The Gospel Coalition: Anti-Masking is Not a ‘Conscience Issue’ but Instead is Sinful ‘Civil Disobedience’
The Gospel Coalition, which is about three months away from saying that “mandatory vaccines are a gospel issue” and refusing to get injected is sinful, has continued their progressive little trajectory in a timely manner. First they said that everyone should listen to the government and close their churches, then they said people should stop singing in Church. Now they’re saying that people who won’t wear masks are engaging in sinful disobedience and that the decision to refuse to wear one is not and cannot be a legitimate “issue of conscience.” This is the thesis of Erik Raymond’s post, where he writes:
I do not believe that conscience is a valid reason for refusing to wear a mask to church. Christians should save the conscience for conscience issues. Instead, call this what it is: civil disobedience.
The article argues that refusing to do something out of conscience cannot trump scripture. He notes three objections that Christians make as to why they cannot or will not wear masks:
- A scientific objection: masks are ineffective
- A political objection: masks represent unjustified government restrictions
- A moral objection: masks represent a false narrative (i.e., the seriousness of COVID is overblown and to wear a mask is tantamount to lying)
and then surmises that because the wearing of a mask is not in and of itself a moral issue – “A person is not sinning if they wear a mask. It’s not a sin to be a dental hygienist, welder, or scuba diver.” None of those really matter in light of our command to submit to government authorities.
He says in a context where masks are legally required for the church’s public gathering, then we obey. If the government dictates that we wear masks to church, we wear masks to church. If they specified the color of masks we have to wear, we’d have to submit to that too. Disobeying the governing authorities is sinful, and we don’t have the right to violate clear commandments of the bible for the sake of our conscience.
There are more arguments than that, of course. He notes that some other scenarios cause “disobedience to the clear teaching of Scripture.”
Love for Neighbor (Matt. 22:39): In our churches, there are various levels of concern about COVID-19. Some have lost friends and family members to the virus. For many, wearing a mask is one reasonable way to love other people and protect them. It would be unloving to minimize or ignore their concerns, especially in light of the evolving data and heightened case numbers. Christian love requires a willingness to follow Jesus and set ourselves aside. Christians should be eager to do this.
Wisdom Toward Outsiders (Col. 4:5): It is saddening to read of some churches who disregard safety standards and then become super-spreaders for the virus. This harms the testimony of the church in the community. Christians should be concerned with reasonable efforts to preserve and promote the gospel. At this moment, failing to wear a mask doesn’t seem wise.
At one point in the article Raymond says, “if the elders believe it is right to submit to the government by wearing a mask, then there is not a provision for the conscience to disregard them.”
Yet if the elders say that you don’t have to wear a mask in their church service, whether that be John MacArthur of Grace Community Church, or JD Hall at Fellowship Baptist Church, ostensibly those pastors are sinning with that dispensation and they ought to be disregarded and not submitted to, and a mask worn anyway.
Finally, that last point about wisdom towards outsiders is a telling one. If refusing to wear a mask is not loving and does not promote the gospel, but submitting to govenment authorities and wearing one does, then by nature mask-wearing is a “gospel issue.”
Of course, we would love to see Raymond do this with other stuff. Mandatory Vaccines? The same article would apply. Christians told by the government to wear certain vestments, such as an armband denote their faith? The same article would apply. Christians told by the government that they may not own guns due to their faith? The same article would apply. Pick your poison. So long as the command to do a thing is not in and of itself technically “a moral issue” (it is not a sin to wear armbands, it is not a sin not to own a gun), then failing to comply with the government’s mandate that you do that thing is.
Refusing to wear a mask? Civil disobedience. Sinful. Not a conscience issue. A betrayal of the Gospel.
Hurry up with that article about mandatory vaccines being a gospel issue that we don’t have the freedom to refuse, TGC. We’re about ready for it at this point.
About Author
Pro Masking in the name of covid 19 and it’s satanic leaders is a satanic reason. It’s proven fact that cloth will not protect you from getting a virus. Virus nano-particles can enter your mouth and nose with 97% penetration through cloth and they can also enter though the pores of your skin and eyes. Virus particles can also float in the air up to 28ft, so that rules out 3-6ft of social distancing. This isn’t about a virus, it’s about social conditioning and is a government power grab so they can usher in the satanic new world order.
Stop listening your left wing government, health officials and media. Most of them are demon possessed and lying to you. Many of the right wingers are liars as well as they lean left. Read your KJV Bible or a comparable Bible every day. Most new Bible’s were changed by the false Catholic church. Most modern worship is worldly and doesn’t honor the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is coming soon! Are you ready? Salvation is only found in believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Vaccinations? Here you go: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/12/73110/. It is an “obligation.”
“If by being vaccinated we can protect others from illness, then we have a corresponding obligation, given our Lord’s command to love neighbors, to be vaccinated.”
I wonder how many Christians realize getting vaccinated also means supporting abortions. A bit of a moral/ethical dilemma, wouldn’t you say?
cogforlife.org is a solid site for info.
What I want to know is why so many politicians, including the governor of California, the mayor of Austin Texas, the mayor of San Francisco and others have all brazenly disregarded their own Edex concerning mask wearing and social distancing while dining such as in two cases at a very expensive restaurant in Napa Valley in Northern California recently?
Of course, when they were caught on film doing this, they made up a lame excuses, but the bottom line is the oppression of the oppressive rules are for the little people and not for the elite. There’s only one of two choices here: and that is that they’re blatantly reckless I don’t care about the health of their friends and family who they were dining with or they know it’s a hoax and COVID-19 is nowhere near as prevalent as his promulgated in the media.
Another thing I’ve noticed as I am out and about is how mothers don’t put their newborns or infants in a mask, but it seems as soon as those kids can walk, they are masked up and it looks like the poor kids can’t breathe but are being taught to submit just like we all are. Frankly, I have yet to see a woman who can think independently and not have a mascon or at least have it lowered mask on or at least have it lowered on her chin while they’re in the store to enable breathing. Naturally, I wouldn’t want them to put a mask on their newborn or infant because of how harmful it would be, but then why isn’t it still is harmful for the child when they are a little older just like it is for the rest of us.
The politicians are really telling us that this was all about politics and getting rid of Trump at any cost, which they really didn’t do, as they had blatantly cheated and changed the rules for voter registration and when votes could be counted. Of course, the Republicans rolled over and played dead and weren’t prepared to deal with it until after the fact and now it’ll be too late.
I guarantee you no state legislature or supreme court justice is going to want to risk the lives of their children or grandchildren, which Antifa and BLM will surely threaten to kill if they haven’t already. Republicans may as well not even bother running for president anymore as why would the Democrats not pull the same stunt over and over again?
Sounds like liberals have infiltrated denominations like pro LGBT and kissing up to gov. mandates even tho’ the gov. is corrupt. 501c3 churches are gov. controlled as well as other groups under 501c3. They are told the rules and preaching guidelines, and don’t want their tax ex. pulled y gov. for hate speech or preaching old fashioned Biblical truths. Many have dropped out of churches in recent years as churches split and bicker about liberal agendas vs Bible truths. As for vaccines anyone has the right to refuse any medical treatments. Some are having home church since they are not interested in a social club with shallow sermons.
You have not cited scriptures for your view. I am interested in this argument according to scripture. I do not want to get the covid vaccine because I cannot find peace in either side of this argument.