Health and Safety, Not Politics, Should Be the Determining Factors in Church Reopenings

By Robin G. Jordan

One of the dangers confronting churches in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is the temptation to reopen prematurely as a political statement. President Trump has been urging evangelical churches to reopen even in circumstances where these churches would endanger their congregations and their communities should they reopen at the particular stage of the pandemic in their locality. The pages containing recommendations for churches has been removed from the watered-down CDC guidelines released by the White House on Thursday. Their removal appears to have been politically motivated. White evangelicals form a significant part of the president’s base. With an eye to the president’s re-election prospects the White House is seeking court their favor. The White House wants the president to be seen as championing the free exercise of religion—an important issue for these evangelicals.

The CDC guidelines, however, are recommendations. They represent what the CDC sees as the best practices in the midst of an outbreak of a highly infectious disease. Adherence to the guidelines is voluntary. They do not have force of law unless Congress passes legislation mandating the guidelines and President Trump signs the legislation into law. The removal of the recommendations for churches is cosmetic.

Since the White House has watered down the proposed CDC guidelines, they no longer represent what the CDC sees as the best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have become a political document—a document designed to give the appearance that the White House is following the recommendations of the health experts wherein in fact it is pursuing in its own course in disregard to their advice and concerns. Like the White House’s recommendations for the reopening of the states, they have no value except to provide cover to the White House in the event the reopening of the states proves to be a disaster. President Trump in his public statements pays little attention to them. Rather he has been urging the states to reopen quickly as possible—schools and churches as well as businesses.

What is happening elsewhere in the world and in a number of states indicates that the premature reopening of the states will be a disaster. Shelter in place orders, social distancing, wearing face masks, avoiding unnecessary travel, and other public health measures have been holding the line against the spread of COVID-19 and even in some cases “flattening the curve.” With the relaxation of these measures the United States is likely to experience a resurgence of the virus as has occurred in China and South Korea when such measures have been relaxed. Such a resurgence will bring with it further human suffering and more deaths.

Christians do not need to become caught up in the politics of the times. Their first loyalty is not to a politician—Democrat, Independent, or Republican—but to Jesus Christ. Their chief priority is not to show their support for the policies of a politician but to obey the teaching of the One whom they call Lord and Savior. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan he further taught that our neighbors are not just the people like ourselves—our fellow Christians, friends, relatives, and colleagues, but even those whom we may hate and who may in turn despise us. Loving our neighbor may involve delaying the reopening of our churches until the pandemic has subsided—not a temporary dip in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths but an extended decline in cases and deaths.