Lieutenant governor tells NC pastors: COVID-19 limits part of culture war against Christianity

Forest, a Republican running this year for governor, cast stay-at-home restrictions limiting indoor church gatherings in North Carolina as part of a larger, escalating culture war against religious freedom.

"There is no doubt that there are people that are on the left that are using this to pull certain levers to see how far that they can go," Forest said. "How far are they able to push? How long can they keep churches shut down? How long will Christians be silent on this matter before they stand up?"

Forest didn't implicate Gov. Roy Cooper by name during the call, but it's the governor who signed an executive order in North Carolina limiting indoor church services to 10 people or fewer and encouraging outdoor meetings instead.

Forest said during the Thursday call that he actually thinks Cooper – a professed Christian himself – will relax the order soon. The state is scheduled to move into the next phase of its plan to resume business and social activities as soon as next Friday, if it hits coronavirus testing and other targets.

But it's not just about the order, Forest said, but "what's going to happen in the future."

"I think we are really preparing, as a church, for what's going to go down beyond this, when the next thing happens," he said. "Are we going to be prepared for this push that's going to come against religious freedom?"

The lieutenant governor told the pastors that the best thing they can do is make sure their people are registered to vote and that they do so. He said COVID-19 shutdowns can be "the catalyst" to push back against years of culture war attacks but that, if they don't inspire Christians to act, nothing will.

"This is your last chance," he said. "This is your last chance to motivate the church."

The call was organized by the North Carolina Renewal Project and hosted by Pastor Neal Jackson of Beulah Baptist Church in Bennett. Jackson has written several books, including one titled "The Coming Destruction of America."

WRAL asked the Lieutenant Governor's Office and teh Forest campaign on Friday afternoon to confirm that Forest indeed believes the left is intentionally using COVID-19 restrictions as a way to harm churches and whether he is accusing Cooper specifically.

Forest campaign spokesman Andrew Dunn responded via email, but all he did was quote Article 1, Section 13 of the state constitution: "All persons have a natural and inalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and no human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience."

Cooper campaign spokeswoman Liz Doherty said Friday that "our faith should bring us together."

"It's unfortunate that politicians like Dan Forest use faith to tear us apart," Doherty said via email.

The governor and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, noted that churches represent a different risk than stores when it comes to COVID-19 and the virus that causes it. People move around in stores. They typically sit for an hour or more in church, and the closer proximity means a higher risk for viral infection.