In light of pastors and congregations who are defying states’ mandates to avoid assembling in great numbers in public, prominent personalities are pleading with the public to stay home from church for the time being.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, rolling out has reported, already pleaded with parishioners to resist the urge to attend Sunday services.
Now with the annual Resurrection Sunday (Easter) taking place on April 12, singer John Legend and Bishop T.D. Jakes beseech men and women of faith to abide by the requested or mandatory quarantine protocols in place.
Jakes, who founded the Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas, told New York’s Power 105.1 morning show, “The Breakfast Club,” via videoconferencing, that he is dissuading parishioners from venturing to church this or any Sunday until it is deemed safe.
When Charlamagne tha God asked what people should do when ministers are pleading with their flocks to attend church out of faith that God will form a protective bubble around them, Jakes responded.
“I’ve seen a few of [those churches],” Jakes said from his Dallas home. “But from the broader population, I think it’s just foolish to put your flock in that kind of danger. Even in faith, even Jesus did not tempt God. And I think the flock should resist to flaunt our faith by saying we are proving our faith by tempting our fate.
“You can believe at home. You can read at home. You can scream at home and you can use common sense that your pastor is not a dictator. He does not control you. There are pastors that are dead. There are a number of people who went to church and are now infected with the virus as a result of that idea.”
Flip the page to see what singer Legend, the grandson of a minister, also said about staying home on Sundays, including Easter.
