Believers and the COVID-19 crisis
The present crisis surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic has become a very contentious and polarizing issue – particularly when it comes to decisions as to whether churches should continue to hold public worship services.
On social media, blogs, articles and other venues, many have been careful, thoughtful and balanced in their observations and commentary. On the other hand, some have tended to judge and demonize those who come to different conclusions about how to handle this personally and corporately (as a local fellowship of believers).
On the one hand, some insist that policies and procedures that are being implemented by the administration are part of a power-grab by the government, resulting in the infringement of the constitutional right of assembly with recommendations and/or restrictions concerning the size of public gatherings. Some who share this view are accusing those who are suspending church services of giving in to fear and government overreach, rather than trusting the Lord and obeying Him rather than man (Acts 4:19) since, as believers, we’re not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb 10:25).
At the same time, there are others who say that those who are determined to defy the government by keeping churches open and having regular services are failing to sufficiently care about the well-being of others (Phil 2:4), especially the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions which may put them at high risk for sickness and even death. Another concern is that the pastors and churches are failing to recognize that Scripture teaches believers to submit to those in authority, understanding that those authorities are appointed by God (Romans 13).
So, in response to this and the general challenges presented by the crisis, here are some things that I think we should keep in mind in the coming days (in no particular order).
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My observation is that wherever one falls along the spectrum of responses everyone is trying to do what they believe is wise and godly – and so we need to be kind and gracious enough to give some room for disagreement among believers without engaging in hurtful rhetoric against one another.
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The right to assemble itself isn’t being taken away. Rather, it is the manner in which such an assembly might take place that is being restricted.
If people attempt to assemble (even peacefully) inside the fence surrounding the White House, they will quickly find that there are reasonable limits and restrictions to the constitutional right to assembly. If 20 people try to regularly step into an elevator rated for 10 people, safety-based restrictions will come into play. Similarly, if a local fellowship of believers tries to have a worship service in a new church building before an occupancy permit has been issued, they will be stopped – possibly by forceful intervention by local authorities, if necessary.
So, we may just need to figure out other creative ways to assemble – especially if this goes on for many more weeks or months.
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The recommendations and/or restrictions coming from the government with guidance from healthcare professionals are presently temporary. These decisions don’t represent permanent changes driven by an agenda to radically re-make life in the United States.
We just don’t know how long the present situation may last because of the ongoing evolution of the crisis, but there is no reason to panic at the moment. Conspiracy theories, even if they have some basis in fact, don’t usually lead to rational thinking or helpful and appropriate courses of action.
I think that believers can comply with government rules for at least the sake of others – both in our churches and in our communities. We need to remember that we don’t want to bring the name of the Lord and the reputation of our churches into disrepute as our communities are watching how Christians handle this.
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As the situation evolves, the way each person and church handles it will continue to evolve – and we shouldn’t judge or demonize individuals or churches concerning how they are choosing to deal with it at the moment. Everyone is dealing with this on a day-by-day and week-by-week basis.
For example, our church (located in Paris, Illinois) has a specific plan for the next couple of weeks that is based on guidance and restrictions put in place by the state government. Even those needed to be adjusted from one day to the next as the limit on gatherings was changed from 50 to just 10. If the situation continues or becomes even more restrictive, then we will begin to put a longer-term strategy into place.
While we may think that some are overreacting while others are under-reacting, that’s largely a matter of perspective and context. For example, some churches have congregations that are largely over the age of 50, or even 60 – while others may be made up mostly of those who are much younger, on average.
Also, there’s a difference between a church of 50 members versus a church with 250 members versus a church with 2500 members.
Even within a given church, there are different situations that must be considered. Many of us have elderly parents in poor health that we need to care for. In my case, although my sister lives near my parents and cares for them regularly, I am basically on-call 24/7 in case they need additional help as they have in the last couple of weeks, and I need to be careful about public exposure in case I might become a carrier of the Coronavirus, even if I don’t become sick myself.
Each person and each church needs to handle this in a way that is appropriate for them – and we need to be careful about “arm-chair quarterbacking” the decisions made by other believers.
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 that love believes and hopes all things. So, we need to assume the best about those responsible for these decisions and not the worst.
It doesn’t help to accuse other believers of acting out of fear rather than faith and wisdom. And, it doesn’t help to accuse others of disobeying God (concerning assembling together), when their motivation is to obey God in the best way possible.
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Christians are not being singled out in the present crisis – we are not being targeted. And so this isn’t anti-Christian persecution.
We do know that we live in perilous times, that there is a lot of anti-Christian sentiment out there. And as we move deeper into the last days we know that things are going to get worse for believers until the Lord calls us home. But the government restrictions as they presently stand don’t represent persecution.
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We need to keep those in any leadership capacity in prayer (1 Timothy ch 2) – whether they be in government, business, local churches or ministries. This will likely get worse before it gets better and a lot more difficult decisions are going to need to be made at every level.
It’s always easy to try to second-guess decisions, especially difficult ones. The fact is that unless we’re in that position, with those responsibilities and the information they have, we don’t know exactly what we would do – and so we need to guard our hearts and minds against becoming too critical or too cynical.
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Speaking of prayer, remember to keep missionaries in prayer for a wide variety of reasons. Many are serving the Lord in places where neither supplies (both food and hygienic) nor medical care are available in the way they are in the United States.
Some short-term missionaries are still stranded and trying to get back to the U.S.
Depending on how long this continues, many career missionaries are facing serious decisions, as well as financial challenges as support is likely to decrease for a variety of reasons.
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The present crisis, especially if it deepens in the coming days, provides a tremendous opportunity for the church to truly be the church. We have a unique opportunity before us to demonstrate our love in some very tangible ways as we care for one another within the Body of Christ – as well as for unsaved neighbors, family, and friends – who may well be fearful and in need.
And, speaking of unsaved neighbors, family and friends, as important it is to meet physical and emotional needs, of greater importance is meeting spiritual needs. The Lord often uses difficult times to bring the lost to Himself – and He can use us in that process if we’re sensitive and open to being used.
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And finally, one of the things that I frequently say when unexpected things happen is, “This didn’t catch the Lord by surprise.” Things often catch me by surprise – I didn’t see them coming, but He did.
The Lord is always in control – and He is loving, gracious and kind. So, we know that we can trust him in every situation – meaning there’s no reason to be anxious for anything.
We can also spend more time in prayer – and make our needs known to him, but always with a thankful heart (Philippians ch. 4).