“More to come… Pray brothers and sisters. Stand firm, keep the faith.”
When the pandemic hit and Western governments began imposing mandates for gatherings, and specifically religious ones, people naturally became alarmed, concerned about the loss of freedom and knowing it was a slippery slope. Once temporary restrictions are imposed they are difficult to roll back, and people are right to fear their government’s over-reach.
Now, almost a year and a half later, and halfway down that slippery slope, there doesn’t seem to be any breaks on the totalitarian mandates. Pastors are being arrested in front of their kids after their “underground” churches are being discovered by tax-payer purchased police helicopters.
This week, it was Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Alberta Canada. He was taken into custody at his home in front of his crying children, for the egregious crime of holding a church service that was spotted from above.
.@ATSoos and @KianSimone44 were on scene as police in Calgary, Alberta arrested Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church for a second time on new charges stemming from his hosting of 'underground' church services the past two weekends.
FULL REPORT: https://t.co/hjRBNFjZ7G pic.twitter.com/IKNm4TItLv
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 15, 2021
Before his arrest, Pastor Stephens tweeted:
I just got a tip that the police may be on their way to arrest me. Why? I continue to lead our church to worship Jesus as Lord over every earthly power.
More to come… Pray brothers and sisters. Stand firm, keep the faith.
— Tim Stephens (@tim__stephens) June 14, 2021
According to the conservative Canadian website, Rebel News:
It is unclear if the helicopters were searching for unauthorized church services or just happened to notice the gathering. The outlet said that while police vehicles were later seen circling the service, which included group worship and a sermon from Pastor Stephens, they did not move in and attempt to stop the gathering.
Rebel News notes that:
The weekend before Pastor Stephens’s arrest, the church was effectively seized by Alberta Health Services for failing to adhere to local regulations regarding attendance, social distancing, and masks.
Jay Cameron, a lawyer for the firm representing Mr.Stephens blamed Jason Kenney, premier of Alberta, for the arrest. Speaking to the Calgary Herald, Mr. Cameron said, “It appears that Premier Kenney’s government is targeting its enemies, those who are speaking out against lockdown restrictions and for Charter freedoms.” Adding, “Locking out Fairview Baptist congregants and arresting Pastor Tim Stephens has everything to do with punishing dissent, and nothing to do with public safety.”
This is the stuff of tyranny and totalitarianism, and we’ve seen it (and reported on it) before:
