COVID-19 has upended all of our lives. Local and state governments are reacting as they see fit. Several recent events in the news have caught my attention. First is the indoor dinning ban in Anchorage for the month of August. Kriner’s Diner openly violated that ban and is going to pay thousands of dollars in fines to the municipality as a result.
Second, the Anchorage Baptist Temple is also openly violating municipal emergency orders on the number of people allowed to be in attendance at a single event.
I have two questions about the church issue. The first is secular: Is the city going to go after the church like they did the diner and fine it thousands of dollars per day for each day they violate the order?
My second question is religious. In response to questioning on holding services in violation of municipal orders, Pastor Ron Hoffman said, “But we must always obey God.” So, I’ve read the Bible from front to back (both the old and new testaments) several times. While it has been a while, I don’t recall where it says that unless you attend services at a tax-dodging megachurch, you will not gain entrance to heaven. Did not see that anywhere in the Bible. Can Pastor Hoffman point us to where in scripture it says that? I’m really curious.
Richard Girouard
Anchorage
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