December 9th, 2024

Church IS Essential: SCOTUS Gets It Right on Religious Liberty

Date:

supreme courtRecently, the Supreme Court issued injunctive relief to houses of worship challenging New York City’s COVID-19 restrictions on in-person gatherings, the first time it has granted such relief during the pandemic. I have mixed views about the decision and early reactions to it.

First, I don’t think this decision is as momentous as commentators are suggesting. It is fairly fact-specific injunctive relief, and the nature and scope of pandemic orders vary greatly around the country. It’s hard to generalize much from this decision, and I’m concerned that public messaging about it will fuel a broader culture wars narrative from religious leaders like John MacArthur who insist “there is no pandemic” and continue to hold services for 7,000 unmasked people. An injunction against a 25-person cap is not a green light to return to regular worship. Given the current state of the pandemic, it’s not even a yellow light.

The dire rates of transmission we’re seeing all around the country, the Thanksgiving holiday travel, and our growing awareness that indoor, in-person gatherings are a major cause of transmission all increase the likelihood that even more restrictions may be becoming. That’s another reason it’s best to view this order as limited and fact-specific.

That said, I think the Court’s decision is correct and offers some important observations. One of the most important is that these shutdown orders cause irreparable harm because they restrict First Amendment freedoms—and that virtual worship is not a constitutionally sufficient alternative. In other words, worship is absolutely an “essential activity” and to say otherwise is constitutionally incorrect …

Continue reading

News brought to you by Christianity Today

Share this post

spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

The Equality Act and Religious Freedom: What Do Americans Actually Think?

When it comes to the Equality Act, have stumbled into a serious national misunderstanding about an important and contentious issue?

Christian Baker Sued Again for Refusing to Bake a Cake

A Colorado Christian baker went on trial Monday in yet another lawsuit, this one involving a birthday cake for a transgender woman.

There’s No Pandemic Pause in Religious Persecution, Says Poland Ministerial

The 3rd annual conference to promote international religious freedom, held virtually, highlights how governments have exploited COVID-19.

Google, Tyson, Target Rank as Top Fortune 100 Companies for Religious Inclusion

Many big companies are committed to faith and diversity initiatives. Meet the Fortune 100 companies on the front lines of religious inclusion.
X