In our last article (read part one here) I tried to make the case that our livestream worship service is a tool for assisting us in private worship at home—individually or as households—but is not the same as a public worship service. In virtual worship we are separated from what’s happening in the sanctuary and from one another as the body of Christ by layers of visual and audio mediation that can never replace in-person gathered worship. Many in our congregation, due to limited access to technology, are not even able to participate in virtual worship at all.

Explaining it this way is important for our principles concerning church and worship, but it also helps us to understand the political side of things. The current lockdown on faith community gatherings is more than simply a change in degree over past restrictions, which only impacted the circumstances of our worship (seating arrangements, mask requirements, and capacity limitations). At present, public worship itself has been suspended. This raises a difficult question: “Should churches submit to government orders which close public worship due to public health concerns?” There are three main Christian moral duties involved in seeking to answer this question: the duty to worship God, the duty to protect life, and the duty to submit to governing authorities.

Firstly, all Christians agree that God commands us to worship him publicly on the Lord’s Day (Ex. 20:8; Heb. 10:24-25). The Bible does allow for works of mercy or necessity as legitimate exceptions, though they should not lead to prolonged absence from public worship (Matt. 12:3-12).

Secondly, Christians have a moral duty not only to worship God, but also to love our neighbour as ourselves (Ex. 20:13, Matt. 22:39). COVID-19 poses a serious risk to the lives of humans created in the image of God, and so taking extreme measures for a time is a fulfillment of our duty to love our neighbours who are most vulnerable to the disease.

Thirdly, God commands us to obey our civil authorities (Ex. 20:12; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). The Heidelberg Catechism says that we must “submit with proper obedience” to all those in authority over us and to “be patient with their failings for through them God chooses to rule us” (HC 104). This means we have a moral duty to submit to those who have authority, even to ungodly rulers and to decisions with which we disagree. The only limit to our submission is if they command us to sin, as when Daniel disobeyed the new edict to cease praying to God (Dan. 6:10), or when Peter went on proclaiming Christ when the Sanhedrin had said that was not allowed (Acts 5:28-29). 

Putting these three moral principles together, we can say that the suspension of in-person worship on the grounds of public health can be justified as an act of mercy or necessity for the preserving of human life. Since all forms of “social gathering” have been suspended (my kids lament that they can’t have playdates with their friends after school), the government orders are not uniquely targeting Christians or religious belief.

Some Christians have objected by saying that the church should not cede authority of corporate worship over to the government. This is true insofar as it concerns the substance and form of worship: its liturgy, preaching, and teaching. However, the civil government does have a legitimate authority over the earthly (non-spiritual) conditions around the worship service (as it does with building codes and fire safety laws). As long as the orders are being made in good faith for a genuine public health concern, they are a valid exercise of political authority by the civil magistrates and Christians have a moral duty to submit. By submitting to our governing authorities we are not setting aside God’s commands, but rather seeking to apply all of them in a consistent manner.

At the same time, our commitment to following health orders does not necessarily mean that we agree with the way churches have been locked down. We have concerns about the deleterious emotional and spiritual effects of social isolation and closing churches. Council has decided that we as a church will add our name, along with other churches in our classis, to a letter prepared by New West CRC asking our health authorities to strongly consider allowing faith communities to gather again for in-person public worship.