The Essential Church: A New Film on Churches that Defied Covid Tyranny
How should the church respond when health edicts try to close its doors? The way it always has, according to The Essential Church, a new film on Covid-era abuses.
When governments demanded churches shut down over a virus with a 99.9% survival rate for people under 70, most complied.
The churches that didn’t were slandered, even by fellow believers. Some were taken to court.
In time, churches that chose to stay open were vindicated.
Now some of those churches are telling their story.
The Essential Church is a feature-length documentary profiling three pastors who faced the risk of imprisonment to keep their congregations meeting during the Covid era.
When governments used health edicts to restrict the gathering and worship of the Church, these leaders understood what was taking place as only the latest battle in a centuries-long struggle between Church and state authority.
The most well-known pastor in the film is John MacArthur of Grace Community Church, whose Sun Valley, California congregation was behind the film’s production.
“In God’s sovereignty, we won our lawsuit against the county and state governments,” MacArthur explains, describing that victory as the impetus for the film.
“The Essential Church traces the history of government assaults on the church, both ancient and modern,” he adds, expressing his hope that his church’s story “will strengthen and encourage us to stand courageously as the body of Christ”.
The Church is an Essential Service
The film’s title is an obvious pushback against assertions by governments that the gathering together of God’s people is not an “essential service”.
As The Essential Church argues, for the State to designate the church as non-essential is for the State to make a theological claim — a theological claim that flatly contradicts God’s Word.
“The church says to every authoritarian government, ‘There is a power and authority higher than you. Our calling is not first to comply with your laws. We must obey God rather than men.’”
These powerful words are voiced in one of the film’s teasers by Ian Hamilton, President of Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
In the documentary, Hamilton tells the story of Jenny Geddes, a Scottish market-trader from Edinburgh who defied the King of Scotland for imposing the State’s will upon the church.
Believing the monarch was acting in defiance of King Jesus, Geddes famously threw her folding stool at her local minister for obeying Scotland’s King instead of Christ.
State Authority and God’s Authority
Appearing at the film’s premier was Jay Bhattacharya, the famed epidemiologist and Stanford Professor who co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration to argue for focused protection for the vulnerable as opposed to blanket lockdowns.
Unbeknownst to many, Bhattacharya is a believer. He commended The Essential Church as “a classic story”, summarising its message as an account of “how the church has stood against overweening government power — irrational government power — at times when the world has gone mad.”
Also present at the premier was Darrell Harrison, Director of Digital Platforms at Grace to You and a Christian commentator who was unafraid to critique Covid-era abuses. He described the film as “less about Grace Community Church and more about the church universal”.
Harrison shared his own thoughts on the film’s premise. “Just because the church is in the world doesn’t make the church equal to the State,” he said, adding, “the church and the State are two seperate entities and the State has no authority on dictating how the church worships.”
John MacArthur’s Unwavering Stance
John MacArthur and Grace Community Church faced fierce criticism for their decision to follow divine edicts over temporal ones.
But as another of the film’s teasers cleverly highlights, the actions MacArthur took were firmly in line with convictions he has preached for over 50 years.
“There may be times when you will go to court,” an old MacArthur sermon recording explains. “But the issue would be this: that wherever the Word of God or the worth of God is at stake, I have the right to claim my legal privileges.”
The excerpt comes from a 1975 sermon John MacArthur preached on 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, and its declarations are almost prophetic:
If, for example, some ordinance came along that tried to close down Grace Community Church, would we say, “Oh, it’s all right; we forgive you; we’ll all go home and just forget the work of God”? Not on your life! We’d be down there with every sort of legal thing you can imagine, trying to prove that we had the right to exist. It’s a matter of protecting the privileges that God has given us for the proclamation of His Word.
How Australians Can View the Film
The Essential Church began screening in United States theatres on 28 July, 2023.
The Daily Declaration contacted the film’s production team to ask about how Australians can view the film.
The team from Grace Productions explained that as yet, there are no plans for The Essential Church to play in Australian cinemas. However, as of this week people anywhere in the world can pre-order a DVD or Blu-Ray copy of the film at the online store.
The movie will also be available on streaming platforms in the not-too-distant future.
In answering how believers can support the production, Grace Productions explains on the film’s website, “Prayer is always our number one answer. No one is more powerful than our God and your prayers to Him, help encourage and strengthen us.”
They add, “We would love for you to tell others about The Essential Church documentary. We want this to be an encouragement to Christians and all people around the world that our God is sovereign and in control over all things.”
UPDATE: The Essential Church is now available on essentialchurchmovie.com and the streaming platforms below:
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Sadly, this takes a exclusive view of the situation. Nowhere is there even the remotest possibility offered that the overwhelming majority of churches which, by making a good faith choice to abide by the government restrictions, and which never made any comment about the small number of churches which rebelled, were doing so on their understanding of Scripture.
How can there ever be meaningful debate on issues such as this when one side refuses to consider any other alternative but total mistrust of government motives and rejection of their authority to act in the public’s best interest? And how much further away is that possibility when any difference of opinion with other Christians is rebuffed as “slander”?
This way, which is nothing more than an expression on a community level of rampant individualism, is not the way forward. As Christians we don’t just reject and rebel. Of all the people in the world we’re tasked by God to find “still better ways” under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
It’s also disappointing to see Christians who continue to doggedly (and dogmatically) cling to the wreckage of “The Great Barrington Declaration”, which has been solidly refuted by many experts, and mostly on ethical grounds:
https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-barrington-declaration-an-open-letter-arguing-against-lockdown-policies-and-for-focused-protection/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32153-X/fulltext
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00839-1
Besides, the notion of herd immunity which underpins GBD was always an illusion, and even with mass vaccination on an unprecedented scale has not been close to being achieved:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/herd-immunity-and-coronavirus/art-20486808
In short, as Christians we need to do better than expressing our individual “rights” behind the questionable veneer of a rejection of “tyranny”.
Kim – sorry but you seem to be missing the point that whilst the Bible teaches us to be submissive to authorities, it also instructs us to be submissive to God and his sovereignty. We worship God at all times – Caesar has his place, but can not overrule what God has ordained. When it comes to spiritual matters, it is God’s reign that we follow not the govt.s – recall Daniel, Moses, prophet Nathan? Recall John the Baptist or any of the apostles for that matter? You should be thrilled that the Church which completely placed its trust in God’s word won the battle against tyranny. What better could you expect of Christians but to be true to God’s word even in the face of tryanny?
Like many who have adopted this false and anti-Christian libertarian mindset, you have no real understanding of the word you throw around like confetti – “tyranny”.
According to https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tyranny, it is:
“1. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.
2. the government or rule of a tyrant or absolute ruler.”
And according to https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tyranny, it is:
“government by a ruler or small group of people who have unlimited power over the people in their country or state and use it unfairly and cruelly.”
As none of these definitions is accurate in relation to the health measures undertaken, or in particular our form of government, your claims are logically invalid.
So it’s not me missing any point. You, on the other hand, are forced to inflate the actions of governments (yes, even Dan Andrews) to make a self-justifying claim for what amounts to rebellion. So you don’t even have a point.
Am I saying our governments got it right? No way! But you case is built on nothing more than a false hijacking of Scripture to justify your own motives, and therefore does less than nothing to find a better way to deal with such a situation in the future.
Even your reference to Moses and Daniel ignores the fact that they both held high office within governments which were truly and absolutely tyrannical, and in fact which had enslaved their own race!
So in the light of God ordering Moses to first politely request of Pharaoh to “let my people go”, how do you then justify open rebellion against government measures for the health and safety of the community? And what of Daniel protecting the reign of the tyrant, Nebuchadnezzar, who was responsible for the destruction of God’s Temple and His city Jerusalem? And he did all of that for that tyrant under God’s guidance!
And don’t tell me the measures undertaken during the pandemic were a smokescreen for domination of the community, because you have zero hard evidence. In fact, the outcome suggests the opposite. When all along we were told that lockdowns and restrictions were governed primarily on the level of strain on the hospital system, and that proved to be the case, then you need a better argument than playing the “tyranny” card. It’s just so weak, and all it does is shine a light on your own wrong motives.
Kurt, brilliant journalism! Thank you so much for finding this for us. ‘The church’s’ response in the Covid era was a huge sadness to me. For me it signaled two things – their fear of sickness was greater than their fear of God and, perhaps, they were actually ‘shareholders’ in the global narrative intent on building the ‘new world order’. Yes, damming stuff, but how else could it have been explained?
“…perhaps, they were actually ‘shareholders’ in the global narrative intent on building the ‘new world order’.”
How can you possibly make such a grossly cynical deduction about the overwhelming majority of your fellow Christians? Can you not consider for one second the possibility that most Christians made a good faith decision on the basis of Scriptures like Romans 13:1-5, among others? That is seriously a disgrace, Jim, and reflects very poorly on you as an otherwise deeply thoughtful and considerate Christian.
As does your inability or unwillingness to consider any other possibility: “…how else could it have been explained?” All a comment like that does is deny to others any means of credibility to any other point of view, thus gagging meaningful debate, something else that Scripture teaches against.
Kim Beazley: dude you need to open your heart and let the light in. You have so much anger in you, stop, and start praying for us fellow believers who had our eyes opened during the “covid era” Please refrain from using negative, disrespectful comments to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ here. I am praying for you, peace dude.
On the contrary, it is you who chose to break fellowship, in contradiction of what Jesus told us to do, who have expressed anger. There is, in fact, a complete absence of anger in my comment, borne out by the extensive links to authorities on the subject. In fact, all you’re doing is transferring your own anger and cynically motivated suspicions under the false guise of prayerful concern.
So thanks, but no thanks. I am more than capable of praying for my needs.
Great article Kurt.
Kim, there is a time for civil disobedience when the government oversteps its jurisdiction. I believe it did this in regard to covid restrictions. Think, the people who arrested Anne Frank’s family were obeying the law, the people who hid the family were disobeying the law. The law is meant to punish evil and reward good.
So, you believe that the government overstepped its jurisdiction, but the only comparison you can make is to the Holocaust?? You seriously believe that the kind of civil disobedience endorsed here is comparable to hiding Jews from the Nazis? Sorry, but that is warped beyond belief!
if you cannot engage with the details of what I wrote, then why waste the time and effort to post such abhorrent nonsense?
Sorry Kim, I thought you were open to people having a different point of view but it looks like you are not by the derogative words you use against anyone with a different point of view.
I reluctantly did what I was told to do for all the wrong reasons and in so doing became part of the silent majority. I was not troubled by my decision as my life was hardly impacted during the COVID era and prayed for those making those decisions that impacted so many lives.
Great article Kurt, and at first I wasn’t too interested in this film as I am not much of a John MacArthur fan but by the reaction of those who are opposed to his stance, I am now curious especially as they won the case for all the right reasons.
I am absolutely all for people having a different point of view. How else can we judge whether a point of view has merit or not? As one of my favourite verses is Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”, that’s the best way for us all to learn. It also helps us in resisting our innate willingness to confirm our own biases.
So to pass a negative judgement on another person’s point of view is not derogative. And especially when in these cases the views expressed are so bizarre, and could even be described as offensive. Besides, I made it very clear why that was the case.
As for you “reluctantly” taking whatever actions you took “for all the wrong reasons”, without specifics that’s only your opinion. And as you know nothing of the details of the case MacArthur’s church won, you are in no position to say that it was for “the right reasons”. It just shows your own bias towards his point of view.
Great article Kurt thanks for making us aware of this film…
Agree with Kurt. Great article. Truth will come out inthe end. Sadly so much damage hurt and pain in the meantime! History and common-sense will reveal that the majority is not always right – even Christians. Remember Camus in his play? It takes bravery and firm trust in a Faithful God to stand against the tide. Open investigation will reveal truth!
Does anybody know whether The Essential Church movie will be shown in Perth Western Australia. I have aked this question throughout the so called Christian represntation in this place and totally nobody has responded. Disappointing to say the very least. Raymond Conder wiseprotector2@gmail.com
RRaymond, You can pre-order the movie from the on-line store.
Finally, looks like the church is waking up to the unethical, unfounded, lies and corruption during the world-wide lock downs ! Better late than never I guess.
Our family left the church when they shut their doors, we continued to meet with other believers during all the BS here in Perth, Western Australia. We lived under the tyranny of Mark McGowan and his chief health officer, neither of which hold a science degree I might add ! We continued to pray and fellowship in parks, gardens, and at the beach, it was epic. Jesus, would have stood against the unlawful mandates, and he would have kicked open the doors of HIS Father’s house (our churches). There was never any reason to put people through what our governments put us through, and continue to do through fear campaigns in the media to the population, it is vile what the New World Order is doing right now.