Charlie Dates counters John MacArthur’s declaration that MLK “was not a Christian”
United States RNS Rev Charlie Dates, the pastor of two historically Black churches in Chicago, is defending Rev Martin Luther King, Jr after California pastor John MacArthur declared in February that the civil rights leader “was not a Christian at all”. “We, the undersigned, regret that we have to write you this way, but we […]
California, LA County both to pay $US400,000 settlement to John MacArthur’s church
RNS The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to authorise a $US400,000 payment to settle a legal battle with Grace Community Church over lead pastor John MacArthur’s defiance of COVID-19 restrictions in the early months of the pandemic. Under the agreement, which the board unanimously approved without discussion, the state of California […]
California legislator wants religious services deemed essential during state of emergency; Grace Community Church postpones event
Los Angeles, USRNS Senator Brian Jones, a Republican in San Diego County, introduced a piece of legislation on Friday that would deem religious services an essential activity during any declared state of emergency. In this 11th April, 2020, file photo, a person films pastor Nicolas Sanchez, centre left, celebrating Easter Vigil Mass at his church […]
Attorneys for US megachurch pastor John MacArthur denounce headlines reporting a church outbreak of COVID-19 cases
Los Angeles, USRNS Attorneys for Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church are condemning recent headlines declaring a coronavirus outbreak in the megachurch that has defied public health orders since July. The Los Angeles Times on Thursday reported that three confirmed COVID-19 cases had been tied to the church. The headline for that story read: “Coronavirus outbreak […]
After Trump tweets about hymn singers’ arrest, US church plans another event
RNS President Donald Trump tweeted out a warning to his followers Wednesday, claiming religious liberty in the US was in danger. “DEMS WANT TO SHUT YOUR CHURCHES DOWN, PERMANENTLY,” he tweeted in all caps. “HOPE YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING. VOTE NOW!” For proof, the President retweeted a video of an unmasked local politician in Moscow, Idaho, […]
US pastor who has defied COVID-19 orders will face new hearing in November
Los Angeles, USRNS The same state social-distancing measures that have ensnarled Rev John MacArthur in legal proceedings for his refusal to close his church have now delayed a reckoning for the Sun Valley, California, pastor, as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Thursday scheduled a hearing until mid-November. County officials, in a statement, […]
Updated: LA judge grants injunction barring John MacArthur, Grace Community Church from meeting indoors
Updated: 11:15am (AEST), 12th September, 2020Los Angeles, USRNS A Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction against Grace Community Church, prohibiting Pastor John MacArthur from holding indoor worship services. The County of Los Angeles has sought to stop the megachurch from hosting indoor services that have filled the sanctuary with many unmasked congregants sitting next […]
US megachurch pastor John MacArthur claimed there is “no pandemic”. He was politicising science, experts say
RNS This past Sunday, John MacArthur, the senior pastor of Los Angeles’ Grace Community Church, made a startling statement. “There is no pandemic,” he said. Pastor John MacArthur speaks at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, on 26th July. PICTURE: Video screengrab via Vimeo/Grace Community Church/File photo. His proof? A recent Centers for Disease Control […]
In the US, 2,500 evangelicals sign pandemic statement warning: Don’t ignore science
RNS Amid some churches’ ongoing defiance of state pandemic safety rules, a group of prominent US evangelicals has signed on to a statement affirming their belief in science and calling on Christians to follow the advice of public health experts. “A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times” expresses concern for the “politicization of science […]
More US churches sue to challenge COVID-19 restrictions
Updated: 2.30pm (AEST)AP Churches in California and Minnesota, backed by a conservative legal group, filed lawsuits this week against the governors of their states challenging restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak that they contend are violations of religious liberty. They’re the latest in a long series of legal challenges, many of them in California, […]