The regathering of churches for in-person services is garnering a lot of attention in both the religious and secular media. I totally get that. There are very few organizations other than churches that meet as a large group every week. The implications are significant.
We are following closely as more churches open for in-person gatherings. While we are not yet seeing even half of the churches open, more are added each week. It thus behooves us to get these early reports. Those that are open will be making adjustments. Those that are not yet opened can plan accordingly.
For now, we see several early trends. The list is not exhaustive, but these five findings are the most common we are observing. Read More
NEW: I posted this comment in the comment section of the article in response to a comment that the lock-down was damaging and ineffectual, posted in response to my earlier comment. Church Answers moderators are slow in approving comments so I am posting it here for Anglicans Ablaze readers:
"The evidence is that lock down prevented a substantially large number of deaths both in the United States and Europe. It may have caused damage to the economies of the countries that imposed a lock-down but it saved lives. The one country, Sweden, which did not adopt as stringent measures as the other European countries experienced an extremely high death rate in the more vulnerable segment of its population. The question is what do you value most--the economy or human lives? The COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away and health experts are anticipating a second wave of the virus. What is exacerbating the effects of the pandemic in the United States is its political divisions. In some states counties, and communities the pandemic is treated with the seriousness that it warrants. In other states, counties, and communities it is not. One factor is that different states, counties, and communities are experiencing the outbreak differently. A second factor is America's political divisions. Pastors and other church leaders, whether or not they recognize or acknowledge it, are affected by the second factor in their decision-making. Since my earlier comment was not approved yesterday, I revised it, toned down some of the language, and posted it as an article, "Why Some Christians Are Not in a Hurry to Regather," on my own blog. The URL is https://anglicansablaze.blogspot.com/2020/06/why-some-christians-are-not-in-hurry-to.html. We need to be aware of how our attitudes toward the pandemic and what is influencing them in making decisions that affect the safety of our congregations and communities. We need to consult with others. They can help us see our blind spots and biases which may prevent us from making the right decisions. Yes, we all have blind spots and biases. No one is entirely objective in their decision-making."
FOLLOW-UP: I checked on Wednesday morning to see if the foregoing comment had been posted. Several new comments had been approved but my comment was not one of them. I can only speculate on the reasons why it was not approved. Church Answers may have wanted to avoid what might become a rancorous discussion of how effective was the lock-down in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and how America's political divisions may be influencing reopening decisions. On that basis I do not believe a decision not to post my comment, while disappointing, is not unreasonable. However, Church Answers will, I believe, have to address at some point the issues that I raised rather than skirting them.
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