Dear Pastor, Should Your Church Accept CARES Relief Funding from the Government?

Dear Pastor Friend,

Last Thursday, April 23, 2020, additional SBA “Guidance” was distributed in relation to accepting CARES Act funds from the federal government. Certain warnings then were issued by various law firms to carefully evaluate the requirement to certify the ‘necessity’ of the funds under penalty of fraud. And, if any doubt all funds could be repaid by May 7 with no harm, no foul considerations.. My concern has long existed in regard to whether it is advisable for churches to pursue and accept loan assistance from government. My own fellow deacons and church leadership have grappled long and hard with this decision. But my experience as 18 years in the PA General Assembly and studying history, law and biblical teaching on God’s order of jurisdiction has taught me that entanglement is easy. Getting caught in a trap is easy. Getting out is hard.

I would like to pass along two specific lines of comment on this entire deliberation. First,regarding the need to be cautious in regard to this deliberation, I previously sent cautionary notes to our Deacons and Pastor’s staff on April 3, April 14, and April 21. In each of these
notes, I expressed a range of concerns: there is no such thing as free money; strings are always attached; there are no Biblical precedents for accepting civil authority aid; it challenges a church’s reliance on God; it sets a negative precedent for the future. The list goes on.

Secondly, upon closer examination of the legislation itself, my concern became even stronger. Within the language of the law, definitions are purposefully vague; the use of ‘guidance’ by government bureaucracies is left incredibly open. Clearly invasive ‘strings’ or ‘entanglements’
are rarely included in the actual text of law; otherwise, it would be easily identified and rejected out of hand. “Strings” happen most often through regulations and rulemaking of enforcement entities, in this case the SBA, in conjunction with the Treasury and likely the
IRS. Prompted by atheist organizations who bring lawsuits that end up in liberal courts, these ‘strings’ can become hanging ‘ropes’. The strings of this bill end up as a result of the open ended “Guidance” and to a lesser degree the ‘Sense of the Senate’. The strings, however, can only occur where there is ‘linkage’.

Unfortunately, linkage with government already exists with churches who took 501c3 non-profit status when Congress and the IRS created
this Treasury Department designation. Secondary linkage occurs when government money is pursued and accepted by a church.
According to this CARES Act, a free-standing church (non-501c3) would not be qualified for any of this financial aid. The law states that only non-profits as a 501c3 can apply. The ‘business’ designation is the existing linkage/category that makes a church ‘qualify.’ Ignored by most
attorneys, however, is the fact that churches are tax-exempt because they are churches. The linkage of the 501c3 status is the only ‘legal’ way the IRS can leverage churches and the pulpit.

This linkage is a problem because all business entities—corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, non-profits—are by law “creations of the state.” And what the state creates, the state has a right to regulate. Pursuing and accepting money places every church in a position of not only potentially committing fraud under the regulations, but defacto confirms this linkage before the law as a ‘creation of the state,’ not a distinct, separate body of God-created jurisdiction. I am therefore, firmed in my sense that we should decide as a body of elected leaders to decline any acceptance of funds from the CARES Act. It is our responsibility to understand this issue and refuse entanglement.

Thank you for your consideration of these thoughts. If I had not worked through details like this in my 18 years in office, I would not be laying out this thought process. But I learned much and feel I must pass this along.

May God add His blessing and Guidance to us.
Sam Rohrer
The Hon. Sam Rohrer is an 18-year veteran of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and president of the American Pastors Network. He also co-hosts nationwide radio and television programs, Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap TV. Learn more at AmericanPastorsNetwork.net.

Pandemic Places Educational Responsibility on Parents, Allows Pastors to Offer Vital Support

As COVID-19 pushes curriculum content, social issues, and worldviews toward deeper parent scrutiny, the pandemic has opened wide the door for pastors to guide parents through tough decisions about the upcoming school year — and American society is counting on them to do so.

American Pastors Network President Sam Rohrer says that parents — not schools — are ultimately responsible for their child’s education.

“God gave the responsibility to parents for the primary education of their children,” Rohrer said on APN’s “Stand in the Gap Today.” “He told fathers, ‘You pass along what I have done and what I have commanded to your children and pass it along even to your grandchildren,’ so there is a generational responsibility that comes to parents.”

A parent’s responsibility begins with personally knowing the God of the Bible and extends to imparting a “virtuous education”—both of which are vital to America’s experiment in self-government.

“William Penn laid out a frame of government, which actually became a foundational element for all of government broadly, but he made it clear that self-government must function under God, which means our founders had to understand who God is,” Rohrer continued. “Penn also said there had to be a virtuous education of the youth, and that it was the parent’s responsibility. Frankly, the only way you can have a virtuous education is if they’re taught biblical principles.”

As parents attempt to fulfill this responsibility amid pandemic-induced school closures, understanding and evaluating options can be overwhelming. Pastors have the opportunity of a century to guide parents through options such as Christian schools and homeschooling.

E. Ray Moore, co-founder of Frontline Ministries, Inc., and leader of Exodus Mandate, was a guest on the “Stand in the Gap Today” episode. Moore said, “Pastors have a unique opportunity to point families to the Christian school option. The curriculum world for homeschooling and Christian schools is so rich and so manifold that it’s hard for people to make decisions [because] they’ve got so many good choices. But the scripture is clear about pastoral responsibility for the flock, so we see this as falling in that category.”

Photo by Jeremy Alford on Unsplash

American Pastors Network President: SCOTUS Ruling Against Louisiana Abortion Limitation Flouts Sanctity of Life

A divided Supreme Court of the United States struck down a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to secure admitting privileges at local hospitals as a condition of remaining open for business. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal justices in the 5–4 ruling, citing the court’s 2016 ruling as a precedent.

American Pastors Network President Sam Rohrer says the government is obligated by God’s law to protect the rights of the unborn, a responsibility America’s leaders neglect at their peril.

“We are endowed by our Creator God with certain God-given rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No more profound human words were ever spoken,” Rohrer said. “Recognizing God as Creator is where understanding liberty begins and human responsibility extends. Life results when God creates.

“The sacredness and sanctity of all life—born and unborn—exists because God creates,” Rohrer continued. “It’s this life that government is to protect. Government leaders position themselves to receive dire judgment from God, the Judge of mankind, when life is murdered.”

Listen to the Stand in the Gap Minute Series “Spiritual Victory” airing this week!

To listen to the rest of the minute programs, please click HERE.

American Pastors Network President: Anarchy, Toppling of Monuments Supports Growing Fear of Next Civil War

With the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) occupation in Seattle dissolving after gunshots left one dead, protestors in many U.S. cities are emboldened to knock down or deface monuments of national founders or heroes such as Teddy Roosevelt, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Francis Scott Key, and others. Authorities seem paralyzed to protect and preserve public property.

The demonstrations that have led to the militant takeover of blocks of Seattle and the toppling of statues from east to west support the growing suspicion that civil war is imminent, according to American Pastors Network President Sam Rohrer.

“It is important to confront what is happening in America’s streets,” Rohrer said. “This is particularly important in light of this month’s Rasmussen poll findings that over 34% of all Americans and 40% of registered Republican voters believe the U.S. will experience a second civil war within the next five years.

“The open anarchy in the streets is one problem,” Rohrer continued. “But the toppling of monuments across the country is another troubling action. With the toppling of monuments of people who fought to end slavery in America, and then the toppling of the statue of Francis Scott Key the writer of the national anthem of the United States—“The Star Spangled Banner”—there is more happening than meets the eye.

“Instead of destroying monuments, Americans and especially Christians should leverage God’s purposes for monuments by reflecting on God’s provision and blessings in this nation and thank Him for how He blesses this nation with greater justice and more freedom when we follow God’s moral law, and how He judges this nation with a great evidence of injustice and less freedom whenever we reject God’s moral law—just as God instructed Joshua and His people after He freed them from 400 years of Egyptian slavery,” Rohrer concluded.

Photo by Juan Giraudo on Unsplash

APN President: Pennsylvania Impeachment Controversy a Civics Lesson in Separation of Powers

As states continue to roll back pandemic-induced restrictions, efforts to impeach Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) regarding his use of power during the crisis have escalated. Rep. Daryl Metcalf (R-Butler County) introduced legislation bearing five articles of impeachment that allege unlawful unilateral action by Wolf.

The controversy is a prime opportunity for all parties and members of government to reacquaint themselves with bedrock constitutional principles, according to American Pastors Network President Sam Rohrer.

“Two building blocks of free society in general and constitutional government in particular are the principle of separation of powers and its sister principle, checks and balances,” Rohrer said. “The division of governing authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches is an often touted yet often neglected ingredient in the American experiment of self-governance. Our state’s and our country’s founders knew that both the soul of man and the nature of government crave power. Consequently, they equipped each branch of government to contain the other branches.

“The question of whether Pennsylvania’s executive branch overstepped its lawful bounds during the pandemic will likely generate complex argument and discussion,” Rohrer continued. “The discussion can be a healthy one, if only to remind the citizens and elected officials of Pennsylvania, and of the United States, that freedom requires the limitation of all branches government.”

To listen to a Stand in the Gap Today program featuring Rep. Darryl Metcalfe discussing the impeachment legislation, please click HERE.

Photo by Katherine McAdoo on Unsplash

How Fathers Can Help Restore the Family and Unite the Nation

by Sam Rohrer

***This article was originally posted on CNSNews.com HERE.

Where are the fathers? A generation ago, the Supreme Court defied the God of heaven and declared legal the murder of our babies—and our fathers were silent.

When the Ten Commandments were declared to be poison to our children’s minds, our pastors were silent. When the courts and culture continue to attack God’s model for family by redefining marriage and human sexuality, why is there such continuing silence?

At my organization, the American Pastors Network, we believe God’s judgment on our nation is in part because fathers and pastors a generation ago refused to oppose evil and actively resist tyranny. The question is, what will our pastors and we as fathers do now? As Mordecai said to Esther of old, if we are silent now, evil will prevail, and freedom will be lost.

Father’s Day is a good time to consider God’s expectation for fathers.

As a father of six and grandfather to fourteen, I’ve thought much about my role and the fact that fathers create a child’s first image of God. Men, are we demonstrating that God is faithful, loving, patient, and kind?

Is our discipline consistent and just?

Are our children learning God’s protection and provision of needs?

Does the love we show for our wife model Christ’s love for the Church?

Do we teach the fear of God in our home by living in the fear of God ourselves?

Do we focus on building character in our children to live and think like Christ so His character and nature will be seen through them?

Imagine the impact in our homes and our culture if we did.

Fathers hold the key to our families and nation. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, God told parents to teach our children five things:

  1. We must lead our children to faith in the LORD because He is the only God.
  2. We must lead our children to a fervor for the Lord by loving Him with all their heart, soul and mind.
  3. We must lead our children to fear the LORD because that is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.
  4. We must lead our children to a familiarity of the LORD by learning of Him daily and diligently.
  5. And then, when God blesses—and He will—we must lead our children not to forget the LORD and what He has done.

If we as fathers would teach our children these things, our homes would be healed, families restored, and the nation united. The more fathers emulate God—the heavenly Father—the better the husband and father we will be. As our fatherhood model, God is the wise Father. He is the Great Counselor and Comforter—just, kind, merciful, and patient. He is the Instructor, Guide, Protector, and Shield. He firmly disciplines, but does so in love. He loves so much, He gave His Son—the perfect sacrifice—to save our souls. He is the humble servant, yet the greatest leader. He is the model—in every way—of what an earthly father should be.

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

Nationwide Unrest Over Tragedy in Minneapolis Reveals Deep Moral Chasm in America

With a police station burned in Minneapolis, calls for the National Guard and a nation in turmoil after the death of George Floyd, American Pastors Network  President Sam Rohrer says the unrest has revealed America’s ongoing moral problem.

“In the absence of moral restraint, sin begets sin,” Rohrer said. “The very word ‘sin’ is not popular in our current culture. But until we acknowledge the reality of evil, sin and lawlessness, we can never obtain what most people want—love, peace and joy. It was sin and evil for the police officer to take the life of George Floyd. It is sin to view any life as less sacred than another. It is sin to destroy other’s property, to be in rebellion to authority and to break any number of laws. It is sin to justify angry rebellion as legal ‘protesting’ or ‘peaceable assembly.’ It is sin for public officials to justify rebellious rioters as ‘understandable’ actions arising from the sins of previous generations. It is sin to excuse destruction of people’s livelihoods by burning their neighbors’ businesses to the ground. It is sin for public officials to incite lawbreakers and encourage further division among Americans by their callous and incendiary comments. It is sin for the Chinese Communist Party to issue propaganda in worldwide social media by characterizing Americans as hypocrites for condemning the rioters in Minneapolis as wrong while encouraging the protestors in Hong Kong who wish not to live under the iron fist of Communist leaders. It is sin for all people not to condemn these evil actions we see as sin!

“This is the time for all Americans to ask: Do we want freedom to remain in America? Do we wish that civility and respect for others returns to our nation? Do we long to be secure in our homes, property and persons? Do we hope for a return of justice where there is an objective standard for truth, justice and equality? Do we wish for leaders who renounce the sins of lying, deception, bribery, corruption and selfish pursuits? I do.”

For those also answering “yes” to these questions, Rohrer said there is only one solution—and in today’s culture, it’s about as unpopular as “sin.”

“That is God, the Bible and the Ten Commandments,” he continued. “As stated by William Penn in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and later by other founders, unless the citizens and leaders of this nation voluntarily submit their thinking, desires and actions to the limitations of the Ten Moral Commandments of God, then freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot endure. The choices before us today broadly are these: God or no God? Truth or no truth? Right and wrong or no right or wrong? Sin or no sin? Jesus Christ as the Way, Truth and Life or no Jesus Christ, in any way, and death and bondage? The former choice brings love, healing and redemption. The latter brings hatred, death and condemnation. This is the choice for all people, children and parents, pastors and pews, politicians and constituents, police officers and military, governors and president, judges and juries. This is not my opinion. It is what God says, what our founding pastors preached, what our Founding Fathers believed and what our government buildings proclaim from the engravings of truth. As engraved on the ceiling of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is a verse from the Bible that is a very clear reminder: ‘And ye shall know the Truth (God, Jesus Christ and the Bible) and the Truth shall set you free.’ May we as a people see, hear and understand the reality of the day. Time is not on our side.”

APN Applauds President Trump: Governors Must Do the Right Thing and Reopen Churches

President Donald Trump called for churches and other houses of worship to open over Memorial Day Weekend, and branded them as “essential.” He ordered governors across the nation to reopen churches and said he would override those who would not comply. American Pastors Network President, Sam Rohrer said today, “The President is to be complimented on his decision to declare all churches to be open and that the governors who remain restrictive will have to deal with him. Churches are essential to the well-being of our nation and our people.“Neither the governors nor any person in state or federal government has the Constitutional right to order any church to close or decide how they should order or arrange their worship or manner of service. For governors to single out churches and order their form of worship is for them to declare themselves above the Constitution and God. It is religious discrimination and a violation of their Constitutional oath.” Following Trump’s announcement on Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for communities of faith on how to safely reopen. Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Making Sense? American Pastors Network Leaders Say Opposing COVID-19 Recommendations May Result in Same Dire Outcomes

World leaders came out with some dire predictions this week related to COVID-19 response, and the American Pastors Network  is pointing out the similarities and the differences.

First, the United Nations has predicted that the economic fallout from COVID-19’s spread globally could end up killing more people than the virus itself, according to Fox News, which also reported the UN estimation that the virus would threaten 130 million more people with starvation by the end of the year. The UN report also cited World Vision, which estimates 30 million children are at risk of dying from starvation, while the Los Angeles Times also reported that economists forecast a global recession that will result in up to 420 million people plunging into extreme poverty.

Conversely, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the coronavirus task force, warned of “suffering and death” if the U.S. reopens too soon. Fauci is testifying this week via video before a Senate panel and also told The New York Times in a statement that officials should adhere to federal guidelines for a phased reopening, saying, “If we skip over checkpoints in the guidelines…then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.”

“Between the UN, WHO, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts, it sounds like death, economic carnage, famine and starvation are coming regardless,” said APN President Sam Rohrer. “The UN says that if economic activity doesn’t soon occur, people will starve and fall into poverty. Dr. Fauci says that if economic activity occurs, people will die, with ‘suffering and misery’ the only result. Two experts, who happen to be very much aligned in many ways, are offering opposing recommendations with the same dire warnings. One must read between the lines. Both are globalists. Both forecast dire results. Both see only bigger government and, even better for them, a unified world government capable of addressing our dire needs. Unfortunately, both ignore the sad history of the world that tells us that the bigger government and the more elevated the ‘elite,’ the greater the death and misery of the people.

“There is one major lesson in this,” Rohrer continued. “Neither the UN nor Dr. Fauci nor the globally minded elite have the ability to offer any good news outside of more government and more regulations. Without a fear of God, a respect for the ability of people to make determinations for themselves and an appreciation for the freedom that comes from self-government under God with a Judeo-Christian-centered Declaration of Independence and Constitution, there is no hope or good news. Neither the globalist expert, the UN elite nor medical experts have established any confidence worthy of anyone who loves freedom and understands what it takes to make strong families, strong economies and strong nations.”

Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash