On Sunday, Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, broke his house arrest to hold church services.
Spell was placed under house arrest on Saturday after he allegedly wouldn’t properly answer District Judge Fred Crifasi, who twice asked the pastor if he would “comply with state orders that limit the number of people who can gather in one place at the same time,” reports <a href="https://www.wafb.com/2020/04/25/la-pastor-tony-spell-placed-house-arrest/">WAFB</a>.
The house arrest follows weeks of Spell defying state orders pertaining to large gatherings, as well as an incident on April 19 in which he allegedly backed up his church bus to within feet of a protester before suddenly stopping.
Video footage from multiple sources shows not only the incident with the bus, but one in which a white pickup truck swerves to within feet of the protester before appearing to enter the church parking lot.
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According to <a href="https://m.facebook.com/383047095777294/posts/678365499578784/">Central Police</a>, following the issuance of an <a href="https://m.facebook.com/383047095777294/posts/678035926278408/">arrest warrant</a>, Spell turned himself in, and was arrested for “aggravated assault” and “improper backing.” Central Police add that Spell “was also a fugitive with outstanding traffic warrants in the city of Zachary and East Baton Rouge Parish.”
Spell later left the jail after bail was posted.
“Spell admitted in an interview with WAFB that he was driving the bus and said he simply wanted to get out and confront the protester, but his wife convinced him otherwise,” according to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tony-spell-pastor-arrest-warrant-louisiana-coronavirus-ban/">CBS News</a>.
Additionally, Central Police had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">previously served</a> Spell with “a misdemeanor summons for six counts of violating the governor&#8217;s executive order (LA R.S. 29:724E) following his decision to host multiple large gatherings.”
The Advocate <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/coronavirus/article_5b239e82-8689-11ea-866b-032af306766b.html">reports</a> that “one condition of Spell’s release” was that the pastor “refrain from any and all criminal conduct, including but not limited to strictly abiding by the all emergency orders issued by the Governor of the State of Louisiana.”
However, as a result of Spell’s alleged refusal to answer the judge directly as to whether he would comply, the pastor was placed under house arrest and given an ankle monitor.
According to <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/coronavirus/article_9723ecae-87d1-11ea-adac-e36fdc6742a9.html?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twittertheadvocatebr&amp;utm_campaign=snd">The Advocate</a>: “The house arrest order and condition he remains on his property about 50 yards from the church and refrains from criminal activity – including violating the state&#8217;s ban on gatherings – stem from the assault charge.”
A <a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=180594766383329&amp;id=192881377788&amp;_rdr">Facebook livestream</a> from Sunday shows Spell entering Life Tabernacle to great applause. As congregants wept and cheered, Spell walked to the stage with his ankle monitor visible below his right pant leg, holding a bible high above his head.
After singing a few solos, Spell began speaking.
“We’re gonna practice social distancing. If you ain’t from the same house, don’t touch. If you ain’t afraid, this is a free country, do what you do,” the pastor stated. Spell also displayed and adjusted his ankle monitor, and said, “We’re not hiding anymore. It’s a dirty, rotten, crying shame when you have to hide in America.”
He later added that “the virus don’t have a brain, but we can bind fear right now. God gave you an immune system to kill that virus. You gonna need it. So I’m not gonna bind the virus, I’m gonna bind the spirit of fear in America right now.”
Spell posted the following photo to his personal Facebook page the day after Easter Sunday, showing parishioners packed together near the front of the church:
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According to the <a href="http://ldh.la.gov/coronavirus/">Louisiana Department of Health</a>, there have been a reported 1,670 deaths related to COVID-19 in the state.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-gov-grossly-irresponsible-for-church-leader-tony-spell-and-congregants-to-gather-during-covid-19-pandemic">Louisiana Gov: ‘Grossly Irresponsible’ For Church Leader Tony Spell And Congregants To Gather During COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

Tony Spell

Pastor Tony Spell Breaks House Arrest Order, Holds Large Service Wearing Ankle Monitor

COVID

Louisiana

On Wednesday, TMZ uploaded a video in which they interview Pastor Tony Spell, the leader of Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana. Spell has made a national name for himself in recent weeks as he has continued to hold large church services despite state social distancing orders.
TMZ asked Spell what he would say if a congregant died of COVID-19 having attended a Life Tabernacle gathering. “Would you feel like you have blood on your hands or no?”
Spell replied, first quoting scripture. “Yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil for God is with us.”
The pastor then added that “the Bible teaches us to be absent from our bodies is to be present with the Lord. So, like any revolutionary, or like any zealot, or like any pure religious person, death looks to them like a welcomed friend.”
This led to the following exchange with TMZ:
<blockquote>TMZ: You&#8217;re saying that they wouldn&#8217;t mind if they died?
SPELL: True Christians do not mind dying. They fear living in fear, [cowardice] of their convictions.
TMZ: So you’re saying that you think that your parishioners would prefer to come to the service and potentially get coronavirus and die than not come to the service and be fine?
SPELL: A people that can prefer disgrace to danger are headed for a master and deserve one. People that prefer tyranny over freedom do not deserve freedom. People have been locked in their homes for 23 days now, like prisoners. The only vent that they have to their emotion is coming to the house of God and worshiping like free people.</blockquote>
TMZ asked Spell why the church can’t simply meet “on Zoom,” adding that God is “everywhere.”
Spell said that it “does not work,” and that if it did, “why did America spend billions and billions of dollars on churches?”
One final time, TMZ asked Spell what he would tell the family of a congregant who died of COVID-19. The pastor replied that this hypothetical person “died like free people fighting for their convictions.”
Spell then said that his congregants pass away from sickness such as “cancer, HIV, AIDS, [and] heart disease.” TMZ noted that COVID-19 is “preventable,” to which the pastor responded:
<blockquote>Well, who knows what is preventable? &#8230; God gave us a strong immune system, and the only way we&#8217;re going to destroy this virus is for – they say everybody&#8217;s gonna get it. Then if everybody&#8217;s gonna get it, then let&#8217;s get on with life.</blockquote>
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On Palm Sunday, Spell held services despite having <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">been served</a> days earlier with a “misdemeanor summons for six counts of violating the governor’s executive order,” according to Central Police Department Chief Roger Corcoran.
While Spell reportedly told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/05/us/church-services-palm-sunday-coronavirus-trnd/index.html">CNN</a> that approximately 1,220 people attended his two Sunday services, Chief Corcoran told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-pastor-cited-defying-coronavirus-order-hosts-hundreds-palm-sunday-n1177751">NBC News</a> that the pastor has been padding the numbers: “At the most, he had 500. Between the two.”
The spotlight has been focused on Spell as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The pastor has refused to suspend large church gatherings despite the virus infecting hundreds of thousands of Americans, and leading to the deaths of more than 19,800 people, according to <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">data</a> from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map.
During a recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">interview</a> with CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Spell said that he and his congregants are following a “command from God” to assemble, and that “there are no governing bodies that can tell us we cannot gather and worship freely.”
When asked by Blackwell if his position was consistent with his alleged pro-life values, Spell replied:
<blockquote>My response to that is people’s hope is in the house of God. If they do contract the virus, if they have fears of the virus, the church is more essential now than ever to pray with people, to let them know there is a balm in Gilead. There is a physician in Jesus Christ. He is the healer. He said, “Come unto me, all you that are wearing heavy laden, let me give you rest.” So, we were supposed to be at a million and a half body bags. We’re at 8,400. So, the narrative is false, Victor.</blockquote>
Blackwell noted that the friends and families of the 8,400 who had died at the time of the interview likely wouldn’t appreciate Spell’s attitude.
In a Facebook post on March 31, Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">stated in part</a>:
<blockquote>Instead of showing the strength and resilience of our community during this difficult time, Mr. Spell has chosen to embarrass us for his own self-promotion. 
Mr. Spell will have his day in court where he will be held responsible for his reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community. </blockquote>
Corcoran concluded: “This is not an issue over religious liberty, and it’s not about politics. We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community’s leaders to set a positive example and follow the law.”
Speaking with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-easter-usa-idUSKCN21S10Y">Reuters</a> about upcoming Easter Sunday services, Pastor Spell said that the congregation isn’t “afraid,” that “Satan and a virus will not stop us,” and “God will shield us from all harm and sickness.”

Worship

Pastor Holding Large Services Despite Distancing Order: ‘True Christians Do Not Mind Dying’

On Sunday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Tapper first asked Edwards to explain to him the issues with ventilator supplies in the state.
“Your model&#8217;s current projection shows that New Orleans could reach 2,500 new hospitalizations per day at its peak around the end of April,” Tapper said. “You said on Friday that you could theoretically run out of ventilators on Tuesday. Is Louisiana really just 48 hours away from Louisianians dying from coronavirus because you don&#8217;t have enough ventilators?”
Edwards replied, first noting that people are already dying. According to the models, which reportedly shift each day as new data is gathered, the expected date at which ventilator capacity will be exceeded is now “probably around the 9th of April,” Edwards said.
The governor then stressed the importance of slowing the spread via social distancing:
<blockquote>So, as we achieve success in slowing the rate of spread, we also push out that date. And critically important is the number of people who will present to the hospital and not be able to get a vent or a bed is a smaller number. So, we&#8217;re encouraging everyone in Louisiana to take social distancing, the stay-at-home order, very seriously because that&#8217;s how we&#8217;re going to save people&#8217;s lives at the end of the day.</blockquote>
Later in the segment, Tapper brought up Pastor Tony Spell of the Life Tabernacle Church in Louisiana.
“Even though [Spell] was issued a misdemeanor summons for continuing to hold church services, Pastor Spell told CNN just today that he&#8217;s still planning on holding church services this morning,” Tapper said. “Obviously, this is a dire health threat. You have made that very clear to all of the people in Louisiana. Should police break up this large gathering that violates your executive order?”
Governor Edwards responded, saying “we&#8217;re not going to enforce our way out of this.”
He continued, calling it “grossly irresponsible” for large groups to congregate:
<blockquote>Now, I&#8217;m still calling upon him to be a leader. He is a leader in the faith community – and I&#8217;m calling upon those parishioners to not go, because it is grossly irresponsible. There is not a setting more conducive to the spread of the virus, as far as I know &#8230; like we have when we have church services with people sitting in close proximity to one another for an hour or two at a time. And so it is irresponsible. Obviously, he is violating the order. He has been served a summons on that. I would hope that he would stop. And law enforcement has this very much in their sights. And I support the actions that they&#8217;re taking.</blockquote>
Edwards pivoted to praise those who are following social distancing guidelines, telling Tapper that the “overwhelming majority” of Louisiana’s 4,500 churches are doing their part, as are businesses.
“I&#8217;m appealing to Pastor Spell to do the right thing,” Edwards stated. “And thus far, he has not. It&#8217;s very disappointing. But the vast majority of pastors out there are doing the right thing.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Louisiana Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards says it is &#8220;grossly irresponsible&#8221; to hold church services right now <a href="https://t.co/pbRPUwHMK4">pic.twitter.com/pbRPUwHMK4</a>
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1246996279109931009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
During an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">interview with CNN</a> on Sunday, Pastor Tony Spell said that Life Tabernacle had hosted 1,800 congregants last Sunday, and would hold services again this Sunday. Spell added that Christians have “a command from God” to “assemble together.”
When asked by anchor Victor Blackwell if keeping the doors to the church open was a “pro-life” position, Spell replied:
<blockquote>My response to that is people’s hope is in the house of God. If they do contract the virus, if they have fears of the virus, the church is more essential now than ever to pray with people, to let them know there is a balm in Gilead. There is a physician in Jesus Christ. He is the healer. He said, “Come unto me, all you that are wearing heavy laden, let me give you rest.” So, we were supposed to be at a million and a half body bags. We’re at 8,400. So, the narrative is false, Victor.</blockquote>
In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">Facebook post</a> about the “misdemeanor summons” issued to Spell, Central Police Department Chief Roger Corcoran stated in part: “Instead of showing the strength and resilience of our community during this difficult time, Mr. Spell has chosen to embarrass us for his own self-promotion.”
“Mr. Spell will have his day in court where he will be held responsible for his reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community,” Corcoran continued. “This is not an issue over religious liberty, and it’s not about politics. We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community’s leaders to set a positive example and follow the law.”
As of Saturday, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has seen 656 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 22 deaths, according to <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">data</a> from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. The virus has infected more than 335,500 Americans, leading to 9,458 deaths.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-cited-for-holding-massive-church-services-despite-covid-19-we-have-a-command-from-god-to-assemble-together">Pastor Cited For Holding Massive Church Services Despite COVID-19: We Have A ‘Command From God’ To ‘Assemble Together’</a>

John Bel Edwards

Louisiana Gov: ‘Grossly Irresponsible’ For Church Leader Tony Spell And Congregants To Gather During COVID-19 Pandemic

On Sunday, Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, appeared on CNN with anchor Victor Blackwell to discuss the controversy surrounding his church and its continued defiance of social distancing orders.
Spell was recently served a “misdemeanor summons for six counts of violating the governor’s executive order,” according to Central Police Department Chief Roger Corcoran, yet Spell has continued to hold massive church services.
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Blackwell first asked Spell if the church would be congregating on Sunday morning, to which Spell responded in the affirmative:
<blockquote>Yes, sir. At 10:00 a.m. We will actually run our buses. We have 27 buses that we cover a 50 mile radius of our city. We bring people into the house of God, feed them, feed them both natural food and spiritual food, and then we go back into our respective places&#8230;</blockquote>
When Blackwell asked Spell how many congregants attended services last Sunday, and how many he expected this Sunday, Spell claimed that 1,800 attended previously, but that he wasn’t sure how many would attend the upcoming service.
“This Sunday, with the fear that&#8217;s been propagated into the hearts of my people, I don&#8217;t know, but it may have had the adverse effect, and we may have more people today than last week,” Spell stated.
Blackwell and Spell then engaged in the following exchange in which the pastor said that he believes the “science of this,” but he is following “a command from God.”
<blockquote>BLACKWELL: So, there is an order from the governor there, John Bel Edwards in Louisiana, barring gatherings of 50 or more. The scientists who advise him suggest that those gatherings put the people who will be coming to your church, the 1,800 last week and whomever will show up this week, in danger. Do you believe them?
SPELL: We believe the science of this, Victor. However, we do have a command from God, and there are no governing bodies that can tell us we cannot gather and worship freely.
BLACKWELL: But do you believe the science? Do you believe the science that people who are in these large gatherings close together are at a greater risk of contracting this deadly disease, this virus? Do you believe the science?
SPELL: Yes, we believe the science. We also believe that 99.3, which the science says of the people that contract it, a lot of them don&#8217;t even know they have it and recover &#8230; with that also, we’re more interested – people have been locked up in their homes for 22 days now – suicide, domestic violence, starvation – and the hope is the last stronghold in those people&#8217;s lives, Victor.</blockquote>
Blackwell followed up on Spell’s response by asking the pastor if he is pro-life. Spell said that he is indeed pro-life.
“How is this a pro-life stance to put people in jeopardy of contracting a disease, getting a virus that has no treatment, no cure, often has no symptoms, and has killed more than &#8230; 8,500 people this morning in our country in five weeks?” Blackwell asked.
Spell responded:
<blockquote>My response to that is people&#8217;s hope is in the house of God. If they do contract the virus, if they have fears of the virus, the church is more essential now than ever to pray with people, to let them know there is a balm in Gilead. There is a physician in Jesus Christ. He is the healer. He said, &#8220;Come unto me, all you that are wearing heavy laden, let me give you rest.&#8221; So, we were supposed to be at a million and a half body bags. We&#8217;re at 8,400. So, the narrative is false, Victor.</blockquote>
The CNN anchor moved on, first implying that the friends and families of the dead might not appreciate Spell’s “just at 8,400” deaths remark, then asking about the citations from the police department.
“You&#8217;ve been cited several times and could face 90 days in jail for each citation, a $500 fine,” Blackwell noted.
Blackwell then quoted Chief Corcoran, who stated in part: “This is not an issue over religious liberty, and it&#8217;s not about politics. We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community’s leaders to set a positive example and follow the law.”
Corcoran also stated: “Instead of showing the strength and resilience of our community during this difficult time, Mr. Spell has chosen to embarrass us for his own self-promotion.”
“Is this about self-promotion?” Blackwell asked.
Spell said that the services are not about self-promotion, and that he continues to hold them “because the word of God commands us to assemble together.” The pastor then claimed that “this is an attack on religious liberty in the greatest nation in the world.”
Concluding the segment, Blackwell asked Spell what the distinction is between his church and other congregations around the world that are “holding services online.”
“One word: conviction,” Spell said. “Neither the pressure of our friends, family, lawsuit, jail, or death will stop us from operating our convictions, which is, let us go into the house of the Lord. This is the most important place in our life.”
“If this were about deaths,” the pastor claimed, “then every door in this city would be closed.”
Spell added that his attorneys, including former Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, “are gathering &#8230; information right now” presumably in order to argue against the citations.
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As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-church-continues-large-services-despite-covid-19-safety-orders-from-governor">previously reported</a>, on March 17, Spell held services “with more than 300 in attendance,” according to the pastor. Spell <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/31/us/louisiana-pastor-arrest-tony-spell/index.html">also claims</a> that approximately 1,000 people attended services on the following Sunday, March 22.
<blockquote>Spell said COVID-19 doesn’t “concern” him, reports <a href="https://www.kalb.com/content/news/Louisiana-pastor-defies-governor-welcomes-large-gathering-into-church-service-568888381.html">WAFB</a>. “The virus, we believe, is politically motivated. We hold our religious rights dear and we are going to assemble no matter what someone says,” Spell reportedly stated.</blockquote>
As of Saturday, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has seen 656 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 22 deaths, according to <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">data</a> from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. The virus has infected more than 335,500 Americans, leading to 9,458 deaths.
In Orleans and Jefferson, there have been a combined 7,154 cases and 274 deaths as of publication.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-church-continues-large-services-despite-covid-19-safety-orders-from-governor">Louisiana Church Continues Large Services Despite COVID-19 Safety Orders From Governor</a>

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Tony Spell

Pastor Tony Spell Breaks House Arrest Order, Holds Large Service Wearing Ankle Monitor

Pastor Holding Large Services Despite Distancing Order: ‘True Christians Do Not Mind Dying’

Louisiana Gov: ‘Grossly Irresponsible’ For Church Leader Tony Spell And Congregants To Gather During COVID-19 Pandemic

Pastor Cited For Holding Massive Church Services Despite COVID-19: We Have A ‘Command From God’ To ‘Assemble Together’