Baltimore Pastor Tears Up Cease-and-Desist Order: ‘We’re Gonna Do it God’s Way’

A pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland tore up a cease-and-desist order that he was issued during a sermon on Wednesday night, a report said.

Stacey Shiflett, who was threatened with a $5,000 fine if he continued to hold in-person services, tore up the order proclaiming, “We’re going to do it God’s way,” according to The Hill.

In a video that was posted online, Shiflett can be heard exclaiming “So I’m tearing up this cease-and-desist order right here, and I’m telling you right now, we’re gonna do it God’s way! God tells us how to worship Him, nobody else gets to do that.”

On Friday, Governor Larry Hogan said that places of worship are allowed to reopen as long as they were kept 50 percent capacity. According to Fox News, while Calvary Baptist has been complying with state occupancy laws, it has been breaching local ones. Which allows only 10 people to be at a place of worship at the time.

“It has become abundantly clear that if we settle for permission, we will never have liberty again,” Shiflet told Fox News. “Either we have liberty to worship or we have permission to worship.”

Calvary Baptist Church is not the only church to flout governmental authority. In states such as Texas and Georgia, many churches have opened their doors before being given permission only to have close up again due to pastors and church staff testing positive for the virus.