KANSAS CITY, MO—According to Liberty Counsel, officials are now requiring every church to submit a list of members and attendees along with their names, addresses and telephone numbers to city officials for tracking and surveillance purposes. This is from Liberty Counsel,
Yesterday, we received a desperate call from a Kansas City, Missouri, church whose local government is reaching new and terrifying heights in destroying our constitutional freedom. The Kansas City government is now DEMANDING that churches turn over membership lists, along with the names, telephone numbers and physical addresses of anyone who enters a church! This order also applies to all businesses.
The new order states that by recording names and contact information, the health department will be able “to more quickly trace, test, and isolate individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19.” Anyone who does not provide this information should be refused entrance.”
They appear to be reacting to this announcement by the Mayor of Kansas City,
Every day that passes during the COVID-19 panic seems to bring a new list of illegal and unconstitutional mandates issued by state and local politicians intent on ignoring their state laws, the U.S. Constitution, and the Department of Justice. Even the announcement that U.S. Attorney General William Barr will investigate and prosecute constitutional abuses has failed to slow the overreach by these officials.
Liberty Counsel has already filed suit in several states against governors who have illegally and unconstitutionally fomented the arrests of pastors and launched attacks on the liberties of congregants.
[In an unusual (for us) twist to the story, Matthew Staver of Liberty Counsel used to be a Seventh-day Adventist Pastor. Wikipedia Bio: “Mathew D. "Mat" Staver is an American lawyer and former Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pastor who became a Southern Baptist. He is a former dean of Liberty University's law school. In 1989, he founded Liberty Counsel law firm, where he serves as chairman.”]
Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City is pushing back on claims his government is instituting draconian policies like forcing churches to register the names of attendees and turn them in for tracking purposes in the event it’s needed, but his own words and policies say otherwise.
According to a Pulpit and Pen article today,
“As Kansas City begins reopening, the local government is requiring every church who wishes to provide services to turn in when asked a detailed list of every person who enters their building for services, including name, phone number, and address, so city officials can use it for surveillance and tracking purposes. Failure to comply could result in up to 6 months in jail and the church being completely shut down.”
From Pulpit & Pen,
“The churches are obliged to maintain these records so that if someone from their congregation does contract the coronavirus, it will enable the Kansas City Health Department “to more quickly trace, test, and isolate individuals.”
According to the city’s own FAQ, failure to comply with giving them the records when asked “constitutes an imminent threat, creates an immediate menace to public health, and shall be considered a violation of Section 50-155 of the City’s Code of Ordinances,” which is a $500 fine and up to 6 months in jail.
Kansas City journalist Mark Alford indignantly rejected a key part of this story, arguing: “Kansas City is NOT, I repeat NOT, requiring pastors and church leaders to turn in names of people who are members or regular attendees of a church.”
This is only true in a preemptive sense, in that churches don’t have to preemptively hand in their records to government officials, or do so on an ongoing, regular basis. But if someone is going into a church and spending more than 10 minutes, the church MUST record that name and MUST hand it in to health authorities when asked, under penalty of fines or JAIL.”
Such government overreaches, no matter how well-intended, appear to be poised to further encroach upon personal liberty and also religious liberty. We will be watching to see how this plays out.
“Those who exchange freedom for ‘security’ deserve neither.”
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“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:11-12).