Explainer: California imposes new coronavirus-related restrictions on churches
On July 13, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order reclosing many indoor gatherings—including places of worship and cultural ceremonies, like weddings and funerals—for more than half of the state’s 58 counties. The affected counties are those that have remained on the County Monitoring List for three consecutive days.
The State Health Officer had generally prohibited gatherings of all kinds statewide, with limited exceptions for worship services and protest activities. But the new order forced the closure of all indoor worship services for about 30 counties where new coronavirus outbreaks are occurring. Outdoor and online services are still permitted.
In counties that are not closed, the state has imposed additional restrictions on houses of worship, including a prohibition on indoor singing and chanting activities and limiting indoor attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.
This Week at the ERLC
Russell Moore was on CBN’s Faith Nation discussing the Little Sisters of the Poor SCOTUS ruling. This week, he will be teaching virtually on leadership at Liberty Heights Church and on civility and politics at Austin Stone in Texas. He was also quoted in The Christian Science Monitor in an article about white evangelicals’ reflections on racism.
Jason Thacker has an article at The Gospel Coalition about facial recognition and policing. He was also on the Daily Caller discussing TikTok and privacy concerns.
Trillia Newbell was on NC Family Policy Council Radio sharing about Beautifully Distinct and how Christians can engage culture.
What You Need to Read
- Palmer Williams with Tennessee governor signs comprehensive pro-life bill
National pro-life groups have praised Gov. Lee and Tennessee’s national leadership on passing what he has called perhaps the most important bill he will sign as governor. The comprehensive legislation has numerous pro-life, pro-woman components that could make the litigation against it the front lines in the fight not only to overturn Roe v. Wade, but also serve as a legislative prototype on how to defend the dignity of every life and the most vulnerable in our society.
- Daniel Darling with 4 ways we can apply Scripture to online engagement
There should be a distinctly Christian way of standing up for what we believe. But what does that look like in a digital age, when the means of publishing our opinions are so quick and easy, with a few taps of the thumb? Some advocate leaving social media platforms all together, and perhaps that’s wise for some. But the Internet is here to stay. We are not going back to 1950.
- Gabriel Stovall with How you can serve your community during a pandemic: Send Relief encourages Southern Baptists to make a difference through compassionate care
There are a variety of ways you can be the hands and feet of Christ. We have heard countless stories of Southern Baptists who are making a difference through their acts of service, even as churches continue to navigate the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Send Relief Sunday provides a specific opportunity for you to tangibly express the love of Christ, even if your churches remain closed.
News From Capitol Hill
United States government leaders, from Congress to the White House and throughout the Trump Administration, have taken increasingly significant steps in recent days to hold China accountable for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) egregious human rights violations and abuses against religious minorities.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced last Friday that the federal government would apply Global Magnitsky Sanctions to top-ranking Chinese officials and a Chinese government entity for the human rights abuses and religious freedom violations committed by the CCP against the Uyghur Muslim people in the Xinjiang province of China. This is a significant development in the effort to counter China morally, as Russell Moore and the ERLC called for last fall.
The CCP routinely violates the basic human rights of the Chinese people. Their decades of abuse includes controlling how many children a family can legally welcome into their home, using extreme forms of technological surveillance to track the activity of people in their country, and seeking to control the speech of their citizens by snuffing out the free exercise of religion. In recent weeks, China’s National People’s Congress passed national security legislation that poisons the “one country, two systems” structure that governed Hong Kong’s relations with the Chinese government, thus crushing the freedom of this unique island-city.
China’s boundless ambition for power leads to countless atrocities. Griffin Gulledge, director of market and communications at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, shared this video on Twitter this week of leaked footage showing Uyghur Muslims, heads shaved and blindfolded, being “escorted off of trains headed off to forced labor camps.”
Learn more about these important developments on the need to counter China morally and the ERLC’s advocacy for the persecuted church and other religious minorities here.
Featured Podcasts
Brent Leatherwood and Travis Wussow wrote a statement of principles on contact tracing during the pandemic. On Capitol Conversations, they join Jeff Pickering to discuss how church leaders and civic leaders should view themselves as co-equal partners in combating the spread of the virus.
On today’s episode of The Cross & the Jukebox, Russell Moore talks about Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” Though some might use this as a shorthand for fidelity in marriage, Moore thinks the song is not about covenant faithfulness but rather a fatalistic view of human nature, especially in how it pictures how men and women relate to one another.
From The Public Square
Federal judge voids Georgia ‘heartbeat’ abortion restriction
Jeff Amy, Associated Press
A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked Georgia’s 2019 “heartbeat” abortion law, finding that it violates the U.S. Constitution.
Judge: Women can get abortion pill without doctor visits
Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press
A federal judge has agreed to suspend a rule that requires women during the COVID-19 pandemic to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill.
Sudan Drops Death Penalty for Apostasy, Alcohol Ban for Christians
Jayson Casper, Christianity Today
Amendments offer good news for Christian minority, but also concern that reforms may be too fast for Muslim society.
'Murder by proxy’: Pa. lawmaker wants tougher penalty for those who guide people toward suicide
Jan Murphy, Penn Live
Keefer considers her bill as a first step that balances the desire to impose harsher penalties on people who cause or aid suicide with free speech rights.
