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Pastor artur pawlowski church4/3/2023 ![]() ![]() But just like here, what I think we’re seeing is mere inconsistency in making regulations on the run, which is something we’ve witnessed in so many nations & their efforts against the pandemic. I think it would be wiser to assume that, as in most nations, the people in authority there are doing their best for their communities, as we’ve also seen here. If, as you say, “hundreds of customers can still freely browse stores like Costco and Walmart under the same health order (although this seems to be contradicted by which shows that in Alberta, the province where this occurred, “All retailers are permitted to open, but must lower their in-store capacity to 10%). What I’m not saying is that the measures aren’t extreme or unfair. ![]() but I hope you don’t regard this as “backlash”.Īs COVID is still going strong in Canada, in a nation with a population 1.5 times ours, yet with so far over 4 times the number of cases diagnosed, & with over 7,500 new cases & 56 deaths yesterday, it is actually on the increase there. Sorry, Kurt, I have to disagree on this one. This article first appeared at The Daily Declaration. Unless we want to see history repeat itself, we must remember this truth and guard it wholeheartedly. In the words of the American sage Benjamin Franklin, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” From a civil perspective, humans are born free, regardless of what any person or parliament decides. No government can give us our freedom or take it away: the government’s role is merely to protect our God-given freedoms. This dishonours our fellow man - and it dishonours God himself, in whose image we’ve all been made.įreedom - whether freedom of speech, conscience, assembly, or religion - is not something provided to us by the powers that be. We saw this with Israel Folau, when too many Christians lined up to criticise him for his tone or delivery on social media, but failed to express support for his fundamental freedoms. In every such case, there will be reasons aplenty we could provide for why authorities got it right and Christians could have done better. But other forms of persecution - mostly related to issues of sexuality - are likely to soon impact the Western church in significant ways.Īs this unfolds, it will be tempting to dismiss early dissenters as quacks and belligerents who deserved what was coming to them. Countless people who escaped the authoritarian regimes of the 20th century testify that it was far easier to “go along to get along” under those regimes than it was to resist and stand up for righteousness, no matter the cost.Ĭovid-19 and governments’ responses to it will pass. What many Westerners do not have access to is the experience of life under totalitarian rule, like Pastor Artur Pawlowski and his family have endured. In all of this, we are still commanded by God to love our neighbour and our enemy-which includes taking sensible precautions not to harm anyone. Indeed, if the will of God and the will of man come into conflict, we are told to “obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29). Nowhere does Scripture provide an exception to this - whether under political persecution or public health orders. ![]() I will of course happily eat my words if this turns out not to be the case.īut on the other hand, the Bible does command us to praise God “in the assembly of the faithful” (Psalm 149:1), and to “not neglect our meeting together” as believers (Hebrews 10:25). In all likelihood, once Western governments no longer have Covid-19 as an occasion for these health orders, church life will return to something approaching normality. Others will dismiss these stories as a measured response from authorities against congregations and spiritual leaders who refuse to cooperate with temporary measures for the “common good”.īoth reactions miss the mark in different ways. Some may instinctively fear that “the end is nigh” and that widespread persecution is just around the corner. I'm aware of 6+ churches first hand that now meet underground in Canada.- Colin Lundstrom May 9, 2021Ĭhristians will react differently on hearing of pastors arrested and churches forced underground in a Western nation like Canada. ![]()
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