We are all aware that there are some churches in Ontario and other parts of Canada that have chosen to disregard the directives of their provincial governments during the COVID pandemic. This has resulted in our Pastors and Elders being asked repeatedly what is West Highland’s position on the specific actions of these churches, civil disobedience in general, and why we have not taken a similar stance. Because of these questions and the fact that West Highland has not been immune to COVID related issues and opinions that have caused problems in other churches, it has become necessary for us to clarify where the Elders and Pastors of West Highland stand and to share with you the reason why we have approached the COVID pandemic and government regulations as we have.

Since the outset of COVID, we have sought the Lord repeatedly, motivated by the desire to be like “the men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” ( 1 Chronicles 12:32). To do this we have done two things. The first was to refresh our minds in a more thorough understanding of what the Scriptures say about the role of government and the place for civil disobedience. The second was to gain clarity on the provincial government’s intent and motivation behind the various COVID regulations and restrictions.

The Bible and Civil Disobedience

The purpose of this statement is not to give a detailed theology of Scriptural teaching on the role of government and the believers general responsibility to obey and the sometimes sad necessity to disobey in certain situations and circumstances. However, a summary of the Bible’s teaching in both testaments is helpful to understand why the leaders of West Highland have chosen the path of compliance with government restrictions during COVID.

There are many Old Testament passages that deal with civil disobedience such as the time when Israel was captive in Egypt (Exodus 1:15-2:10) but those passages that are the most applicable to our present context are found during Daniel’s time when Israel was in exile. From the prophet Daniel, who lived under rulers antagonistic to Yahweh and Israel’s faith, we learn three important truths. The first is that civil disobedience is allowed when worship is prohibited. The second is that believers may civilly disobey governing authorities when they are commanded to worship something or someone other than the true and living God (Daniel 3:1-18; 6:1-28). And finally, like Daniel, we are called to live peaceably within a culture that is antagonistic to our faith.

The teaching of the New Testament can be summarized by referring to several passages. First, our Lord Jesus taught us that we have a responsibility to Caesar and to God (Mark 12:13-17). Secondly, the historian, Dr. Luke records in the Acts of the Apostles that there are times when believers have no option but to disobey the governing authorities (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29). Thirdly, the Apostles Paul and Peter wrote about the God-ordained role of government and the believers responsibility to obey governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-25). Paul is emphatic that governments have been established by God and are servants of God. Fourthly, the Apostle John revealed in the Revelation that government can also be a satanically inspired beast that is hostile to the church (Revelation 13). From these Scriptures, we see four basic principles. (1) The government is legitimate authority, (2) the government is accountable to God, (3) because of the above two, the church can speak to government, and finally (4) the government may be disobeyed when it commands contrary to Scripture.

These teachings of the Old and New Testaments are captured succinctly in Article 8 of the West Highland Confessional/Doctrinal Statement entitled “Civil Government and Religious Freedom” which states:

We believe that both State and Church are divinely ordained institutions with distinctive concerns and responsibilities. Christians are to honour, pray for and submit to their political leaders so that they rule wisely and justly. Christians are called to obey the law, although civil disobedience is a legitimate response to demands that oppose the will of our Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture, for he is the only Lord of the conscience and over all the kings of the earth. The responsibility of the State is to guarantee the religious liberty of all persons of any religion. The Church neither expects nor requires the State to enforce religious orthodoxy.

(Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Daniel 3:17-18; Acts 4:19-20)

The Provincial Government and COVID Regulations

With this biblical understanding as a foundation, we also considered carefully the intent of our provincial government in the regulations it has put in place during the COVID pandemic. If a case could be made that the provincial government’s regulations were directed singularly against the church and its beliefs or at the practice of religion in general in Ontario, then there would be a good reason to consider civil disobedience. However, we do not believe this to be the case. In the numerous and varied government communiques throughout the pandemic, it has been repeated that the regulations are temporal and purposeful. Our government has taken certain actions to restrict the spread of the virus, reduce mortality, insure that intensive care units are not overwhelmed with patients, and prevent the collapse of our socialized health care system. There exists no evidence that churches have been unfairly targeted. The regulations imposed by the government have not derailed the function of the church, just the format in which it operates. The church has not been singled out for our religious beliefs; rather we have been directed to participate in a broader effort throughout our entire society to do what we can to bring an end to the pandemic.

Our experience in communicating with provincial authorities has shown us that our government has been both responsive to our concerns and questions and appreciative of the church’s role in the community. They have listened to us. After the first province-wide lockdown churches and other places of worship were permitted to have religious services with 30% capacity of their facilities. Now there are no number of limitations placed on outdoor religious services. No other businesses or communities have been allowed these generous provisions during the pandemic. It could be argued that the Ontario government has shown preferential treatment to churches and other faith communities.

For these reasons, we do not see civil disobedience as the appropriate response to the government’s COVID regulations. The role of human government, according to Scripture is the protection of its citizens. Therefore, the motive of our provincial government is commendable, not condemnable. It would be foolish for us to create an antagonistic relationship with God-ordained authorities when their desire is the public good. This is why we contacted Hamilton Health Services to make our church facilities available to them if at any time they were needed to help the people of our city. We believe this is in keeping with our calling to do good to all people.

The Meaning and Power of Compliance

Being compliant does not mean that we are in full agreement with every decision and action that our government has taken. Has there been inconsistency within the regulations and the enforcement of them? Definitely. Has the government overreached in some areas? Certainly. Has the setting aside of some Charter insured rights under limited conditions established a concerning and perhaps dangerous precedent? Probably. Like other Canadians we are deeply concerned about all of these things and our submission to government regulations should not always be perceived as agreement. But these things do not give us a biblical warrant to not comply with government regulations. We believe that Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:11-25, written when believers lived under a government far less just and benevolent than ours, are still applicable to us today. We are therefore eager to honour our governing authorities. We believe we should do this in the way we speak about them and the way we speak to them.

Compliance does not mean that we have been silent and not voiced at times our protest to governing authorities, but we have been careful to do so in a way that builds trust and helpful communication. We view compliance to governing authorities as a strong platform from which we can speak our concerns, protests, and encouragements. We believe that complying with the regulations is not a cowardly desertion of our calling, but instead reflects the path of wisdom and influence. Beginning in late 2020 we have engaged and communicated with civic leaders, the police, Hamilton Health Services, MPP's, MP’s, our Premier, and Prime Minister. By God’s grace, the concerns that we and other churches across the province have expressed have been heard and positive changes have been made. A most recent example of this was the announcement from our premier that during Step One of the province’s re-opening plan, churches and other places of worship will be able to meet indoors at 15% capacity. This was not included in the original Step One Plans.

The Focus of our Church

COVID and our government’s response to it have generated a wide divergence of opinion, division, and uncharitable communication within the Christian community. Lost in all of this is a consideration of our witness to governing authorities and concerned communities across Ontario and Canada. Focusing on rights and disobeying government regulations has divided churches, harmed the fellowship of God’s people, produced a fighting spirit, and derailed the church in Canada from its mission. As a church, it is important that we be seen to care about the health and welfare of our communities. We want to make it clear to a watching world that we are not just concerned with defending our rights, but that we are willing to lay down our rights for the sake of others. 

We believe that the present COVID crisis and the extraordinary regulations enacted by our government to see the crisis eliminated do not at this time provide a warrant for us to not be compliant. We believe that non-compliance at this point would be disrespectful to our frontline workers, to the vulnerable, to those who are currently ill, to those who have suffered from COVID and lost loved ones and friends because of it. We believe non-compliance would be harmful to our church’s witness. Our position is summarized well in the words of one of our Elders who said, “I want West Highland to be known as the church that believes in the Bible, the church that preaches about Jesus, not the church which doesn’t obey the law or doesn’t care about other people’s health.”

Our major concern during COVID has been to help God’s people through Word-based ministry and prayer so that we will understand and accept God’s sovereignty in the circumstances COVID has placed upon us knowing that this too is part of God’s purpose for us as his people. In short, through our church’s preaching and teaching ministry, we have focused our energies on doing something similar to what Jeremiah did when he wrote to the exiles in the 29th chapter of his prophecy. Our focus has been on helping us accept our circumstances and doing all we can to contribute toward the well-being of our neighbours because we know that God has a future for us that is filled with hope. Our continual call to the church is that we must stay on mission. 

The Future of the Church 

The pastors and churches that have engaged in civil disobedience during the COVID crisis have done so because they believe the provincial government has violated our rights to worship as articulated in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In section 1 of the Charter there is the “reasonable limits clause” which allows the government to temporarily set aside some rights under limited conditions such as a state of emergency. While we accept that because of public health concerns the government was lawful in its actions to prohibit and regulate the percentages of people who could gather for public worship, we are concerned that these actions have been precedent-setting and could have negative ramifications in the future.

The COVID crisis government actions and inactions have revealed to us that religion is not always seen by governing authorities as essential. This is alarming and as Christians we must be vigilant when religious liberties are treated lightly or are at stake. During COVID we have felt the same kinds of pressures and restrictions that believers experience in other countries where religious freedoms are limited or do not exist. Having to adapt to “doing church” in new ways may well be God’s gracious providence to prepare us for a new reality in the future. In the meantime, we will be diligent in reminding our governments that it is their responsibility to “guarantee the religious liberty of all persons of any religion.”

The Pastors and Elders of West Highland Baptist Church

June 2021