'Forcing churches to close sets a dangerous precedent for government overreach'

As we await judgment in the Scottish judicial review into church closure, Rev. Dr William Philip, one of the pastors supporting the legal challenge, spoke to RT News UK about why this legal challenge is so important.

“In a panic and in a crisis, that can lead governments to act against the law,” he said. “If that’s left unchallenged, that does set a dangerous precedent. Good intentions aren’t enough; governments do have to be held to account when they overreach. Although churches are supposed to open in a few weeks, there’s no guarantee that they will or that they won’t be asked to close again.”

When asked why churches should be allowed to open before other outlets, such as gyms, he responded: “The difference is that there is no fundamental protection for simple past times in the convention of human rights in the way that there is for worship. It’s a matter of priority … We [churches] have a message of hope and salvation; we are talking about eternal life. We’ve actually been living through a pandemic of fear, and it’s only the gospel of Jesus Christ that can dispel fear. The whole country needs to hear the churches proclaiming that loudly.”