Approaching A Balanced Christian Response To The Coronavirus

Initially, many politically conservative Evangelicals looked at the media reports of the Coronavirus Pandemnic as hype intended to hurt the President Trump's reelection chances. For most of them, their tune has changed. But they did contribute to an unbalanced initial approach to the current plague.

For the sake of those who observe or interact with us as well as for the sake of the reputation of the Gospel, as well as our own sake, a balanced response to the Coronavirus plague is important. That balance response is being approached in the current Christianity Today article on Christians, Let's Flatten The Curve But Remain A 'Religion For The Sick' by Brewer Eberly, Ben Frush, and Emmy Yang, all of whom are Christians in the medical field (click here for the article, the writers' qualifications are at the end of the aritcle).

The article starts off with a short introduction to the virus and our initial reaction to it. Then it talks about how health has become idol in America. And an indicator of how it has become an idol is found in our confidence in it alone to save us from the virus. A more poignant sign is found in how we make good health the ultimate thing in life. It can also be found in our obsession with flattening the curve. They mention that without minimizing the importance of doing so.

Then the article talks in somewhat depth about social distancing and a historical reference to and duty of Christians helping those in need such as the sick. The early Church was especially known for helping the vulnerable. But it also talks about the current approach called social distancing. What complicates the use of social distancing here are emotional needs driven by loneliness as experienced by many people. And yet, social distancing is necessary as a way to prevent the spread of the virus. Some leftist sources have coined a better label than that of 'social distancing.' They have called it 'social solidarity with physical distance.' That term best describes the approach that the writers say we should have during the current pandemic.

Finally the writers talk about what the world grieves over vs what Christians do. While the world is saddened by the disruption of our ways of life to the deaths of loved ones and how they are treated, Christians should also be frustrated by the fact that social distancing isn't part of our dna in terms of how we relate to people. But we have an ultimate joy, that of the future procured for us by God redeeming us through Jesus Christ.

For many American evangelicals, a resorting to faith seems to be merely an escape from the hardships of life, a way of hiding one's head in the sand. In fact, just as some in society have made an idol out of health, we, not the article being reviewed, could say that many of us Christians have used our legitimate hope in the future because we have made escape from the troubles of the world into an idol. But what this article does is to combine that hope in the future with our call to help those in need. 

This is just a brief review of the article so that you would want to read the article for yourself.