![]() ![]() It usually arises when someone asked whether it is ever justifiable to lie. Keith Mathison: “It is not uncommon for people to bring up the story of the Hebrew midwives when the topic of lying is raised. ![]() But authorities repeatedly flagged the church for not capping attendance at 15 percent of capacity, requiring masks, or social distancing, as required by health regulations in Alberta.” (Also see this article from TGC Canada: What You Need to Know about the Arrest of Pastor James Coates.) Did God Praise the Hebrew Midwives for Lying? GraceLife Church in Edmonton, after shifting to livestream for the first few months of pandemic, resumed worship over the summer and has met every Sunday ‘without incident,’ it says. “The case of GraceLife Church pastor James Coates has reignited a religious freedom debate over worship gatherings during government lockdowns. Here is CT’s coverage of the arrest of pastor James Coates in Edmonton, Alberta. This article discusses one of England’s amusing little quirks: the “ha-ha.” Canadian Pastor Jailed Over COVID-19 Violations The values that undergird your church, your children’s school, and, yes, even your preferred social media platform affect your life.” Does God Predestine People to Hell? (Video) “Values matter, and not just our own but also those people and institutions with whom we interact. (Yesterday on the blog: There Is Only Ever Today) 3 Values That Drive Social Media Today’s Kindle deals include a few well-priced classics along with a volume from the NSBT series and some books on the cross of Christ. He told worshippers that governments exist as instruments of God and there should be unfettered freedom of worship.Sponsor Show Your Support Become a Patron Last week, the church itself was charged.Ĭoates had been addressing the province's health restrictions in his sermons. GraceLife has continued to hold weekend services while Coates has been in jail. "We look forward to appearing in court in May and demanding the government provide evidence that public health restrictions that violate the freedoms of religion, peaceful assembly, expression and association are scientific and are justifiable in a free and democratic country." "The condition that Pastor Coates effectively stop doing his job as a pastor by adhering to unscientific and unconstitutional public health restrictions should never have been imposed on him by the RCMP, or by the court," Justice Centre president John Carpay said in a news release Wednesday. The judge ruled that Coates remain behind bars until his trial in May. In early March, his lawyers appealed with the argument that it would go against the pastor's conscience before God not to lead worshippers.Ī public health prosecutor argued that the pastor's release would be a danger to the public. ![]() And now that charge has been withdrawn and we think that's correct," Cameron said.Īfter he was charged, Coates was jailed when he continued to hold services in defiance of a bail order not to do so. "Instead he was released on not a valid undertaking because he never gave one. 7 and imposed a condition on the pastor that he only hold church services that followed public-health orders.Ĭoates refused to follow the condition, said Cameron, who added the RCMP should have taken the pastor before a justice of the peace but instead left the church. Jay Cameron, a lawyer with the Justice Center, said two RCMP officers met with Coates after a service Feb. Prosecutors did not immediately return messages seeking comment.Ĭoates, who preaches at GraceLife Church west of Edmonton, has been in jail for a month for allegedly holding services that violated public health rules on the size of gatherings. Update: James Coates, the Alberta pastor who has been jailed for violating public health orders, will appear in Stony Plain court on March 22, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Provincial Court of Alberta.Ī group that supports an Alberta pastor jailed after being charged with violating COVID-19 public health orders says it expects him to be released in the coming days.Ĭrown prosecutors have dropped all but one charge against James Coates and have agreed to his release without bail conditions, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said Wednesday. ![]()
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