Charges dropped against Florida pastor over stay-home order
Tampa, Florida, USAP Misdemeanor charges were dropped Friday against a Florida pastor accused of violating stay-at-home orders by holding Sunday services with hundreds of people in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren said in a statement that the prosecution of Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church […]
Coronavirus response: With infections linked to religious gatherings, debate rages in US over worship amid pandemic
JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports on the ongoing debate over church gatherings during the COVID-19 crisis in the US…
Florida officials: Arrested pastor not exonerated by new order listing religious services as ‘essential’
RNS When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a 30 day stay-at-home order on Wednesday requiring the state’s residents to remain indoors to avoid spreading or contracting the novel coronavirus, he noted that the regulations do not apply to “essential activities” such as religious services. But while the order may pave the way for faith leaders […]
Florida pastor arrested for refusing to halt worship amid outbreak
RNS A Florida pastor was arrested by a local sheriff on Monday after he refused to stop holding worship services at his church despite regulations banning large in-person gatherings that could further the spread of the novel coronavirus. For weeks, Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church has defied local regulations designed […]