Two megachurch pastors have decided to rebrand their churches into “strip clubs” in protest against a San Diego judge who recently ruled that strip clubs can reopen while churches remain closed.
Last month, as Christian Headlines reported, San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel R. Wohlfeil said that the state of California should cease any actions preventing the strip clubs from “being allowed to provide live adult entertainment.”
Churches, however, were still restricted from holding indoor services despite several pastors who have defied the state’s lockdown restrictions on religious gatherings.
Last Sunday, Pastor Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel decided to outsmart the state’s closing of churches by turning his church into a “strip club” of his own, The Greg Jarret reports.
McCoy has previously dealt with a filing of contempt after continuing indoor services despite a court injunction.
Prior to delivering his sermon, McCoy played a Fox News clip of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who quipped that churches should reopen as a “temporary strip club.”
“I don’t have a lot of experience with the strip clubs,” Huckabee joked. “I do have quite a bit of experience with churches…and I would think it’s ridiculous to say that people are safer in a strip club than they are at church.”
Huckabee continued quipping that churches must “announce their pastor will remove his tie during the sermon, and therefore he will take off an article of clothing making it a temporary strip club so that people will be able to go to church.”
In response to the clip, McCoy had music played as he broke out in a clean version of a “striptease” before removing his tie. Meanwhile, the congregation raised $1 bills and cheered him on.
“This is insane!” McCoy said afterward. “Cannot America see the hypocrisy and the stupidity of all this?” You’re being lied to.”
“We are finished with your tyranny and we are going to enjoy Thanksgiving and we’re going to worship God. Open your churches!” he declared as the church applauded.
In a similar fashion, senior pastor of Awaken Church Jurgen Matthesius did a “striptease” before his sermon in response to the ruling by the San Diego judge.
“STRIP CLUBS (Not Churches) are exempt from the COVID lockdowns, and are deemed essential by our governor!” he wrote on Instagram.
“Soooooo... we decided we are NOW AWAKEN FAMILY FRIENDLY STRIP CLUB! (Where we strip the devil of his hold, power & authority over people’s lives!),” he quipped. “Enjoy the intro to the preach today!”
Photo courtesy: ©David Clark/SparrowStock
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
