According to The Christian Post, well-known pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City Tim Keller is speaking out against the ban on church use of public school facilities. Keller said he was “grieved” by the impact of the ban and hopes the city will reverse its decision, which goes into effect February 12.
“It is my conviction that those churches housed in schools are invaluable assets to the neighborhoods that they serve,” said Keller in a statement. “Churches have long been seen as positive additions to communities. Family stability, resources for those in need, and compassion for the marginalized are all positive influences that neighborhood churches provide.”
Keller also expressed his dissatisfaction with the wording of the courts’ decision, which claimed that using a facility for worship “consecrates” it as a church. “This is an erroneous theological judgment,” Keller argued. “I know of no Christian church or denomination that believes that merely holding a service in a building somehow ‘consecrates’ it, setting it apart from all common or profane use. To base a legal opinion on such a superstitious view is surely invalid.”
The New York Senate has recently passed a bill allowing churches to rent space in public schools for worship, but the fate of the bill is still uncertain. Saddleback Church’s pastor Rick Warren also tweeted about the ban, asking Twitter-users to tweet NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg to reverse the decision.
