“John MacArthur’s California church gathered Sunday morning for worship in spite of a last-minute court order that upheld government restrictions on indoor worship due to the pandemic. ‘We’re not meeting because we want to be rebellious. We’re meeting because our Lord has commanded us to come together and worship Him,’ MacArthur, the pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles County, said at the beginning of Sunday’s worship service. Under current rules in Los Angeles County, churches are limited to outdoor gatherings, provided they social distance. On Friday, California Superior Court Judge James Chalfant ruled the church could meet indoors but ordered the congregation to social distance and to wear masks. But on Saturday, Los Angeles County filed an appeal with the California Court of Appeals, which late in the day blocked the judge’s ruling and upheld the county’s right to ‘enforce the Health Order’s ban on indoor religious activity.’ The county had ‘demonstrated a likelihood’ it would win the lawsuit, the appeals court said in its unanimous 3-0 decision, citing two rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court this year denying emergency injunctions against government restrictions on churches. A survey by LifeWay Research showed that more than 70 percent of Protestant churches nationwide met in July.”
“They Just Want to Shut Us Down,” Christian Headlines, Aug. 17, 2020