Romans 13 and Covid 19 - Where is the Church?

By mid 2020, a 'Romans 13 and Covid 19 precedent' had been set. Most of the world's visible churches had accepted orders from the authorities to close their buildings and suspend worship. As well as lockdowns, mask mandates, test and trace and social distancing procedures and rituals were instituted - where churches were permitted to open.

Prior to Covid, the thought of shutting any functioning church on a Sunday, let alone most of the world's visible churches, for long periods of time, would have been not only ludicrous but abominable and inexcusable. But yet this has become our reality and, perhaps most alarmingly, the majority of mainstream Christendom (by that I mean denominational, charity and 501(C)(3) status churches) seemed fairly settled or resigned on the issue. Church leaders have naturally added a lament to their decision to close their church but making it clear that they deem it regrettable but necessary and wise.

By early 2021, Christian leaders were echoing the governments' push for people to take an experimental Covid 'vaccine'; some even saying it was a gift from God and the best way to show love for your neighbour. Covid 19 mandates have firmly taken authority in our churches, in the name of pragmatism and health, or shall we say 'peace and safety' (1 Thess 5:3-5)?

As the Covid mandates are marginalising various groups from society, causing great harm and preventing work and freedom, many Christians and non-Christians alike are asking...where is the Church? Why aren't more church leaders speaking out about the government dictates and creeping tyranny? 

There's no doubt about it, pastors and Christian leaders have had an exceedingly hard job on their hands, with so many differing opinions and voices in their ear, and so many things to juggle and wrestle with; not least trying to navigate the ever-changing and strange Covid guidelines whilst keeping their eye on their real job of preaching Christ. So we need to have compassion, respect and grace for our pastors and minsters. But that said, there are some clear theological issues with the Covid mandates that need careful, prayerful, courageous consideration and wise decisions on.

So should the Church 'settle down in Babylon' (Jeremiah 29), or rise up and resist saying 'we should obey God rather than man' (Acts 5:29)? How do we approach the 'subjection to the higher powers' verses in Romans 13 and Covid 19?

This issue is a grave and weighty one in my view and very few Christians have taken it seriously enough, nor endeavoured to do the theological enquiry needed at this time. I have observed that few Christians have really wrestled with Romans 13:1-7 in diligent and earnest way in light of the huge change of tide that is Covid. It still stuns me that I am one of only a few people in the world who has sought to examine and write in detail on this topic in real time, naming directly the key specifics and people we are dealing with. It's been a difficult task and one that I have done in service to the Body of Christ. The book - 'Romans 13 and Covid 19: Knowledge, Warnings and Encouragement for the Church and World' - has been a best-seller in the Christian Church Leadership category on Amazon, but yet most Christians I meet day-to-day are just not interested in looking into this. If it was because they are so busied with the things of Christ, such as evangelism and worship etc then fine, but I'm not sure it is. I think it's more to do with fear, deception and allegiance to what the news, governments and 'medical experts' are saying.

If we think that we're out of the woods with Covid, now the world has been dealt their shots of intravenous drugs, think again. I strongly suspect there is much more in the way of suspended/barred physical worship to come, via 'new variants', power outages, vaccine passports, climate emergencies and the like. These are very perilous and dark times - but not because of a so-called 'pandemic'. Rather, I do believe the writing has been clearly on the wall for a long time and this is the Lord's great shaking of all things that can be shaken and possible judgement for our national and international sins and turning from the Lord - and that may well involve much of what we traditionally call 'Church'.

But why be concerned with all of this? Why not just take each day as it comes, after all, our Saviour tells us not to worry about tomorrow as today has enough trouble for itself. I see that, but Proverbs 22:3 tells us "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." And Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:4 to "Take heed that no man deceive you." Romans 13:11 tells us "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

I dedicate over 100 pages in my book 'Romans 13 and Covid 19 - Knowledge, Warnings and Encouragement for the Church and World' to explaining the bigger picture and where it's headed in the chapter, 'Discerning Babylon in our Time'. Do get yourself a copy as part of your considered assessment of this situation, as thousands of other discerning and enquiring Christians have. It contains over 450 referenced and fact-checked links to accompany my assessment.

What About Romans 13 and Mask Mandates and Vaccines?

Romans 13 and masks, vaccines, lockdowns, PCR tests and their efficacy (and lack thereof) and dangers are topics I cover heavily in the book, so I won't regurgitate it all here. But here are a few key things we have to acknowledge if we are going to do a sober and righteous assessment of the Covid mandates.

Masks do not work – they don’t stop virus particles but are dangerous to health. (See full details and evidence in Chapter 3 of my book, 'Romans 13 and Covid 19'.)

An under-reported CDC study, which surveyed symptomatic Covid 19 patients, found that 70.6% of Covid patients reported ‘always’ wearing a mask and 14.4% say they ‘often’ wear a mask[1]. That means a whopping 85% of infected Covid patients are habitual mask wearers. Only 3.9% of those infected said they ‘never’ wear a face covering.

“Masks have been shown to inhibit breathing and increase the chance of infection. Reports coming from my colleagues all over the world are suggesting that the bacterial pneumonias are on the rise, as a result of moisture collecting in face masks.” – Dr James Meehan[2]

“By all means people can wear masks – or not wear masks. Policy can make the decision, but what they can’t do is say that it’s an evidence-based decision.” – Dr Carl Henegan[3], Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford.

Lockdowns do not work – they do not inhibit virus transmission, but do cause major devastation to relationships, work, health and the economy. (See full details and evidence in Chapter 3 of my book.)

Amongst many others, Pandemics Data and Analytics (PANDA) have proved that not only do lockdowns not work but they contradict a century of pre-Covid science[4] and are much deadlier than the Covid 19 virus in their negative impact on all areas of life and society.

Huge legal cases of Covid crimes against humanity are being brought right now across the world. (See full details and evidence in Chapter 3 of 'Romans 13 and Covid 19'.)

A team of over 1,000 lawyers and over 10,000 medical experts are mounting legal proceedings against the CDC, WHO & the Davos Group for crimes against humanity. German defence lawyer, Dr Reiner Fuellmich, is leading the German Corona Investigative Committee, which is bringing crimes against humanity charges against the world’s lockdown and other Covid mandates promoters[5] – using the Nuremberg Code. Many other legal cases are being brought too, and have won, as in Austria, where the courts rules that PCR tests are not suitable for Covid 19 diagnosis and that lockdowns have no legal basis[6].

The Covid ‘vaccine’ is an experimental, untested ‘gene tampering injection’. (See full details and evidence in Chapter 4 of 'Romans 13 and Covid 19'.)

Billions of people by now have taken a rushed, new injectable technology which has only been approved for emergency use and is funded by known eugenicists and medical companies who have been granted complete freedom from any liability. Many expert medical professionals have expressed grave concern over these ‘gene therapy shots’ and there are worrying reports of many serious side effects and deaths – all of which are being heavily censored.

Vaccine ‘passports’ are enforcing a two-tier society of medical segregation and complete loss of liberty. (See full details and evidence in Chapter 4.)

Starting in Israel in February 2021 and sweeping across the world, vaccine passports were introduced to verify and distinguish between those who have received the experimental Covid injections from those who have not. The vaccinated class is granted permission to re-enter society and enjoy ‘privileges’ such as air travel, access to sporting events, theatres, restaurants. Even the ability to work in employment, shop for food and attend Church have been restricted to those with a vaccine pass in many places. This is complete medical segregation, marginalising the ‘unvaccinated’ from all aspects of society. If governments have their way, this will seal the deal for a complete totalitarian regime across the world. IBM, who created the Nazi Germany concentration camp punch cards, is a leader in this initiative, with its ‘Digital Health Pass’[7], tethering vaccine records to a blockchain digital wallet for employers and businesses.

Author of ‘The End of America’, Naomi Wolf, along with many others, has repeatedly warned, “I cannot say this forcefully enough: This is literally the end of human liberty in the West if this plan unfolds as planned.”[8]

Clergy Response Teams (CRTs) have been used to spread Covid and vaccine propaganda within Churches and to quell any questioning or dissent. (See full details and evidence in Chapters 4 and 10 of 'Romans 13 and Covid 19'.)

Governments have been fervently recruiting ‘Clergy Response Teams’ and ‘Places of Worship Task Forces’[9] to massage the views of Christians and Churchgoers in relation to Romans 13 and Covid 19, to persuade them that not only is the experimental Covid pseudo-vaccine ‘safe and effective’ but that taking it is the most loving, Christlike thing to do. It is not.

Romans 13 - Doug Wilson Helpful Blog on Covid

Pastor, prolific author and blogger, Douglas Wilson has spoken extensively, provocatively and humorously on all things Romans 13 and Covid 19 since the start of the Covid crisis and his post here is a great place to start with Doug Wilson's musings. You can read the article or watch his video.

He begins:

"As the numerous state lock downs continue, and various Christian organizations have to make decisions about what to do about it, churches particularly, this brings into high relief all the various assumptions that Christians have been carrying about concerning Romans 13. Huh, we think. Look at that. What I would like for this post to do is to provide something of a primer on sphere sovereignty. How are the governments God created to relate to one another in a time such as this?"

Romans 13 and Covid 19 Book

My acclaimed best-selling book, 'Romans 13 and Covid 19: Knowledge, Warnings and Encouragement for the Church and World' explores all of the tricky Covid regulations in the context of Romans 13 'being subject to the governing authorities' in depth. Do get yourself a copy for a truly thorough, well-researched and fact-checked appraisal of all things Covid and its wider context and a clear, Biblical roadmap for living faithfully and free in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ at this time. 

What is your view of Romans 13 and Covid 19? Is it something you've looked into and thought about?

Page References - Romans 13 and Covid 19  

  • [1] Fisher, Kiva A. ‘Community and Close Contact Exposures Associated with COVID-19 Among Symptomatic Adults ≥18 Years in 11 Outpatient Health Care Facilities — United States, July 2020’. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 69, 2020. www.cdc.gov, doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6936a5.
  • [2] ‘Medical Doctor Warns That “Bacterial Pneumonias Are on the Rise” from Mask Wearing’ – MuchAdoAboutCorona.Ca, https://muchadoaboutcorona.ca/bacterial-pneumonias/. Accessed 1 May 2021.
  • [3] Bruce, Damian. ‘In Vaccines We Trust’. Damian Bruce, https://damianbruce.substack.com/p/in-vaccines-we-trust. Accessed 1 May 2021.
  • [4] ‘Lockdowns Contradict a Century of Pre-Covid Science’. PANDA, 14 Feb. 2021, https://www.pandata.org/lockdowns-contradict-a-century-of-pre-covid-science/.
  • [5] ‘Dr Reiner Fuellmich Is Currently Preparing the Largest Class Action Lawsuit in History’. BitChute, https://www.bitchute.com/video/CmqSEvg8psGV/. Accessed 1 May 2021.
  • [6] ‘Austrian Court Rules PCR Test Not Suitable For COVID-19 Diagnosis And That Lockdowns Has No Legal Basis’. GreatGameIndia, 8 Apr. 2021, https://greatgameindia.com/austria-court-pcr-test/.
  • [7] ‘IBM Digital Health Pass – Overview’. IBM, https://www.ibm.com/products/digital-health-pass. Accessed 1 May 2021.
  • [8] Hains, Tim. ‘Naomi Wolf: Mandatory Vaccine Passport Could Lead To The End Of Human Liberty In The West’. RealClear Politics, 29 Mar. 2021, https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/03/29/naomi_wolf_mandatory_vaccine_passport_could_lead_to_end_of_human_liberty_in_the_west.html#!. Accessed 1 May 2021.
  • [9] ‘New Taskforce Developing Plan to Reopen Places of Worship’. GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-taskforce-developing-plan-to-reopen-places-of-worship. Accessed 1 May 2021.