Tim Hurd of BTWN Interviews Pastor James Coates: Questions Timestamped

Friend of the ministry Tim Hurd of the Bible Thumping Wingnut had a chance to interview Pastor James Coates on the weekend, asking him a host of questions that were submitted by listeners and supporters. Here is the full interview, with timestamped questions below.

1:32 When did you go to the Masters’s seminary and when did you become Pastor of the Church?

2:37 When did God save you?

3:52 How do you get locked out of your Church when Covid-19 isn’t that bad in Alberta?

6:39 What time do you think the Police showed up to put the fence up around your church facility?

8:28 What would happen if you didn’t decide to meet secretly, but showed up to the church anyway and had your sermon publicly there?

10:43 What did you think when you saw the fence being taken down by protesters?

13:23 How do you decide when to obey or disobey the government?

15:56 How would you respond to other pastors and brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with your stance? Those who are saying ‘we can still worship in Alberta’ and ‘they are not being persecuted.’

18:51 Have you seen spiritual growth among your congregation and in the leadership of the church because of this?

22:55: What do you think is going to happen with all this. Will your worship team be arrested next week, might you be imprisoned again? What do you think the future hods?

27:15 While you were in prison, were you ever tempted to give in and sign the condition statement? How hard was it not to?

28:57 One day you heard you were being let out. How did that come about and what changed their mind?

32:59 Did you watch the interviewers Erin did while you were in prison? What did you think of her doing the interviews and the thing she was saying? What about the critique that it should have been the elders giving the statement.

36:01 Thoughts on some mosques showing full parking lots, and whether or not there is a double standard.

39:39 Did you preach the gospel to other inmates in prison? What about the rumor you couldn’t have a bible?

… so you know would I’d walk by doors to connect with another inmate and on the way, there’d be guys banging on the cell door and getting me to pray for them. And so I had tons of opportunity to share the gospel with the inmates. Not so much with the guards because they’re kept quite a bit removed from you, but let me just tell you this story just to kind of show you the relationship that I had with these guys.

On my final moment basically, as I’m leaving the cell- everyone knows when you’re leaving- and there was lots of visibility around my leaving because I had a court case, a court hearing and then the radio station was announcing my release and so everyone was almost waiting and looking for me to be released. And everyone in the cell can see the exit door and the exit entrance from their cell, and so as I was about to leave and I’m getting to that door, the cell doors are banging.

And there would have been, you know, 30 plus cells with in some cases 2 guys in each cell, so you know 50 to 70 guys. And so I turned around and I waved and the place just shook. I mean it was a moment. And I looked over at the guards to just say ‘see you guys’ and ‘appreciate you and I could see that they were impacted by it. I mean like this was unusual that this would this kind of response would take place as I left, and that the chaplain was there for that moment to witness it and he emailed me after the fact and just said ‘I’ll never forget that moment’. It was just a moment where they were expressing support respect affection for me, and it was a sweet, sweet moment.

45:02 How can people pray for you? How can people help?

48:03 Asking about a message he gave where James describes how ministry and fellowship within a church must take place face-to face.

52:33 In what Ways has John Macarthur reached out to you?

54:32 What scriptures have strengthened you and encouraged you during this time of difficulty with the government?

57:46 How have your church numbers been? How has attendance been impacted by this?

1:00:16 Thoughts on Government taking your building/ has this happened in Canada before?