Lately, some of you have asked for my thoughts on a few matters. So, for this month’s newsletter, I’m going to briefly touch on some of those things and offer some resources to think through them further. If this prompts more questions, feel free to email or phone or write me an old-fashioned letter.
About Our Church Closing Down Again
I’m sad, burdened, troubled by it. Because churches like ours have been careful to follow the orders, I’m disappointed that our government ordered a ten-person maximum for church services, which effectively means cancelling them (since our Sunday volunteers are included in that number).
On the other hand, with the highly contagious variants and rising cases, I understand the concern to slow down the spread of the virus. I hope this is only temporary, and that the forthcoming orders in late May will enable us to gather again.
About Whether to Disobey the Government
As Christians, our default position is to be that of submission to governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-7). Though there are situations that would call us as a church to disobey government for the sake of obedience to God (Acts 5:29), I don’t believe this is one of them. Because it’s impossible to sum up all the issues in a paragraph, here’s a helpful article that I agree with, written by Paul Carther, a pastor in Ontario:
Regarding our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the crucial issue is whether our Provincial Government’s temporary restriction of our Charter right to assemble as a church is “demonstrably justified”. Some Manitoba churches have challenged this in court, and it will be interesting to see the result. For my part, unless I were convinced beyond doubt that our government’s measures were unjustified, I would not attempt to lead our church to civil disobedience.
About the Covid-19 Vaccine
It’s not the mark of the beast (I’ve written about that here: https://www.rowandale.ca/is-the-covid-19-vaccine-the-mark-of-the-beast/). I’m sure enough of that to have received my first shot earlier this week. 🙂
I’m not a doctor and am therefore unqualified to give medical advice. But I would be remiss as a pastor not to provide a resource to think through some of the related ethical and biblical principles.
To that effect, here is an article by Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is a rigorous biblical thinker, a respected Christian leader, and a trusted voice on moral issues. The article offers seven principles for thinking about the
Covid-19 vaccine:
https://albertmohler.com/2020/12/14/vaccines-and-the-christian-worldview-principles-for-christian-thinking-in-the-context-of-covid
About Moms
On a lighter note, Mother’s Day is fast approaching. Our society might not celebrate motherhood as a high calling, but there are few things more important than moms who devote themselves to raising the next generation. In the church, we ought to especially honour the mothers who are doing their best to raise their kids to know, trust, love, and serve Jesus Christ.
So, here’s a shout out to all the moms. It’s been a tough year, and you’ve carried a heavy load. We appreciate you! And a word to those of us who have been blessed to have a godly mother, as I have:
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching, for they will be a garland of favor on your head and pendants around your neck” (Proverbs 1:8-9).
Pastor Jonathan Kroeker