The pastor of a megachurch in Florida agreed to suspend in-person worship after being arrested for leading a service during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne was arrested on Monday after he led a Sunday service at The River in Tampa Bay, Florida. Howard-Browne’s service breached laws prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people during the coronavirus outbreak. During his radio show on Wednesday, Howard-Browne agreed to suspend future services.
“I actually have no choice at this juncture but to shut the church down this Sunday,” he explained. “I have to do this to protect the congregation — not from the virus but from a tyrannical government.”
Howard-Browne was released from jail on $500 bail on Monday. He blamed the World Health Organization for his predicament, saying, “The World Health Organization has come in and is using a pandemic to take over not just America, but the whole of the world.”
At the time of his arrest, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister condemned Howard-Browne for endangering the 4,000 members in his church, adding, “His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk, and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week, in danger.”
