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An evangelical church is planning to defy closure restrictions by holding a public service, including a baptism.
Pastor Regan King of Angel Church in North London said he believed the ban on group worship was illegal and that the church would “fight any challenge against us.”
“Our priority is our fear of God … We serve a higher law,” he told BBC Radio 4. “The fact that something is the law does not make it right.”
The current restrictions, which are designed to prevent the exponential rise of the coronavirus across the country, were discriminatory, he added. “You can go to a garden center, normal stores. We believe that the church is essential in its role … and that is why we remain open. “
King said the church was complying with the government’s guidance. When churches were allowed to reopen for worship in the summer, congregations were forced to socially distance themselves and wear face covers.
When asked how he would feel if someone who attended this Sunday’s service became ill or died, King said: “It would be a tragedy. But remember that death is something that comes to everyone. We have developed, I think, a true security idol, we take risks on a daily basis. We have to accept the tragedy of death … we aim for hope beyond death ”.
King is among 122 church leaders who have launched a legal challenge against the ban on communal worship in England.
They claim that worship has been “criminalized” and the ban has “inflicted a terrible human cost” on congregations for whom collective worship is a central element of their religious life. The ban, they argue, violates article 9 of the European human rights convention, which protects the right to freedom of religion.
The ban on public worship has also been questioned by the leaders of the Church of England, the Catholic Church and Orthodox Judaism, along with Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Pentecostal representatives.
They wrote a joint letter to Boris Johnson earlier this month saying “there was no scientific justification for the total suspension of public worship.” Despite their arguments against the ban, most religious leaders urge their followers to comply with the restrictions.
