The Weekly is a highlight of the work the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is doing to strengthen you and our churches for God’s glory.
How should the church respond to the coronavirus?
Note: This article is intended as a starting point for your church as you are planning to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be updating this article as this fast-moving situation progresses.
How should churches handle COVID-19? That’s the question congregations around the country are grappling with as the World Health Organization recently declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Should they continue Sunday services? Should they cancel small groups or Sunday School? Should they change their practices for serving the Lord’s Supper or passing the offering plate?
These are not just abstract questions anymore. With over 1,000 cases of COVID-19 in America currently, this is a pressing issue for churches around the country. The landscape is constantly shifting as different regions take different actions that could impact churches. At the time of publication, some of these government actions include Santa Clara County in California limiting large gatherings beyond 1,000 people; Washington state forbidding gatherings of over 250 in certain areas around the hard-hit Seattle region; in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced a ban on gatherings of 100 or more in the state; and, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky recommending cancelling public gatherings, including churches of all sizes.
This Week at the ERLC
- Trillia Newbell is on The World and Everything in it talking about fear and faith.
- Jason Thacker was on the Shaun Tabatt Show talking about Christians, AI, and the future of humanity and on Device & Virtue. An excerpt of his new book, The Age of AI, is also featured on Bible Gateway.
What You Need to Know
- Courtney Reissig on Understanding how men and women approach parenting and work: A new study reveals many women prefer working part time
What this study does is provide us with the freedom to divide care and work according to what works for our family, while also showing us that mothers and fathers care both about the home and the marketplace. And we would do well to find a way to make those concerns become a reality for people in our communities.
The cultural pressure to change stances on the vast array of LGBTQ issues is being brought to bear on every Christian institution, and it won’t stop. Because of this, Christians need to know how to think through these issues well.
- Lindsey Teat with How meeting practical needs helps vulnerable families
The ministry of family restoration brings with it difficulty and lots of work. And honestly, if you’re doing it to measure success and see many come to faith and join your church, you will be quickly disappointed. This important work needs sustainability and continuation of care to see major changes, and even then, success stories can be few. But it’s amazing to see what the Lord accomplishes when it does happen.
News From Capitol Hill
- This week was difficult in Washington, D.C., as the reality of the coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, set in with the nation and its leaders. The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 to be a global health pandemic as the number of cases continue to grow in the United States with community spread. President Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office, and Speaker Pelosi and Leader McConnell are working with members of Congress on emergency legislation.
The lead story Thursday evening in Mike Allen’s widely read, daily newsletter, AXIOS PM, was “America closes up shop”. Allen writes:
“The days of ignoring the coronavirus are over.
The big picture: State and local governments — combined with big cultural institutions and corporations — are rapidly making social distancing a reality felt by all Americans.
Sports leagues are going dark . . . Cultural events are being canceled or postponed … Schools are shutting down or going virtual . . . States like Washington and New York are going on war footings vs. the virus . . . Even the U.S. Capitol is closing its doors to visitors until April 1.”
- Public health officials in Washington, D.C., have been sounding the alarm to prepare for weeks, manifesting now with a new sense of urgency to take seriously the calls for action. This is a good time to reflect on the sources of news we consume as sound information is critical when faced with such a threat. Jeff Pickering, Steven Harris, and Travis Wussow talked about the importance of finding trustworthy, well-sourced news on our recent Capitol Conversations podcast with Jon Ward, senior political correspondent with Yahoo News. One of Jon’s key pieces of advice was to read the news, not just watch.
- As advocates for the common good rooted in Christ’s commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, the ERLC policy team is renewed in our commitment to seek government policies that protect human flourishing. Such a time of national struggle reminds us that prayer is critical to this work. We ask you to join us as we pray for our nation, our leaders, and the vulnerable most affected by this crisis. Here’s specific encouragement from Russell Moore, written in his latest piece on the coronavirus:
“We should all hope for the best case scenario, even as we prepare for the worst case. Prudence and precaution is not a sign of panic or fearfulness, but, as the Bible commands us, of bearing one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2) and thinking more highly of others than ourselves (Phil 2:3). And, above all, we should pray. We should pray for the doctors and medical researchers who are working to create a vaccine for this virus and care for those affected. We should pray for our leaders in office, including the President, Vice President, governors, and local officials as they guide us through this moment. And we should pray especially for those who are elderly or infirm, for whom this virus could be a matter of life and death.”
Featured Podcasts
On March 4, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a significant case out of Louisiana dealing with medical standards and patient health as the legislature found that abortion clinics in their state neglect both. On Capitol Conversations, Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Patterson Sobolik bring highlights from the pre-trial press conference. Tom Strode also joins the podcast to share his reporting from inside the courtroom. Listen here.
On The Way Home, Scott Lindsey, executive director of Faithlife, joins Dan Darling to discuss the latest trends in Bible study and why it’s important to spend time in the Scriptures. Lindsey has spent more than two decades teaching others how to more effectively and efficiently study the Bible. Listen here.
From The Public Square
Kentucky governor asks churches to close Sunday to deter COVID-19
Diana Chandler, Baptist Press
It appears unlikely many Southern Baptist churches will comply with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's request that houses of worship cancel services at least through Sunday (March 15) to deter spread of the new coronavirus, Kentucky Southern Baptists told Baptist Press.
Coronavirus and the homeless: Why they're especially at risk, ways to stop a spread 'like wildfire'
Emily Shapiro, ABC News
"It's inevitable" that coronavirus will hit the homeless, one expert said.
Bill would lift yoga ban in schools, but don't say namaste
Associated Press
Alabama lawmakers might lift a decades old ban on yoga in public schools, though the bill would keep the greeting “namaste” on the forbidden list.
The Arizona House of Representatives passed a new bill that if signed into law would ban transgender female athletes from participating in school sports.
