Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Remembering May, 1945 – 75 years ago

World War II ended in Europe on May 7-9, with the unconditional surrender of Germany. Hitler was dead. Less than a month earlier, allied troops had discovered camps in Germany for exterminating Jews.

The Allied effort in World War II was regarded by some as a Christian Crusade. In 1941 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met on the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales to sign the Atlantic Charter. Churchill believed the allied cause was God’s cause and chose the song “Onward Christian Soldiers” for all to sing at a church service onboard.

Message of the Month – A Model Citizen and Pastor

“Seek the welfare [“shalom” – well-being] of the city where I have sent you… and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7 ESV)

“[Church leaders] must be well thought of by outsiders.” (1 Timothy 3:7)

Pastor Roy McCoy of Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, CA is a model of what these verses require.

2019 Thousand Oaks City Council Roy McCoy 2nd from right

He was a member of the city council and served as mayor in 2019. Al Adams, current mayor of Thousand Oaks, said council member McCoy was a “voice of strength and healing” after the city endured back-to-back tragedies: the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill and the Woolsey fire.

When his term as mayor ended in December 2019, he was honored by city officials. “You were the right mayor at the right time,” said City Manager Andrew Powers.

“The Healing Gardens Memorial was because of Rob McCoy,” Mr. Adams said. “It was his idea and he made it happen. You made the entire Council look good and on a personal note, you being there when my father passed meant a lot to me.” “You were the right mayor to heal us, unite us for these last 12 months,” said Council member Claudia Bill-de la Peña. “You have done a formative job to lead our city over the last year.”

But Mr. McCoy resigned from the city council because of his pastoral decision to offer Holy Communion at his church on Palm Sunday. Would this be a gross violation of the separation/safety protocols? No. Ten people would enter the sanctuary at a time over a two-hour period. Chairs were sanitized after each use. Those waiting lined up outside at a distance from each other. No one touched anyone else.

So what was the problem? The Ventura County Public Health Officer had ruled that churches are “nonessential” services. As a City of Thousand Oaks council member, Mr. McCoy was obligated to uphold the Public Health Officer’s order. So he resigned his position to maintain his convictions.
(See Appendix for the Ventura County Health Orders)

Law enforcement was at the church on Palm Sunday not to shut the Communion down but to monitor compliance with the distance rule.

Some who disagreed with the church and pastor parked their cars in the church’s parking lot and blew their horns. [NOTE: disrupting or disturbing a worship service is a misdemeanor under California’s Penal Code Sec. 302 PC.]

Mayor Adams said in an interview, ““He did the right thing in resigning, because he’s going ahead with the services at his church that are just incompatible with the county guidelines that we’re trying to maintain here in the city of Thousand Oaks.”

Well, then there’s something wrong with the guidelines. Church gatherings simply must not be labeled “non-essential.” Pastor/councilman McCoy did the right things as a pastor and as a city leader. But it shouldn’t have come to this. The city has lost an acknowledged fine leader.

We need more Pastor McCoys who represent the best of the prophetical traditions in the Old and New Testaments in their communities. It is disrespectful that the city council’s current Website does not name and picture him now as a former mayor and council member.

Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief
or an evildoer or as a meddler.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed,
but let him glorify God in that name.
– 1 Peter 4:15-16

Watch “McCoy Abdicates Thousand Oaks City Council to Break Coronavirus Orders” on YouTube (KTLA Channel 5)

https://you.tube/aX-_oJL292g

Religious Liberty Vigilance –
During the Coronavirus Crisis

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” – 1st Amendment

“I wasn’t thinking of the Bill of Rights when we did this… The science says people have to stay away from each other.” – New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy *

“Our federal constitutional rights don’t go away in an emergency. They constrain what the government can do.” – Attorney General William Barr

Love, Law, Liberty

3 Essentials During the Coronavirus Crisis

I suggest that our country’s response to the coronavirus be looked at as a stool with three legs: Love, Law and Liberty. If balanced and embraced by most, we will overcome. I gave three points in my last newsletter, which I’ve now made the three legs of the stool:

LOVE: Out of love for our neighbor, the second great commandment Jesus taught, we do what is best for the greater good of society (Mark 12:31).

LAW: Out of respect for authorities (Titus 3:1) and the medical knowledge they gather to the best of their ability, we agree to the prohibitions and adjustments set forth by our local, state and federal governments, so long as they are fair and equitable.

LIBERTY: Recognizing our constitutional rights, we keep a wary eye on any edicts from government that might limit these rights. We insist on a quick end to limitations of our rights once the crisis has passed.

Unfortunately, the “Liberty” leg is coming up short. Here is a letter in my local newspaper which, I fear, reflects commonly-held thinking:

Yes, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion. It also guarantees freedom of assembly, but that right has been temporarily suspended for the common good. [emphasis mine]

Temporarily suspended? By what authority? In World War II the rights of 120,000 Japanese-Americans were “temporarily suspended.” Where in the Constitution does it say that the rights guaranteed therein are subject to suspension? Of course the rights are not absolute. Freedom of religion does not give one the right to sacrifice children or deny minors lifesaving treatments. Freedom of speech doesn’t include the right to cry “fire” in a crowded theater, to use Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ analogy. **

Agree or disagree with policies, we should all acknowledge that the “free exercise of religion” and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” are being infringed upon.

I wonder what the reactions would be if “freedom of speech or of the press” were infringed upon in a comparable way at the present time. It is not beyond reason that during the present crisis some might call for limits on speech and publications if the speech is contrary to the “ruling orthodoxy.” Just follow curtailment of speech on public campuses to see how this works.

What are some of the more egregious violations of freedom of religion and assembly?
• California: Pastor Roy McCoy found it necessary to resign as a councilman in Thousand Oaks, California because he decided to offer a Communion Service at his church that fully conformed to limits on cleanliness and distancing.
• Mississippi: People who attended a drive-in service by sitting in their cars with the windows up were issued $500 tickets. The Department of Justice intervened in favor of the church, arguing the church was being singled out for more restrictive rules.
• Kentucky: the mayor of Louisville imposed a ban on drive-in services. The church won in court, the judge saying that people were being permitted to sit in their cars for other purposes, so why not church?

Government cannot target religious exercise unless it shows a compelling state interest in restricting that right. And—very important—the government must use the least restrictive means necessary to achieve that compelling state interest. Brad Dacus, President of the Pacific Justice Institute, notes that as time passes the government’s claim for a compelling state interest will decline while a church’s position will get stronger every day.

Local and state governments should make clear that religious gatherings and services are “ESSENTIAL” services. To put it another way, government is outside its legitimate role to declare in-person religious gatherings “non-essential.” And it certainly is not being “neutral” toward religion. ***

In my 36 years as a pastor in Seal Beach, California I’ve seen first-hand how the presence, ministries and gatherings of a church provide critical spiritual and emotional support to the community in times of crisis.

A handful of unwise pastors have filled their churches with crowds in blatant disrespect for the government. Their behavior doesn’t cancel the positive role that a church gathering can now play when proper distancing, cleanliness and a limit on attendance are in force. Offering Holy Communion during Passion Week is a valuable spiritual uplift to those who come and seek it.

Having places of worship closed while “essential” cannabis dispensaries and liquor stores are open is ethical dissonance almost beyond imagination.

* The good governor said, “Science says people should stay away from each other.” Science says nothing of the sort. Science tests theories on how the virus spreads. The order to separate is a judgment made from looking at the current science. A hypothesis of science is capable of being applied in a number of directions by others, according to their own societal convictions. In fact, what does “science” say that would lead us to have liquor stores open and churches closed?

** Oliver Wendell Holmes gave this analogy in 1919 to argue that a defendant’s speech in opposition to the draft during World War I was not protected free speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Would we agree with him today?

*** The U.S. Supreme Court said religious organizations “contribute to the well-being of the community” and called for the government to have a position of “benevolent neutrality” toward religion (Walz v. Tax Commission, 1970).

How to Wash Your Hands during the Coronavirus Crisis

Use plenty of soap and water, vigorously scrub your hands, including under your fingernails, and rinse—20 seconds altogether. Dry your hands thoroughly with a paper towel.

How can you time your washing? Well…
• You can always count to twenty.
• You can sing “Happy Birthday” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
• I notice the toilet tank fills in 20 seconds.

Better yet, sing “The Doxology”. Or perhaps best of all, recite The Lord’s Prayer! Do it from the heart, not with empty recitation. Keep your mind engaged, not on autopilot. Let it guide your priorities throughout the day.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory forever, amen.

America is “quarantined.” Where did this term come from?

Isolation as a defense against infectious disease originated in the city-states of Venice and Florence. Italy was the center of Mediterranean trade, and the plague arrived in 1347 on commercial ships…

After plague visitations, the Venetian navy eventually began to force sailors arriving at the harbor to disembark on a nearby island, where they remained for 40 days—quaranta—a duration chosen for its biblical significance. (“How Epidemics Change Civilization,” The Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2020)

So the term has its origin in the biblical numeral “40.” I’m not a fan of “numerology”—the notion that one can find deeper teachings in the Bible by searching for cryptic meanings in certain numbers. Here are numbers that have biblical significance in their contexts: 7, 40, 666.

“40 days and 40 nights” indicated the period of time that rains fell to flood the earth as a judgment from God for human evil (Genesis 7:4, 10).

After “40 days” Noah knew the floodwaters were abating and he could look forward to reinhabiting the earth (the image of a dove with an olive branch originated in this passage—Genesis 8:6-12).

“40 days and 40 nights” indicates the period of time Moses was before God on Mt. Sinai, when he received the Ten Commandments.

Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 26:19)
So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:28)
After the Israelites left Egypt, Moses sent spies into the land of Canaan to survey the land and its people. They were gone 40 days. They returned with a mixed message: the land flows with abundance but the people are fierce and powerful. Upon receiving this report Israel rebelled and God brought a judgment on his people.

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure. (Numbers 14:34)

That was the “40 years” of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. During this time God provided for the needs of his people, giving them their “daily bread” and much more (Deuteronomy 2:7):

The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (Exodus 16:35)

Ezekiel prophesied that God would bring judgment on Egypt for her evil, but he would restore the people after 40 years (Ezekiel 29, 12-13).

“40 days” was the window of opportunity for the City of Nineveh to repent, according to the Prophet Jonah (Jonah 3:4).

Jesus, the Second Moses, fasted “40 days” in the wilderness and during that time he was tested by Satan (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2).

“40” seems to be a number indicating judgment, trials and opportunities for repentance before God. “40” is a number not to be taken lightly. I’ll let others debate whether the number might be symbolical at times rather than literal.

“40” can be our spiritual “boot camp.” Will we persevere through hardships and testings, better able to serve God because of them (1 Peter 1:6-8)?

Our “40 days”, our quaranta, may be this present time of quarantine, our forced separation from much we would like to do and from many places where we would like to go. It is the hour of testing, perseverance and self-examination—a careful look at our priorities as individuals and as a nation, and our willingness to submit to the commandments of God.

Jim Bakker just won’t go away!

Remember Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker from the 1980’s?

Out of prison and back in “ministry”, Jim Bakker can be seen on “Christian” media with his promotions, pronouncements and prophecies.

One difficulty the Pentecostal Movement seems unable to overcome is its conflation of forgiveness and rehabilitation. “God called me to minister!” seems to trump just about anything else. Yes, God forgives. No, forgiveness is not a fast pass back into ministry. Maybe someday but not soon. Or maybe never again, depending on the offense. A child predator who once worked in children’s ministry at a church—would you EVER want him back in that ministry? Or an embezzler back to handling church finances? I don’t think so. No matter how “forgiven” they are.

Here he is—the Bernie Madoff of religious fundraising schemers—displaying a “coronavirus cure”!

Easter 2020 – “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”
Here is the Easter Service from my own church, Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California. If you watch carefully, you’ll see me with the montage singing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!”

https://www.facebook.com/gracesealbeach/videos/229351198271556/

Grace Community Church is on-line during the present coronavirus limitations. There are no gathered worship services for the time being. Watch and participate in the Sunday services during or anytime after the services at 9:30 and 11:00 PDT. www.gracesealbeach.org

Available: My Sermons at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach

To hear sermons I’ve delivered at Grace Community Church go to www.gracesealbeach.org and click “Sermons” under “Resources.”
You will see my name under “Sermons by speaker.”

• “The Holy City – Final Home” (Revelation 21-22)
• “Jeremiah: Right Man for the Right Hour (Jeremiah 1-20)
• “The Triumphs and Failures of Israel’s Greatest King (1 Kings 1-11)
• “Christian Freedom” (Romans 14:1-8) RECOMMENDED!
A sermon for the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation
• “Come, Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-42)
RECOMMENDED TO PREPARE FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY—JUNE 7

Website: www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Contact me at: donaldshoemakerministries@verizon.net

APPENDIX: Orders by the Ventura County (CA) Health Officer
(See above: “Message of the Month” on Pastor Roy McCoy)

There were three orders in March. Any restrictions on religious gatherings were at most implicit. The April 9 order was explicit.

#3 – All Gatherings prohibited of two or more persons outside a household…

Point “a” –
“Gathering” means “any event” for “non-essential purposes” including “church services” … [So “two or more” cannot “gather in Jesus’ name!”]

Point “e” –
“Faith-based organizations” may gather “for the sole purpose of preparing and facilitating live-stream or other virtual communications with their members, including worship services, provided that the number of such staff is the fewest necessary to prepare and facilitate those communications, but in no event in excess of seven persons.”

Comment:

In fairness it should be noted that the limit of seven for preparing a virtual worship service is in contrast to a “two or more” limit for gatherings (thus somewhat of a concession).

That said, anyone who has worked in the development of virtual worship knows that seven is certainly a bare minimum for such a production and hardly a maximum. Such services usually include instrumentalists, singers (who may also be instrumentalists), a speaker, those who lead prayer and read scripture, and one or more technicians.

An April 20 order (1) increases the number of persons at gatherings to a maximum of five; (2) increases the number who may develop virtual worship to no more than ten; and (3) allows for “drive-up” worship with several prohibitions, including rules that would prevent serving Holy Communion (unless worshippers brought the bread and cup with them); (4) lists funerals, weddings, producing virtual worship, and “drive-up” worship services under “Essential Activities” (17.a.) – very significant!