An Open Letter to Governor Newsom, Mayor Sam Liccardo, and Sara Cody, with a preamble that explains our reasoning...

When the initial order came to shelter in doors came, we as a faith community honored that request because of what the Apostles Paul and Peter wrote in God’s Word in Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2: 13-17. We obeyed and “honored the king” because we wanted to shepherd the flock of God among us, as elders (1 Peter 5:1-4). These passages provided a tension with Hebrews 10:24-25, the command not to forsake the assembling together for worship.

Santa Clara County took the lead in enacting protective measures, seemingly getting the spread of COVID-19 under control. Of course, some wondered if it was more the tech giants who accomplished this because they sent their employees home and encouraged their safety. Regardless, churches are filled with vulnerable populations and all the modeling and ‘science’ suggested that this was best for our people. To that end we improvised online services, shopping for groceries for seniors, et al. As elders, we are grateful for how all of you stepped up.

However, as time passed it became increasingly clearer that the modeling and science were… well… not so scientific after all. Countries like Denmark are open for business… one might say… the state of Florida has been opened but cautious for about 3 weeks, Georgia and South Carolina have followed. The “Central Valley Counties” slower than Santa Clara to close have begun reopening. Santa Clara County lags well behind. Something like 1200 churches in Southern California opened on May 31st, some right here in San Jose. Entrepreneur Elon Musk reopened his Tesla factory in defiance of government policy. Still, we sought to stick to the text of Scripture.

Sadly, George Floyd was brutally and unjustly killed (some would say murdered) during his arrest. Protests and riots followed. City, county, state, and other local governments around the country accommodated the desire to protest. Protesters did not observe social distancing and neither did the criminals who robbed, looted, and assaulted people. We have been asked to limit outside worship services to 25 people. It has been suggested we may reopen for worship with 25% of building capacity or 100 persons, which ever is less. Our building is rated for 1,000 people. Twenty five percent of that figure is 250 but we are limited to 100… based on what? It has becoming increasingly clearer over time that well-intended government officials are creating policy that seems more and more subjective. Meanwhile, “essential” businesses and services are opening…

Consequently, seeing as the government is selectively enforcing its own laws while allowing some to break them, we find ourselves (biblically) in a position where “the king” no longer honors the rule of law. Our desire to honor God via Hebrews 10:24-25 gains ascendence in the tension with the other passages. Blindly clinging to Romans 13 is not a tenable position. Therefore, yesterday, this letter was sent to the governor, the mayor, the Santa Clara Health Officer, and various councilmen and state senators. We ask that you prayerfully consider in adding to this letter by responsibly writing and communicating as individual citizens. The letter is an open letter sent to media and politicians alike. I will provide email addresses at the bottom of this page, after a copy of the letter.

June 8, 2020

Delivered via FedEx and Email

Governor Gavin Newsom          Mayor Sam Liccardo                  Dr. Sara Cody, County Public Health

1303  10th Street, Ste 1173        200 E. Santa Clara Street          976 Lenzen Avenue

Sacramento, CA  95814            San Jose, CA  95113                 San Jose, CA  95126

 Your Honors,

It grieves me to be writing concerning events surrounding the unjust killing (some would say murder) of George Floyd in the Twin Cities. Atrocities of this nature tend to have a global effect beyond their localities. Events such as these have collateral effects. This is one such case.

I am writing to you on behalf of houses of worship, including my own, to do the right, wise, and logical thing in the face of recent developments. What do I mean? Due to circumstances beyond your control, the protest gatherings and riots in California, San Jose, and across the nation have nullified the efficacy of the various COVID-19 countermeasures presently in force. I suppose it is not your fault. It is the result of the situation on the ground. One has to admit that due to circumstances beyond your control, your policies are rendered ineffective and ineffectual. They are irretrievably compromised.

Neither the legitimate protesters nor the rioters are observing social distancing, nor are they taking countermeasures to assure their safety and the safety of others from infection. The communities to which they will return will be effectively compromised. Regardless of the goodwill and best intentions of governments, the reality is that the proverbial horse is out of the barn (or the birds have left the nest), and you cannot return or recover them. Since it would have been impossible to enforce these restrictions on the protesters and rioters it is no one's fault. It is merely the situation on the ground (call it prevailing environmental circumstances). Even before the protests and riots, boredom and societal fatigue have progressively worked against the strict observance of public health policies. Things will only get worse as the summer progresses. I think you have to acknowledge this reality.

Attempting to ratchet these policies back up would be unwise and maybe even impossible.  To continue to impose these measures on gatherings of law-abiding worshippers in light of the protests would appear (and would be) selective, discriminatory, and unethical. I realize it’s difficult to hold those crowds to the standard, but now—by default—you will find yourself in the unenviable position of singling out churches like mine (and other houses of worship) when (by default) other mass gatherings are tolerated. That is bad policy indeed, not to mention terrible optics.

California is facing a long hot summer and will need all the help it can get. Communities around the country, the state, Santa Clara County, and San Jose need the ‘services’ of houses of worship and similar aid groups. We provide essential emotional, psychological, and spiritual grounding to people, many of whom are pent up, or in distress.  Last Sunday (May 31st), many churches ignored the ban. We did not. Now there seems no longer any credible reason to wait.

 Do yourself and your constituents a service. Remove the restrictions on houses of worship and trust us to do what other essential groups have done—govern ourselves responsibly. Don’t make a difficult situation worse—lift the ban by July 1, 2020. Again, circumstances have rendered these restrictions unenforceable, and these crowds have irretrievably compromised and crippled the efficacy of your efforts. We hope to reopen on July 12, 2020. We hope to do so with your support and blessing.

Respectfully,

 Keith Crosby

Lead Pastor

 cc:   Senator Jim Beall

        Vice Mayor Chappie Jones

        City Manager Dave Sykes

        Councilmember Dev Davis

        Councilmember Maya Esparza

        County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez

        State Assembly Member Ash Kalra

        State Assembly Member Candidate Alex Lee

        Mercury News Editor Neil Chase

        Mercury News Opinion Editor Ed Clendaniel

        Mercury News Managing Editor Bert Robinson

        Mercury News Managing Editor Randall Keith

        San Jose Insider News Editor Jennifer Wadsworth

Here is a community activist group in opposition to endlessly sheltering in place: https://savesantaclaracounty.com/

Here are emails of various politicians—please be courteous:

City CouncilsCity Council Cupertinocitycouncil@cupertino.org

city council palo altocity.council@cityofpaloalto.org

CC los altoscouncil@losaltosca.gov

CC san jose

+ personally to Liccardo and Dev Davis

mayoremail@sanjoseca.gov, District1@sanjoseca.gov, District2@sanjoseca.gov ,District3@sanjoseca.gov, District4@sanjoseca.gov, District5@sanjoseca.gov, District6@sanjoseca.gov, District7@sanjoseca.gov, District8@sanjoseca.gov, District9@sanjoseca.gov, District10@sanjoseca.gov

CC los gatos

council@losgatosca.gov

CCmilpitas

rtran@ci.milpitas.ca.gov, kdominguez@ci.milpitas.ca.gov, cmontano@ci.milpitas.ca.gov, aphan@ci.milpitas.ca.gov, bnunez@ci.milpitas.ca.gov

CC mountain viewcitycouncil@mountainview.gov

CCcampbell

susanl@campbellca.gov, lizg@campbellca.gov, paulr@cityofcampbell.com, anneb@cityofcampbell.com, richw@campbellca.gov

CC GilroyAllCouncilMembers@ci.gilroy.ca.us

CCSunnyvale

kleincouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov, smithcouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov, larssoncouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov, hendrickscouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov, meltoncouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov, goldmancouncil@sunnyvale.ca.gov

CC Santa Clara

mayorandcouncil@santaclaraca.gov

CC Morgan Hill

rich.constantine@morganhill.ca.gov, larry.carr@morganhill.ca.gov, yvonne.martinezbeltran@morganhill.ca.gov, rene.spring@morganhill.ca.gov, john.mckay@morganhill.ca.gov

CC Saratoga

hmiller@saratoga.ca.us, mlbernald@saratoga.ca.us, rkumar@saratoga.ca.us, mcappello@saratoga.ca.us, yzhao@saratoga.ca.us

Making Sense of the Times in which We Live

I am not in the habit of doing this. However, when someone says it better than I can, they deserve both the space and the credit. Below is an article from theologian and church historian Tom Ascol on the current state of affairs we are experiencing in the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd. Ascol is spot on. You can find the original article here.

God’s Word in Godless Times, or the Appearance of Godliness in Signaling Virtue

TOM ASCOL

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

—2 Timothy 3:1-7

Read those seven verses of God’s words again. Slowly. Now go check your twitter feed or simply do a social media search for #GeorgeFloyd, #GeorgeFloydProtests, and #GeorgeFloydRiots. Paul is talking about America in 2020. Just as he was talking about Ephesus in the late AD 60s as well as about other times and places between then and now. He is speaking of recurring “times of difficulty”—perilous times; what he elsewhere describes as “the evil day” (Ephesians 6:13).

Godlessness in society does not stay there but seeps into the church wreaking havoc among the people of God.

Such seasons will be characterized by severe problems in society as “people” (v. 2) in general will give themselves over to the types of wickedness Paul catalogues in verses 2-4. Such wickedness is characterized by selfishness (“lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant”) and lawlessness (“abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”).

That is bad enough. What is worse, however, is that godlessness in society does not stay there but seeps into the church wreaking havoc among the people of God. The most unsettling part of what Paul says is coming is his description of how professing Christians will act. They will be “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (v. 5).

Paul further describes these people within the church in verse 7—they will be unteachable, “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” Even more to the point, he warns in chapter 4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth” and will “wander off into myths” (vv. 3-4).

I am convinced that America is living in a peculiarly “evil day,” in “times of difficulty” of which Paul writes. The asphyxiation of George Floyd as he begged for mercy from Officer Derek Chauvin who, ignoring his pleas, slowly snuffed the life from his handcuffed body is an example of this. When a civil authority mercilessly ends the life of a person he is charged to serve and protect, the evil of his abusive, heartless, and brutal action is compounded.

The outbreak of lawlessness in the wake of George Floyd’s death is also evil. Mayhem, brutal attacks, destruction of people’s livelihood, intimidation, violence, and murder have marked the protests of the last week. Attacks on police officers, breaking into private homes, looting, stealing, and blatantly breaking just laws have become almost commonplace.

True godliness unashamedly declares what God has said and it does so not just when it is safe but even when that message might cost your life.

Such lawlessness in our society is tragic. But what is worse is the failure and even complicity of so many Christians in the face of it. In their responses they have, as Paul puts it, an appearance of godliness that denies its power (v. 3:5). True godliness unashamedly declares what God has said and it does so not just when it is safe but even when that message might cost your life. It is taking God at His Word regardless of cost or consequence and speaking that Word with confidence in its power. Thus, John the Baptist didn’t merely preach repentance in the wilderness, he also applied God’s Word to Herod that by telling him that he could not lawfully have his brother’s wife (Matthew 14:1-12).

The mere “appearance of godliness,” by contrast, is willing to say what God says when it isn’t costly. If doing so actually elevates you in the eyes of the curators of the prevailing cultural narrative, then more’s the better. It is what today is commonly called, virtue signaling. That is what a person does when he would rather be perceived as virtuous and applauded by the modern arbiters of “virtue” than actually be virtuous and risk being canceled as a result.

It’s sort of like the German Landeskirchen preaching on submission to governmental authorities in Nazi Germany. No one got arrested for that. But it was a failure of nerve, or rather, a denying of the power of godliness, that kept most German Protestants from speaking against the anti-Semitic butchery in 1941. It is easy to go with religion when she walks in silver slippers.

The prevalence of an apparent but impotent godliness is being widely and prominently paraded today. That is why you have seen such bold, articulate outcries against the lawlessness of Derek Chauvin but only reluctant, comparatively muted responses to the lawlessness of the violent mobs that have terrorized cities and communities across the nation in the days since. That is why demands for justice are readily applied to the former but only hesitantly—if at all—to the latter. That is why you saw so many evangelicals following the crowd in #BlackoutTuesday on their social media feeds, some even sporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) hashtag for extra virtue points. Never mind that the BLM organization and movement intentionally promote godlessness in their stated goals and focus.

That is why you know the names of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd but not the names of David Dorn, Shay Mikalonis or Italia Kelly. From all indications each of them unjustly suffered violent deaths (although at this point Shay is being sustained on life-support) but only the first three serve the destructive agendas of those who want to rip apart the fabric of our civil society. True godliness is willing to apply the standard of God’s Word to each of these cases. Apparent godliness will stop at the first three because to speak further is to invite the vitriol of the mob and, well, who has the power to withstand that?

It is the holy Scripture that God breathed out to be our authoritative, sufficient guide for life and godliness.

So, what are Christians who fear God more than people to do in such godless, evil days? We are to do exactly what Paul tells Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 3:14-15 and 4:1-5. First, continue in the Word, and second, preach the Word.

It is the Holy Scripture that God breathed out to be our authoritative, sufficient guide for life and godliness. It alone is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (vv. 3:16-17). Such a man—especially pastors—must, like Timothy, preach that Word at all times with authority and conviction. That is what Paul means when he writes, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (v. 4:2).

This is to be done even when people don’t want to hear it; when they “will not endure sound teaching” (v. 4:3) and “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (v. 4:4). The Word alone is able to make people “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v. 3:15). So, if we who know the Lord and have His Word fail to preach it, we are withholding the only message that God has provided to reconcile sinners to Himself. And all the virtue signaling in the world cannot change that.

So this is the choice that Christians are facing in times of difficulty. We can settle for an appearance of godliness while denying its power and win the accolades of this age. Or we can pursue real godliness and trust its power thereby inviting the venom and opposition of the champions of this age. To put it another way, we can signal false virtue and be welcomed by those operating on false principles of righteousness. Or we can practice genuine virtue and be welcomed by the God whose Word we refuse to compromise.

What we cannot do is have it both ways.

Good Friday: The Story of Promises Kept!

What’s Good Friday? As we prepare to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ, many will ask us (or the thought will cross their mind): what’s “Good Friday” all about? This may present a rare opportunity to share your faith.

 Good Friday is all about the kept promises of God. It’s been said that those who forget the lessons of the past are sure to repeat them. Good Friday reminds us of our need for a Savior and God’s grace in offering (and providing) us forgiveness.

 God promised redemption long ago. Our “first parents,” the first people, Adam and Eve attempted a rebellion against God ages ago. God created them, gave them each other, and gave them His world, this planet, to take care of. His only requirement was that they trust Him. Their trust would be demonstrated by their obedience to His single requirement. All the earth would be theirs with the exception of one symbol of their trust in Him—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There are urban legends that suggest this was an apple tree. No one really knows. However, evil (sin) is defined by doing what God forbids. Adam and Eve would experience the knowledge of God and evil if they disobeyed God by taking of the fruit of that tree. It would be a demonstrable act of rebellion. The penalty would be death. In Genesis 2:17 God says this: “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) Some translate the last phrase, “dying you will die.” That’s the literal translation. People wrestle with the grammar here. Some see it as an intensification of an idea, “surely die…” Others find the germ of an idea of a death that is not immediate but imminent. You can see that the Hebrew words contain the same comment element or root word (highlighted).

Genesis 2:17B ...מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת׃

 Personally, I see an intensification. But I think within it and the aftermath we see a hint of immediate spiritual death followed by an eventual physical death. Regardless, Adam and Eve disobeyed and received their death sentence and in time, they surely died. God had intended them to live forever but sin has consequences. It always does. You find the record of their rebellion and sentences pronounced in Genesis 3.

 God shows the rebels justice and mercy all at once. In pronouncing sentence upon them and the one who tempted them with the idea to rebel, God shows great mercy, kindness, and reason for hope. In sentencing Satan, He utters these words:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

 In the process of dealing with the first couple’s sin, God kills an innocent animal to clothe them. An innocent dies because of their sin. Some suggest this is a foreshadowing of Christ’s innocent sacrifice on behalf of humanity. Something else that is peculiar happens. Adam names his wife “Eve,” which roughly translated means “life” or “living.” An odd action for two people sentenced to death. This gets us back to Genesis 3:15. This is called the “protoevangelium”—the “first gospel.” Why? God promises a Rescuer.  God tells Satan that the seed of the woman will be injured by Satan, but He will crush Satan’s head, signifying defeat Satan and his kingdom. If you have some time, read Isaiah 49-55. It spells much of this out long before Christ is born in Bethlehem. The Messiah would not merely redeem Israel but the whole of the world who turns to Him.

 All of which brings us to the Cross and Good Friday. Here Christ receives His injury, when He is nailed to the cross to pay for our sin. The Bible says that He suffered in our place for our sin although He never sinned. He paid our debt, a debt we could not pay. You see this in Philippians 2:5-8 and you see the risen Christ explain this to His disciples in Luke 24:44-48:

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24: 44-48)

 His suffering is the wound that God describes in Genesis 3:15. God kept His promise to Adam and Eve. Through the seed of the woman, through the virgin born Son of God, God sent a rescuer to defeat sin and death on our behalf. Jesus suffered death for us (spiritual and physical) and then demonstrated His power over sin and death and showed His promises could be trusted by rising again on what some call Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). As the writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus made the once for all sacrifice for our sin so that we may have forgiveness and eternal life, in heaven with God (if we trust in Him).

 Good Friday is the day where we commemorate Christ’s suffering for our sin. How He who was perfectly righteous died for those who were not. Good Friday is where we see the goodness and grace of God in a promise made long ago that was faithfully kept. And that’s why Jesus uttered on the cross “It is finished.” The Greek word is Τετέλεσται “tetelestai (paid in full)” or “finished for all time.” Grammatically, it is in the ‘perfect tense’ the tense of completion. God’s promise was accomplished and completed at the cross.

 Good Friday is about promises kept. We see the faithfulness of God in Christ to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, pay our debt in full—because we were morally bankrupt. After all, we all sin—all of us. We tell half-truths that are whole lies. We act selfishly. So, Christ died for us selflessly.

 There’s another promise associated with Good Friday. It’s more closely associated with the resurrection:

 …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

 Good Friday was both a dark and glorious day in history. The mysteries of Christ suffering and all He endured at the cross cannot be fathomed by men. Neither can the forgiveness He offers. We cannot understand it exhaustively, but we can understand it sufficiently to embrace it by faith, confidence, or trust in Him. Look again at the promise above in Romans 10:9-13. It is the promise of redemption through the debt Christ paid in full at the cross for you. You don’t have to earn anything. But you do have to admit your sin and believe Christ can save you and commit your soul to His care in a full surrender of your whole being as you call upon Him for salvation. Commit to Christ and you will be saved. Call upon Him as a sinner in need of forgiveness. He’s done all the work for you at the cross. And God kept His promise for a deliverer. If you haven’t already—call on the name of the Lord. And if you did that long ago, or previously and are His child. Remember how easy He’s made it for you by going to the cross in your place… a promise made and kept long ago. This Good Friday: be sure to thank Him.