our blog, we read thousands of comments each week. I am encouraged by some of the things I am seeing.To be clear, I am not making light of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on many lives and on our economy. But in the midst of the challenges, we are hearing some of the ways God is blessing churches. Here are ten of them. 1. Two weeks ago, 15 percent of church leaders thought their churches would close as a consequence of the pandemic....

Complaints are mounting about state and local politicians’ restrictions on religious worship in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, a California county is facing criticism for introducing restrictions on singing and playing certain instruments in online worship services. Many churches now are doing online services, instead of in-person gatherings, to protect people from the virus. As Fox News reports, Mendocino County leaders issued the new restrictions just two days before Easter Sunday. The order, which affects about 86,000 people in the county, prohibits religious leaders from singing in online worship services unless they are singing in their homes...