Tim Stephens, the baptist pastor in Alberta, Canada
who was arrested for continuing to gather with his
congregation to worship God, was released from jail
on July 1st. But before he was released, he wrote a
letter to the Alberta Premier and MLAs from his jail
cell. A Premier in Canada is roughly analogous to a
state governor here in the U.S. while an MLA
(member of the legislative assembly) is a
representative in a provincial legislature roughly
analogous to the members of the state legislative body
(TN House of Representatives) in one of our U.S.
States. The letter can be read at
www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/letter-june23 and it is a
commendable read. In the letter, Pastor Stephens
does an admirable job of balancing the Christian’s
call to obey the civil magistrate, and to obey God.
Here’s a sample:
“For example, I’m commanded by Jesus, who died to make me his own, to practice hospitality. In fact, as a pastor, this must be a defining mark of my life. Hospitality is the practice of welcoming guests into your home. A practice forbidden by your government for 6 months. When forced to choose between obeying God and obeying men, the choice is clear.”
The entire letter is a recommended read, and is not all that long. But it is worth reading as a faithful man of God calls to repentance those who would insert themselves between man and what God has called man to do. May we be found as faithful.