Jentezen Franklin, Senior Pastor of Free Chapel Church in Gainesville, Georgia criticized the new COVID-19 health guideline as an attempt to "control church" and urged Christians to "vote their faith."
Franklin believes California's COVID-19 health guideline that bans churches to allow singing and chanting is an assault on religious freedom.
Franklin tweeted, "California's Governor just banned singing/chanting at church. Catholics can't recite mass; Evangelicals can't worship out loud. The very definition of discrimination is to allow thousands to march and scream without masks while telling churches 100 or less that you cannot sing."
"Christians must realize the radical left will restrict & control church if we don't vote our faith this November! Are you registered to vote your faith?" Franklin commented on his Twitter post.
Other evangelical leaders like Tony Suarez, a Chief operating officer of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, agree with Franklin in that the banning of singing and chanting in churches threatens their religious freedom.
"I'll go to jail before I'll stop singing to my God! This just turned into our Daniel chapter six moment. California has just banned singing/chanting in houses of worship," Suarez wrote on his Twitter post.
California's Department of Public Health placed a ban on singing and chanting at places of worship after a recent drastic increase in COVID-19 cases in California.
"In particular, activities such as singing and chanting negate the risk reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing," health officials advised in the updated COVID-19 health guidelines.
"Places of worship must, therefore, discontinue singing and chanting activities and limit indoor attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower."
