Now that we are creeping up on spring, I would like to look back on this past year with an appraising eye. There are lessons learned -- difficult lessons, and they're not all done yet. Unlike the man who lost his deer-meat because he failed to preserve it ("The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt", Proverbs 12:27), I don't want to lose what I've learned.
If I emphasize any one lesson, it's that God very much wants me to show mercy.
We all as a national evangelical church were suddenly called-upon, in a short period of time, to respond to something with which few of us had any practical or scientific experience. Everyone was scrambling. In addition, early on we were not as a nation receiving consistent guidance.
There was a lot that simply wasn't known yet. Some of the ambiguity came from both media and government, as reports over-emphasized, under-emphasized, misstated, erred, omitted facts, or just honestly didn't have certain answers yet. All us regular people were dealing with all of this. It felt like playing team badminton in the fog.
Churches struggled to form a response to the disease, partly because of how congregationalism works. Congregational churches are run democratically. I'm not apologizing for this. I don't believe in government by kings, popes, or authoritarian church boards. Democracy is a good thing. But democracy means that it takes churches longer to get into gear when something extraordinary happens.
Democracy also forces us to work toward achieving consensus on hard subjects. Hammering out a group response among non-experts, on a difficult subject, in a democratic setting creates more total buy-in at the end (which is extremely important), but it causes a lot of stress while it's happening. We went through this very thing.
Looking back, I came to think that U.S. Christians listen to too many worldly voices. The apostle Paul wrote, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy" (Colossians 2:8). In a similar vein, Solomon said, "Guard your heart with all diligence, because from it flows the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). I speak here of any non-Christian philosophical influence.
Non-Christian op-ed writers, media influencers, even entertainment companies sometimes say good things. But they are not trying to filter their thoughts through God's Word. They are not trying to advance God's kingdom. Some of them were spreading insane things, like QAnon. Non-Christian media influencers lead us astray. I too was influenced in this way.
As best I could tell, most of the churches around us have doing their best to respond. Churches I know set up distanced seating, cleaned their buildings diligently, limited occupancy, and provided sanitizer and breath-masks at the doors. Many, including us, temporarily stopped live meetings completely. We cracked open windows, propped open the doors, and blew fresh air through. We wiped down handles and surfaces. Of course, this could not protect our people Monday through Saturday -- you can catch something all week long -- but our building has been clean, because our people worked hard at it.
There was also freedom to make choices. One church chooses to have live Sunday meetings, but requires masks. So, they have the help of the masks, but someone could still catch something because of being with other people. Another local church requires a mask to enter, but allows you to unmask after you are seated. So, there is some greater degree of lobby protection, but less protection once singing starts. But they also meet in a big, airy building. A third church I know still isn't meeting, and will not meet live until this coming summer. So, there is no chance of catching anything there, but it appears they haven't been been together as a distinct congregation for over a year.
All these churches' leaders showed sensitivity to the danger, and all devised a response, using most of the recommended methods. But each church chose to set somewhat different limits.
I recognize my own ignorance. I do not know every church's room architecture, air flow, HVAC systems, seating capacity, congregational health, or ages in attendance. I do not know how much unanimity existed on each leadership team, or within each congregation, or how much they were able to achieve unanimity. I have some personal opinions and preferences, but Christ in Scripture says I'm not supposed to condemn people. After all, I also changed my mind about certain topics over time, too. So, within reason, I don't want to point a finger. These are reasons why mercy should triumph over judgment (James 2:13). Mercy will last, long after COVID is gone.
If I emphasize any one lesson, it's that God very much wants me to show mercy.
We all as a national evangelical church were suddenly called-upon, in a short period of time, to respond to something with which few of us had any practical or scientific experience. Everyone was scrambling. In addition, early on we were not as a nation receiving consistent guidance.
There was a lot that simply wasn't known yet. Some of the ambiguity came from both media and government, as reports over-emphasized, under-emphasized, misstated, erred, omitted facts, or just honestly didn't have certain answers yet. All us regular people were dealing with all of this. It felt like playing team badminton in the fog.
Churches struggled to form a response to the disease, partly because of how congregationalism works. Congregational churches are run democratically. I'm not apologizing for this. I don't believe in government by kings, popes, or authoritarian church boards. Democracy is a good thing. But democracy means that it takes churches longer to get into gear when something extraordinary happens.
Democracy also forces us to work toward achieving consensus on hard subjects. Hammering out a group response among non-experts, on a difficult subject, in a democratic setting creates more total buy-in at the end (which is extremely important), but it causes a lot of stress while it's happening. We went through this very thing.
Looking back, I came to think that U.S. Christians listen to too many worldly voices. The apostle Paul wrote, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy" (Colossians 2:8). In a similar vein, Solomon said, "Guard your heart with all diligence, because from it flows the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). I speak here of any non-Christian philosophical influence.
Non-Christian op-ed writers, media influencers, even entertainment companies sometimes say good things. But they are not trying to filter their thoughts through God's Word. They are not trying to advance God's kingdom. Some of them were spreading insane things, like QAnon. Non-Christian media influencers lead us astray. I too was influenced in this way.
As best I could tell, most of the churches around us have doing their best to respond. Churches I know set up distanced seating, cleaned their buildings diligently, limited occupancy, and provided sanitizer and breath-masks at the doors. Many, including us, temporarily stopped live meetings completely. We cracked open windows, propped open the doors, and blew fresh air through. We wiped down handles and surfaces. Of course, this could not protect our people Monday through Saturday -- you can catch something all week long -- but our building has been clean, because our people worked hard at it.
There was also freedom to make choices. One church chooses to have live Sunday meetings, but requires masks. So, they have the help of the masks, but someone could still catch something because of being with other people. Another local church requires a mask to enter, but allows you to unmask after you are seated. So, there is some greater degree of lobby protection, but less protection once singing starts. But they also meet in a big, airy building. A third church I know still isn't meeting, and will not meet live until this coming summer. So, there is no chance of catching anything there, but it appears they haven't been been together as a distinct congregation for over a year.
All these churches' leaders showed sensitivity to the danger, and all devised a response, using most of the recommended methods. But each church chose to set somewhat different limits.
I recognize my own ignorance. I do not know every church's room architecture, air flow, HVAC systems, seating capacity, congregational health, or ages in attendance. I do not know how much unanimity existed on each leadership team, or within each congregation, or how much they were able to achieve unanimity. I have some personal opinions and preferences, but Christ in Scripture says I'm not supposed to condemn people. After all, I also changed my mind about certain topics over time, too. So, within reason, I don't want to point a finger. These are reasons why mercy should triumph over judgment (James 2:13). Mercy will last, long after COVID is gone.
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