The 3 - July 19, 2020

This week on The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there are developments concerning a ban on singing in churches in California, where indoor worship services have been prohibited for around 8-out-of-10 residents of the state.  Plus, members of the U.S. Navy, as the result of a recent order, can not participate in indoor worship services.  And, two states recently have experienced rulings against pro-life "heartbeat" bills.

California singing ban challenged, governor enacts more restrictions

There was certainly consternation at the announcement by California health officials that singing and chanting in public settings was no longer allowed.  The law firm, Tyler and Bursch, in association with other organizations, including the American Center for Law and Justice, has challenged the edict in court, requesting, according to a press release by the law firm, "...a restraining order and injunctive relief based on the First and Fourteenth Amendments," adding, "Our clients would like to see a quick resolution, with the governor and health officers changing or modifying this wording."

The firm notes:

Since the initiation of the lockdown, restrictive mandates in the state’s health orders have been applied to houses of worship unfairly and much more aggressively than other businesses arbitrarily deemed essential, including restaurants and other gatherings. In fact, once they are allowed to reopen, this current state order does not ban singing or chanting in dine-in restaurants/bars/wineries, casinos, family entertainment centers, day camps, hotels, shopping malls, childcare centers, schools, or music, tv and film production.

In some counties of the state, indoor worship has been prohibited - this was not challenged in the lawsuit against singing, because the plaintiffs were not in counties where this was put into effect.

But, the Sacramento Bee reports on Governor Newsom's July 13 order, stating:

The order restricting indoor worship services applies to any county on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list. On Monday, Newsom said that encompasses 80 percent of Californians.

Jonathan Keller, president of the conservative California Family Council, said Newsom’s order shows that the governor “trusts big box stores like Costco and Target more than churches and synagogues.”

In a statement, Keller said, “Coupled with last week’s ban on singing during worship services, people of faith are increasingly alarmed by Sacramento’s disregard of their constitutional rights. We have to ask ourselves: where do we draw the line?”  The article reported on some churches' disappointment in this new order.

U.S. Navy allows indoor worship

In the Faith Radio broadcast area, worship services have been allowed on Maxwell Air Force Base and at Fort Rucker for several weeks.  But, because of early concerns about outbreaks on certain U.S. Navy vessels early on in the coronavirus pandemic, Navy members were apparently not being allowed to take part in indoor worship services, according to a Daily Caller article, which said:

A memo issued July 7 by the acting assistant Secretary of Defense for the U.S. Navy sought “clarification” of earlier orders prohibiting service members from attending “indoor religious services.”

The article also states:

The follow-up memo states in part that “nothing” in the original orders “should be construed to restrict attendance at places of worship where attendees are able to appropriately apply COVID-19 transmission mitigation measures, specifically social distancing and use of face covering.”

Some Christian organizations had challenged the initial order, so that indoor worship would be allowed, prior to this new language.

Federal judges block GA, TN pro-life "heartbeat" bills

As you are probably aware, a number of states have passed bills that would ban abortion after a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child, which could be "as early as six weeks of gestation," according to a report at the WORLD Magazine website, which reported on recent decisions by Federal judges who have ruled against "heartbeat" legislation in two states.

The article says that, in the case of a Georgia law, "U.S. District Judge Steve Jones on Monday permanently ruled the state’s 2019 “heartbeat” law unconstitutional after the American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of pro-abortion advocates and abortion providers." And, in Tennessee, "U.S. District Judge William Campbell on Monday issued a temporary restraining order on similar protections for unborn babies in Tennessee, just hours after Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law."  Keep in mind this is temporary; and a hearing is scheduled for July 24.

WORLD reports that eight states passed "heartbeat" bills in 2019 and all eight have been blocked by court action.