Well-known pastor, John MacArthur and Grace Community Church were awarded $400,000 each from California and LA County after the courts determined the church’s religious freedoms were violated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are key facts of the case:

• After initially complying with the COVID lockdown, the church reopened and defied public health orders limiting church attendance.
• The Supreme Court ruled in more than one case that religious services cannot be arbitrarily restricted.
• California has already paid over $2 million in legal fees to other churches.
• MacArthur stated that the settlement will go towards the church’s legal representation.

In 2020, MacArthur stated, “The biblical order is clear: Christ is Lord over Caesar, not vice versa. Christ, not Caesar, is head of the church.” The church held their ground and have now been vindicated.

Grace Community is not the only California church to have been awarded following such violations. The state of California has already paid out over $2 million, with several additional lawsuits to be settled.

This is a vindication of Grace Community Church’s decision to continue holding worship services in the face of government harassment and threats of retaliation. COVID is a real disease, and people should take appropriate personal precautions, but that does not mean shutting down churches for an indefinite amount of time. The Church is essential, and in this chaotic world, believers need to be able to gather together, not just to support and advance their faith and the Church mission but also to protect a free society from any infringement on the God-given rights of its citizens.

~Standing for Freedom Center

Amen to that! Stay in the battle, Christian friends.