You'll remember that in the summer of 2021, a pastor in Canada was arrested multiple times because he continued to lead his church in worship on Sundays despite Canada's draconian lockdown rules.
The Canadian government forcibly closed Tim Stephens' church, then arrested him after using a police helicopter to scour the countryside to find where his church was continuing to meet outdoors.
(Yes, in CANADA!)
Now, more than a year later, including 21 days in jail, Pastor Stephens has been vindicated and acquitted of charges related to "health" violations.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, the group that represented Stephens in court, recounted the details of his charges then released a statement about Pastor Stephens' case:
We are pleased that the Court has acquitted Pastor Stephens on the charges of not complying with a public health order. Pastor Stephens was illegally arrested and imprisoned for having allegedly violated the Public Health Orders, which have since been shown to be ineffective and harmful. This decision sets the record straight about the justifiability of his actions and about the importance of respecting Charter rights and freedoms.
It may have taken more than a year to right this wrong, and the wrongful imprisonment isn't settled by this acquittal, but in the end the law was on Pastor Stephens' side and he has won what will, hopefully, be a major victory for all religious freedom in Canada.
Church is essential. The government's authority does not supersede God's. Pastors like Stephens were on the actual right side of both science and morality the entire time.
