Update: This article was originally posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 1620. The following morning the Canadian government announced they are releasing Pastor Coates without conditions and dropping all but one of the charges against him. -JME
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This article is satire, although saying so is a bit like having to explain a joke. Those who question the propriety of sanctified sarcasm may consult the OT prophets, the writings of the Apostle Paul, the oral discourse of the Lord Jesus, and the last two thousand years of Church history for relevant precedents.
Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church in Edmonton is still in jail, more than a month after surrendering himself to Canadian authorities. Charged under criminal statute, Coates was informed last week that he will be kept incarcerated until his trial in early May. He was kept in solitary confinement for the first two weeks of his imprisonment, an understandable precaution lest his dangerous advocacy of in-person worship and maskless singing prove contagious. We can safely assume Pastor Coates hates old people and the immuno-compromised. He seems to think corporate worship is a higher priority than physical health and survival. If he read his Bible more, he would know that life is but a vapor than soon vanishes away, and we certainly can’t take any chances given its already fleeting and fragile nature. Pastor Coates has been able to video chat with his wife and children, a fine substitute for in-person relationships and parenting, and a very gracious permission by his benevolent wardens. There has been no word on whether Pastor Coates loves Big Brother yet or not.
Last month The Gospel Coalition published a helpful article summarizing the salient facts of the story and helping sensitive Christians know how to respond. The post was winsome, nuanced, and entirely inoffensive, unless you are one of those angry, legalistic fundamentalists that think civil magistrates shouldn’t put pastors in jail for holding church services. It is important to understand that local authorities were allowing churches to meet at 15% capacity, and most other churches were glad to comply. Pastor Coates’s disobedience was completely unnecessary. If he really thought it necessary for everyone to attend, he could have had seven services every Lord’s Day. Christians ought to obey the civil authorities. After all, they are God’s ministers too. If they decide only 15% of the people can attend church on Sunday, that is just like a command from God. If they say you must wear masks when you sing, that is as good as having it written down in Third Corinthians. If they decide every Christian ought to wear a gold cross on his or her clothing…. The Chinese government didn’t forbid its citizens to have children. Every family was allowed to have one. It is clear we need more respect for government authority in the church today.
How should believers respond to the Canadian government’s prosecution of Pastor Coates (and his congregation)? Evidently with condescension and pity. TGC made it clear that although thoughtful, intelligent, and sensitive Christians (like those who read TGC) will probably disagree with Pastor Coates’s defiance of the civil authorities, we should still be concerned by his imprisonment. Such an act is understandably “unsettling.” But we should not be alarmed. Canada has a constitution, and the courts are “incapable of limiting or infringing the constitution.” It’s a comfort to know constitutions keep wannabe tyrants at bay. That is why Canada has never needed anything like the 2nd Amendment, because they have a constitution. TGC counsels us to pray for Pastor Coates and his family and for the civil authorities. If you are very zealous, you might even sign a letter petitioning the Premier to intervene in the case.
It is time for Christians to adopt a wiser, more nuanced, more compassionate understanding of Church-State relations. After all, the Council did not object to Stephen believing in Jesus; they only asked him not to proselytize in the Synagogue of the Freedmen. The deacon may have been zealous and sincere, but there might have been a more peaceful and productive outcome if he had been a bit more temperate. Admittedly, stoning him was a bit harsh, but damning your audience for resisting the Holy Spirit is hardly being “harmless as a dove.” One wishes more of the martyrs were as wise as we are today. --JME
