Interview: Phoenix City Prosecutor on Jailed Pastor, Zoning Violation Case
Wow, why is it that Christians are always so ready to assume the worst about public officials. From reading that transcript it does not appear that there is any special vendetta from the city against a pastor or anything.
Striving for the unity of the faith, for the glory of God ~ Eph. 4:3, 13; Rom. 15:5-7 I blog at Fundamentally Reformed. Follow me on Twitter.
Unfortunately in this case it is the public officials that are being reasonable. The professed believer seems intent on skirting reasonable laws for his own purposes. He fought the law and the law won.
Peter admonished us to “submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.” I may not like the laws, but I am obligated to obey them unless they contradict clear Biblical teaching. The apostles did continue to preach Christ, but they showed respect for the officials who tried to stop them. The primary purpose of building codes is to ensure that buildings are safe and solid. Many of the requirements, such as a sprinkler system, drive up the costs, but they also provide a good witness of concern to the larger community.
When we have been in church building programs, I was a frequent visitor at our local building inspection department, because I was asking questions, such as, “We are considering making this adjustment in the plans. Is that a problem for you ?” One building inspector explained to me that they as individuals and the city as an organization are legally liable if they were to give approval to a building that did not meet code, and then there was an incident with injury.
Our cooperative spirit has enabled believers in the building department to have a better testimony for Christ. Let us remember that we are here to do God’s will, not our own. The requirements for building code that are expected of us are also expected of all other building projects in our community. We were not singled out and given any extra expectations.
Our testimony for Christ is much more important than our convenience or financial savings. Our buildings will only last for time, but the souls of the people with whom we interact will last for all eternity. Let us keep this in mind.
Dick Dayton
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