Pastor imprisoned - Covid
Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church in Spruce Grove, Alberta was jailed this past Tuesday. As of February 17th, he remains imprisoned with a possible trial date to be set next week sometime. Currently, his wife and children are prohibited from visiting him. Coates is a graduate of the Master’s Seminary, was a personal classmate of mine, and has faithfully pastored Grace Life since 2010.
Here is a brief summary of the situation.
Grace Life suspended corporate worship services in the spring of 2020 in response to a largely unknown covid situation. On June 21st, the church resumed meeting for a corporate gathering. The lawyer representing the church stated, “Even in the summer of 2020, it had become apparent to congregants of Grace Life that government lockdowns cause far more self-imposed harm than the natural harm of covid.” In early July, two people who attended Grace Life tested positive for covid, upon which the church shut down for two weeks. They then resumed meeting when it was discovered that no further spread occurred.
In December, the chief medical officer of Alberta issued a mandate restricting worship gatherings to 15% capacity, with masks and social distancing. Representing Grace Life, the Justice Centre wrote:
“[S]uch restrictions violate the constitutional rights to freedom of conscience and religion, expression, peaceful assembly and association as protected by section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
In November, Canadian health officials began showing up at Grace Life worship gatherings, recording the number of attendees, those who were not wearing masks, and social distancing. This continued each Sunday for about three months. The church regarded “the weekly invasion of AHS inspectors to be a potential criminal offence, pursuant to section 176(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada, which prohibits the interrupting or disturbing of a religious worship service.”
On December 17th, a health inspector posted a report against the church. On January 21st, a court order was filed to imprison Pastor Coates. Then the health department issued a closure order on January 29th. Grace Life continued to gather for corporate worship. On February 7th, Canadian police told Pastor Coates that he was under arrest for continuing to preside over worship gatherings, explaining that he must abide by the health order. He explained that he could not go against conscience and the need to shepherd God’s people. Police left without arresting him. Health inspectors attended Grace Life again on February 14th. Pastor Coates was arrested and jailed Tuesday. In the meantime, as Canada jails Pastor Coates, the nation considers marijuana dispensaries and liquor stores essential services.
Reportedly, authorities will release him from jail on the condition he does not preside over Grace Life services. So far, Pastor Coates seems to have declined the offer. Perhaps this reminds us of John Bunyan, who once said, “I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.”
The Lord Reigns
Christians need not be surprised nor shaken by these things. Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ sits as the sovereign King and supreme Lord over all the universe (Ps. 93:1; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16). Every knee and every tongue of every human will one day bow and confess him as such, whether in redemption or wrath (Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus will return one day to the earth, render judgment, and rule as King over the world (Ps. 2; Zech 14:3-9; Matt. 24:29-31; Rev. 19:11-19). In the meantime, God extends his loving mercy to sinners (Ps. 145:8). The good news is, that though we have all sinned (Rom. 3:23), God the Father has not left us to our condemnation, but sent his Son to die as a wrath-bearing sacrifice in our place (1 John 4:10). Christ then rose victoriously from the grave demonstrating that he is the sufficient Savior (Rom. 4:25). Incredibly, God will instantly and irreversibly declare sinners righteous who repent and put faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1, 8:1), granting them eternal life and a glorious eternity with him (John 11:25-26; Rev. 21:3-4). He really is that merciful. In this life, for all who experience persecution for their faith, Jesus promises great blessing and heavenly reward (Matt. 5:10-12; Luke 6:22-23).
You can read Grace Life’s public statement here and listen to Pastor Coates’ most recent sermon from February 14th, titled Directing Government to its Duty, here. Join us in praying for Pastor Coates, his wife, their children, Grace Life Church, their legal team, and Canadian authorities (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
“Now, therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He has not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Ps. 2:10-12).
