A pastor attending the economic shutdown protest in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Monday said that Gov. Tom Wolf (D) is a “tyrant” who has “absolutely exceeded his authority.”
Joel Saint, pastor of Independence Reformed Bible Church, told Breitbart News on Monday that he showed up to the protest to communicate and network with other pastors who understand that the governor has “absolutely exceeded his authority” and acknowledge that the Bible is the book that “sets the limits on political authority.”
“We believe that Christ set all authority,” he explained, noting that there “is no such thing as legitimate authority outside of Jesus Christ.”
The U.S. is not a monarchy, “that’s why we have legislation, that’s why we have written constitutions to limit the power and the authority of tyrannical people and yes, this governor is a tyrant,” he declared.
Saint said his own son, who works in the car business, has been affected by the shutdown and is now “without income.”
“And you know what? We’re not thrilled with taking other people’s money in the form of these stimulus checks — doesn’t really make us feel all that good,” he said, blasting socialism.
“How about this? How about you stop taking our money, and I won’t ask for any of it back,” he pitched.
His remark spurred an “amen” from onlookers, who added that welfare “is not a way of life.”
The pastor added that welfare is job of the church and family, telling Breitbart News, “It’s not the job of the state, because the state takes it away by force.”
“The church and the family give it away voluntarily. No more state-sponsored welfare. It’s unbiblical and ungodly and needs to stop,” he said.
“People should be held accountable,” he continued, adding that he concerned by the knee-jerk reactions to the virus in the U.S.
“China may have started this whole thing, but right now I’m not worried about the coronavirus. I’m worried about the hype surrounding the coronavirus,” he said. “I’m worried about all the rights that have been taken away from people because of the coronavirus.”
“I’m not concentrating on China right now. I’m concentrating on the US of A and Gov. Wolf, who are overreacting, overreaching, and destroying their neighbors,” he added.