Rodney Howard-Browne was arrested on Monday and is facing misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly and violation of public health rules. The megachurch pastor had several hundred in attendance at The River at Tampa Bay church on Sunday—and held two services.
"His reckless
disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at
risk, and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week,
in danger," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said at the
press conference.
Howard-Browne has been outspoken
about churches that close their doors. Will his church now be shuttered
in the wake of the arrest until the coronavirus falls flat? He has
vowed his church will "never close." Howard-Browne considers church an
essential service that is therefore exempt from the coronavirus orders.
"In
a time of crisis, people are fearful and in need of comfort and
community, more than ever before," a Facebook post on the church's page
said. "Even people who do not attend church regularly, or perhaps never
go to church, need to know that there is somewhere for them to go when
they need help."
Prophetically speaking, what is
going on here? Prophets have been prophesying about a "new era." More
churches are going digital in the face of this plague. But is this the
beginning of a new era that will see the church persecuted in the United
States?
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