Pastor Arthur Hodges of South Bay Pentecostal church in San Diego, California spoke out against the latest church closures imposed by state authorities.
The California Department of Health indefinitely suspended all indoor church gatherings this week in an effort to curb the recent spike of coronavirus cases in the state.
“Well, they are not shutting us down,” Hodges defiantly told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” guest host Brian Kilmeade on Thursday. “We are continuing. The church is alive and well.”
“Are you refusing to be shut down?” Kilmeade asked.
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“You know, the church has never shut down,” Hodges said, adding that he and other leaders “are looking at all of our options right now.”
“There are over 10,000 churches in California and basically we have gotten to the point where we’re saying ‘enough is enough.’ We have complied, we have accomplished the goal. We were told in the middle of March the goal was to flatten the curve and to not overwhelm hospitals. Well, guess what? In San Diego County we flattened the curve in three weeks, and after four weeks the curve is headed downward and hospitals are underwhelmed. We’ve done our part,” Hodges continued.
“Churches are not part of the problem,” he continued. “They are part of the solution and while hospitals are treating people with this medical condition, which is needful, the other parts of people’s wellbeing are completely left out. Their spiritual well-being and mental well-being, emotional well-being. The church will not be marginalized any longer. The church is here to help our society heal.” (RELATED: Rand Paul: ‘Let’s Open The Economy, Open The Schools’)
Hodges explained the progress of an ongoing lawsuit against the state filed in May during the original lockdown. “We are now back before the Ninth Circuit and amending some of our original filings at the district court, he said.
Insisting that the recent coronavirus spike “is not being caused by churches,” Hodges explained how his church’s safety procedures make it “the safest place to be in town.”