Evangelical pastors from across the world have signed a declaration of Christian and civil liberties published in Frankfurt.
The document, which was written in response to events during the Covid crisis, has been signed by pastors including John MacArthur in America and Dr Voddie Baucham in Zambia.
Here in the UK, notable signatories include Geoff Thomas, Stephen Rees, Jonathan Bayes, Regan King, Billy McCurrie, Pooyan Mehrshahi, John-William Noble, and Robert Oliver.
The main authors of the document are Tobias Riemenschneider, Pastor of the Evangelical Reformed Baptist Church in Frankfurt, Germany; Dr Paul Hartwig, Pastor of Lakeside Chapel in Betty’s Bay, South Africa; and Steven Lloyd, Pastor of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Narbonne, France.
The Frankfurt Declaration, as it is known, has been signed by over 3,200 people at the time this edition of ET went to print.
The document begins, ‘In the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power.’
It goes on to say, ‘A few concerned pastors from different continents, moved by an emergent totalitarianism of the State over all realms of society, and particularly the Church, and the disregard of God-given and constitutionally guaranteed rights during the Covid crisis, joined in common cause to craft a solemn declaration, which seeks to address these threats with the timeless truths of God’s Word.’
The Declaration proceeds to set out five articles which contain ‘affirmations and denials, derived from biblical principles’.
The five articles are, (1) ‘God the creator as sovereign lawgiver and judge’; (2) ‘God as the source of truth and the role of science’; (3) ‘Mankind as the image of God’; (4) ‘God-given mandates and limits of authority’; and (5) ‘Christ as the head of the church’.
The document ends by calling for respect for those authorities that exercise their powers legitimately; for repentance from those authorities that have abused their God-given powers; and for resistance against any secular authority that compels Christians to obey the State rather than God.
In the concluding paragraph, the document states, ‘It appears that the world may well be entering a time of testing, not only for the Church, but for everyone who believes in freedom and who opposes tyranny.’
It calls on Christians to stand together with those whose liberties have been infringed, and asks ‘that God would give us the courage to stand firm in our faith as His witnesses; and that He, who is Lord over all, would give us the strength to remain faithful and persevere to the end. Amen.’
