Police have charged another pastor with defying public orders against large gatherings, making him the second pastor in two days. This pastor defied orders by holding church services that included hundreds of members. And despite the charges, he vowed the church doors will still be open this coming Sunday.
According to CNN, on Tuesday, Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church was slapped with a misdemeanor summons for six counts of violating the governor’s executive order prohibiting large gatherings amid the coronavirus.
Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran said in a statement, “Instead of showing the strength and resilience of our community during this difficult time, Mr. Spell has chosen to embarrass us for his own self-promotion.”
The defiant pastor explained to CNN that opening his church is no more of a risk than the people still shopping at grocery stores.
When explicitly asked why he will not follow the governor’s mandate, he said, “We have a mandate from the word of the Lord to assemble together. The first amendment says that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the exercise of religion.”
