The Power of Social Conformity and Its Role in COVID-19 Transmission Prevention

By Robin G. Jordan

The US Constitution does not recognize a right to do as we please, to jeopardize the health and safety of others, and to endanger their lives. Indeed such a right would be a major infringement upon the rights of others. But the possession of such a right is what those who refuse to wear a face mask and to comply with other precautionary measures such as social distancing have been claiming.

Regrettably the president and administration officials have through their words and actions been reinforcing this view. The president declines to wear a face mask in public. His spokesperson maintains that wearing a face mask is a matter of personal choice, essentially saying that Americans are free to disregard the health and safety of their fellow Americans if they want to. Search as you may, you will not find any right to spread a highly infectious disease and cause the serious illness and death of others enshrined in the US Constitution.

What the president and administration officials are doing are encouraging irresponsibility and recklessness on the part of the American public. They are contributing to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Their words and actions border on reckless endangerment.

“Reckless endangerment is a crime consisting of acts that create a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. The accused person isn't required to intend the resulting or potential harm, but must have acted in a way that showed a disregard for the foreseeable consequences of the actions.” Reckless Endangerment Law and legal Definition

Reckless endangerment laws vary from state to state. They typically include provisions for the prosecution of parents and caregivers who through negligence fail to protect the health, safety, and well-being of a child in their care. They also include provisions for the prosecution of the employees of hospitals , skilled nursing care facilities, assisted living facilities, and long-term care facilities who likewise through negligence fail to protect the health, safety, and well-being of their patients or residents. State-licensed nurseries and daycare facilities generally fall under the provisions of state reckless endangerment laws.

The argument that the president and administration officials are entitled to their opinions is a flimsy one when their opinions influence many people and their attitude toward the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for precautionary measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and to reduce the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. It would not hold much weight as a defense in a reckless endangerment case in which the testimony of experts is given far greater weight in determining negligence and guilt.

According to the latest reports the United States is seeing surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in a number of states. Increased testing does not account for these surges. The relaxation of state and local restrictions appears to be a contributing factor as states and counties reopen. Laxity in the enforcement of remaining public health measures appears to be another factor. A third factor appears to be the attitude of many Americans toward the COVID-19 pandemic and the state and local public health measures for the suppression or mitigation of the pandemic.

I am not going to speculate on the reasons that the president and administration officials are taking the position on the COVID-19 pandemic that they are taking. One finds online dozens and dozens of media articles and videos, Youtube videos, and blog and social media platform posts expressing a range of views on the subject. However, the example the president is setting for the American public and the message he and administration officials are conveying to the American public are not the right things to do in the midst of a serious pandemic.

I was involved in mental health and child welfare work for the State of Louisiana for more than twenty-five years. During that time I learned one thing. Politicians and public officials, federal, state, and local, could play one of two roles in addressing problems that affected the health, safety, and well-being of the public. They could be a great help or a serious hindrance. They could be a part of the problem or they could be a part of the solution. Depending on how serious the problem was determined how great a help or hindrance they could be.

One thing that I find really lacking right now is a nation-wide effort to educate the public on the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of the implementation of precautionary measures and the application of the principle of “layers of intervention” in their implementation. While such an effort might not persuade everyone of the pandemic’s seriousness and the importance of precautionary measures and their proper implementation, it would establish a national standard against which the actions of those dismissing the seriousness of the pandemic and the importance of such measures and their proper implantation could be judged. It would help to mobilize public opinion against such individuals.

For example, rather than being viewed as manly for not wearing a face mask, a man who refuses to wear one might be viewed as unmanly for jeopardizing the health and safety of others and endanger their lives. Those who argue that wearing a face mask is a matter of personal choice would be viewed as turning their backs on the health and safety of others and causing needless suffering and death.

During World War II the public was encouraged to make all kinds of sacrifices for the war effort. Those who did not pull their weight in the war effort were viewed as slackers and malingerers. They were shirking their duty to their country and even unwittingly conspiring with the enemy for its defeat. They experienced considerable social pressure to conform. They were not hailed as heroes and their defiance of what became the country’s norms was not celebrated.

I am not advocating the suppression of the freedom of speech. But I am advocating the mobilizing of public opinion in support of COVID-19 transmission prevention. As long as they are experiencing no social pressure to conform, those who are flouting precautionary measures essential to slowing and even arresting the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus will persist in what from the perspective of preventing the transmission of the virus and reducing the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths is anti-social behavior. The mobilization of social pressure from the community is more likely to discourage such behavior than laws prohibiting it and fines and other penalties for violation of these laws.

While his drinking buddies at the tavern may applaud him, an individual who repeatedly flouts these measures would find himself the object of growing disapproval of other members of the community, including his boss, his co-workers, his wife, his children, his neighbors, his pastor, and his church. Except at the tavern, he would find himself a social pariah in the community. This is one of the ways that US communities responded to those who were not contributing a fair share in the eyes of the community to the war effort in World War II.

Mobilizing public opinion in support of efforts to remedy community problems is an effective method of addressing these problems. It puts pressure on politicians, public officials, and other key individuals to become a part of the solution, and not remain a part of the problem. At a minimum they will not oppose needed change.

Churches can play an important role in influencing public opinion in a community. They can refuse to buy into the various forms of COVID-19 denial. They can play a lead role in a grassroots movement to educate the public on the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of the implementation of precautionary measures and the application of the principle of “layers of intervention” in their implementation. They can urge the federal government to make greater efforts to educate the public at the national level and monitor its efforts and their effectiveness. They can draw attention to weaknesses and commend strengths. They can also network with other organizations for this purpose.

I do not believe that the United States is going to see a lasting reduction in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths until most Americans are genuinely on board in the efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and to reduce the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Correspondingly those who are not supportive of these efforts are viewed for what they are—someone who is likely to needlessly expose themselves and those who come into contact with them to the virus. This perspective may not sit well with some readers. However, we are in the midst of a serious pandemic and we should no lose sight of that fact. The COVID-19 coronavirus is not going away any time soon. If we are going to hold ground in our battle against the virus, we need to adopt approaches to slowing its spread and reducing the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, which have proven to work and are backed up by scientific research. Whether we like or not, they will require changing the way we live, work, do business, and practice our religion. We have entered the COVID-19 era. The pre-COVID-19 era is a thing of the past. There is no going back!

Tuesday's Catch: "Why I’m Wearing a Mask to Church Next Sunday" and More

Why I’m Wearing a Mask to Church Next Sunday

When the church reopens next Sunday, you’ll find me wearing a mask. Here’s why. Read More

As Churches Re-Open, What if We Have COVID-19 Problems?

In our rush to get churches open across the country, we need to be aware of the public response should something go wrong. What happens if your church discovers cases of the virus among those in the building? Worse, what happens if someone dies of the virus? Read More

When Certainties Are Shattered

I guess we’ll all look back on the coronavirus outbreak of March 2020 as a moment of transition. For the last two months, I have been working at home in the beautiful English countryside, surrounded by the rolling hills of the Cotswolds. No airplanes fly overhead. There is hardly any traffic on the streets. Our schools are shut. I work at Oxford University—but am only allowed to “meet” students and academic colleagues remotely, using Zoom or MS Teams. When, we all wonder, will things get back to normal? And what will the new “normal” look like? Read More

7 Reasons the Enemy Seeks to Create Division

While division may at times be necessary for the sake of the gospel, much division is nothing less than a tool of the enemy – the one who enticed Adam to blame Eve in the Garden of Eden. Here are some reasons division is one of the enemy’s primary strategies—and why we must guard against it. Read More

Paul identified divisiveness and divisions as works of the flesh, manifestations of our sinful human nature. The enemy takes advantage of our sinful human nature and stirs up divisions over such things as the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of precautionary measures like social distancing and face mask wearing in virus transmission prevention because such divisions cause more suffering and deaths. He also blinds those whom he is manipulating so that they do not realize that they are being used for his purposes.

Bring Back Isaac Watts’s Biggest Hit

You’ve probably never heard this famous hymn. That’s a shame. Read More

For those who have never heard "Come, Who Love the Lord," I am posting this link to a Youtube video of the congregation of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California, singing the hymn to an organ and snare drum accompaniment. It was popular with West Gallery Quires in the eighteenth century and was likely accompanied with a variety of musical instruments. While cathedrals and college chapels may have had organs and choirs, most parish churches did not. They had the West Gallery Quire, an ensemble of local village musicians and singers. The Oxford Movement suppressed the West Gallery Quire in the nineteenth century, replacing the local village musicians and singers with organs and vested boys choirs in imitation of the English cathedral and college chapel. The Oxford Movement also idealized Medieval church music.

4 Ways Not to Be a Jerk Online

Scripture calls us to “honor everyone” (1 Pet. 2:17). Obeying that command has never been easy, but has it ever been harder than in our social media age? Thankfully, Scripture gives us guidance. Here are four ways to be a faithful Christian online. Read More

On the Front Line against the Pandemic of Denial

By Robin G. Jordan

The more I learn about how many Americans are reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic, the more I become convinced that the pandemic will have to grow far worse before they begin to take it with the seriousness that it warrants. On Facebook and other social media platforms a number of people are putting out all kinds of disinformation and misinformation about the pandemic, promoting the view that is not as serious as the health experts claim, that the media is exaggerating its seriousness, that it is a hoax perpetuated to deny President Trump a second term of office, that face masks do not prevent the spread of COVID-19, and so on. These individuals are using cherry-picked statistics to support their claims. What benefits they gain from what they are doing merit our attention.

A number of these individuals are contrarians, individuals who takes a contrary position or attitude to those that anyone with expertise in a particular field is likely to take. They will adopt a position and keep promoting it even though the position that they have adopted is repeatedly debunked. They are motivated by plain contrariness. They take perverse satisfaction in disagreeing with other people and annoying them.

A number of these individuals  are convinced in their own minds that the disinformation and misinformation they are spreading is the truth. They are true believers, individuals who have become strongly attached to a particular belief and who will persist in promoting it even though it may be untenable.

A few may have more sinister motives. They have connections to the intelligence agencies of a foreign power and are engaged in a campaign of disinformation to weaken the United States. By dividing the people of the United States over how they should respond to the pandemic, encouraging denial of its seriousness, and questioning the effectiveness of precautionary measures, they are endeavoring to promote the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, to create political and social instability, and to wreck the US economy. They are exploiting the gullible and the credulous and using them to disseminate their propaganda.

A number of those spreading false or inaccurate information on Facebook and other social media platforms are the unwitting stooges of these peddlers of disinformation. As every propagandist knows if you repeat a lie or half-truth enough times, it will take on a life of its own. The propagandist will not have to repeat the lie or half-truth anymore. Other people will repeat it for him.

Among those spreading disinformation and circulating misinformation are members of domestic terrorist groups and their sympathizers. They are seeking to create a social collapse that will offer them a power vacuum of which they can take an advantage.

When the president and the vice president of the United States, senior officials in their administration, state governors, and local politicians downplay the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic for economic and political reasons and even go as far as maintain that the worst of the pandemic is past, the United States has a serious problem on its hands. It is not just confronting one pandemic. It is confronting two as I have observed in a previous article. It is confronting a pandemic of denial.

The number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise in a number of counties throughout the United States. With pressure from the outside as well as the inside to reopen their buildings and to hold in-person services and gatherings, America’s churches are going to become the victim of both pandemics. We have read about the church in LaGrange County, Oregon that did not comply with its state’s restrictions on large gatherings and became the epicenter of a COVID-19 outbreak. We have also read about the church in Greenbrier County, West Virginia that did follow the guidelines that it was given and became the epicenter of an outbreak. These churches fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, I suspect, because they had already fallen victim to the pandemic of denial. This pandemic affected them in different ways but it still affected them. One church ignored its state’s guidelines. The other may have been given inadequate guidelines or may have not properly implemented the guidelines that it was given.

Those who are spreading disinformation and misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms are not likely to stop unless they or someone close to them becomes seriously ill with the COVID-19 coronavirus or even dies as the result of complications related to the virus. They are not likely to be held accountable at any time for the disservice that they are doing the United States.

As long as the pandemic of denial rages out of control, the efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States and mitigate its effects will at best be only partially successful. One way that churches can fight the pandemic of denial is to counter the spread of this false and inaccurate information rather than giving credence to it. Churches can become clearing houses for the dissemination of accurate, reliable information on the transmission of COVID-19 coronavirus and the most effective measures for the containment of its spread and the mitigation of its effects. They can become models of social responsibility for their communities, their states, and the nation, putting the health and safety of the community first.

Monday's Question: Theological Questions about Regathering and More

4 Theological Questions Your Church Has about Regathering

Here are a few responses to the most common theological questions we’ve seen arise out of COVID-19. If members of your church aren’t voicing these, they’re probably thinking about them. That’s why we encourage you to be introducing and leading these conversations within your congregation. Read More

Five Reasons Churches Will Have an Incredible Window of Opportunity

As congregations return methodically to in-person services, something else will be taking place. It will be obvious to some churches; it will be more subtle to others. Simply stated, churches will have an incredible window of opportunity to make substantive and positive changes. Read More

Sometimes It’s Best To Express Your Wisdom in Silence

The story of Apelles and the presumptuous shoemaker has been passed down through the centuries for our reflection and edification. It is a tale worth telling today. Read More

In my childhood I frequently heard these proverbial sayings, "A still tongue in a wise head," and "An empty vessel makes the most sound." I learned to do my homework before I expressed an opinion on a subject.

4 Brain Hacks that can Make You a Better Leader

I love leadership and I love learning about the brain. A few years ago I finished an executive masters in the Neuroscience of Leadership which resulted in my fourth book, Brain-Savvy Leaders: the Science of Significant Ministry. As I’ve immersed myself in learning how our brain affects life and leadership, I’ve learned a few short cuts, or hacks that have helped me lead better. Consider these 4 brain hacks that just might make you a better leader. Read More

Keep Witnessing. God’s Still Pursuing.

Will we, in our post-Christian culture, reclaim our confidence and conviction in the God who speaks and acts and who is, as C. S. Lewis said, “the transcendental Interferer”? Will we show the world, not in a triumphalist or pushy manner but by word and deed, that receiving Christ as Lord makes all the difference—the only truly lasting difference—in our individual lives, our cities, and our world? Read More

In Countries Keeping the Coronavirus at Bay, Experts Watch U.S. Case Numbers with Alarm

As coronavirus cases surge in the U.S. South and West, health experts in countries with falling case numbers are watching with a growing sense of alarm and disbelief, with many wondering why virus-stricken U.S. states continue to reopen and why the advice of scientists is often ignored.

“It really does feel like the U.S. has given up,” said Siouxsie Wiles, an infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand — a country that has confirmed only three new cases over the past three weeks and where citizens have now largely returned to their pre-coronavirus routines.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like having to go to work knowing it’s unsafe,” Wiles said of the U.S.-wide economic reopening. “It’s hard to see how this ends. There are just going to be more and more people infected, and more and more deaths. It’s heartbreaking.”

China’s actions over the past week stand in stark contrast to those of the United States. In the wake of a new cluster of more than 150 new cases that emerged in Beijing, authorities sealed off neighborhoods, launched a mass testing campaign and imposed travel restrictions.

Meanwhile, President Trump maintains that the United States will not shut down a second time, although a surge in cases has persuaded governors in some states, including Arizona, to back off their opposition to mandatory face coverings in public. Read More

Also See:
Coronavirus: Is the Pandemic Getting Worse in the US?
As Coronavirus Surges across South and West, Texas Mayors Plead with Residents to Wear Masks
Trump Claims the Coronavirus Pandemic Is Ending. Data and the Experts Disagree.

COVID-19 and the Local Church: Is the Way You Do Church Outdated? and More

I decided to separate the links to articles that are related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects upon the life and worship of the local church from the links to articles that are related to justice issues. This is not to suggest one is less important than the other but to facilitate the reader’s navigation of the articles.

In a number of ways the COVID-19 pandemic is drawing attention to the weaknesses of the local church as well as to its strengths. As states reopen due to political and economic pressures, some churches are eager to return to the old normal, even going as far as acting as if the pandemic is a thing of the past when health experts are warning us that we are still in the first wave of the pandemic and the worse may be yet to come. Other churches are awakening from a state of denial in which the seriousness of the pandemic was dismissed as exaggerated by the media or the pandemic itself was treated as a hoax perpetuated by opponents of President Trump to deny him a second term.

Churches are facing a host of new challenges. What may have worked before the pandemic is not going to work in the COVID-19 era. The pandemic has forced this realization upon church leaders.

5 Specific Ways the Current Approach to Church Seems Badly Outdated

One of the reasons so many churches struggle these days is that the way we do church is badly outdated. Culture is changing rapidly, which means people are changing rapidly. If you want to reach people, that probably also means you need to change your approach rapidly.That freaks out a lot of Christians who think that because the message never changes, nothing should change. Read More

Rural Church Accounts for 200+ Oregon Coronavirus Cases 

Coronavirus infections are spiking in Oregon, where health officials announced this week that 236 new cases of the disease are linked to a single church in the town of La Grande, Oregon. That’s now the largest outbreak in the state, which has temporarily put all applications for reopening on hold. Read More

The story of this church shows how a church that does not take any precautionary measures against the transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus or which implements less than adequate precautionary measures can become the epicenter of a COVID-19 hot spot.

Are Religious Communities Reviving the Revival? In the US, Outdoor Worship Has a Long Tradition

Religious communities have been forced to find alternative ways to worship together during the coronavirus pandemic. For some that has meant going online, but others have turned to a distinctly non-digital practice steeped in this history of the American religious experience: outdoor worship. Read More

The worshipers in the photo are standing too close together even for an outdoor gathering. They are also not wearing face masks. Outdoor gatherings can reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission provided the number of participants is not large and the participants are taking other precautionary measures such as social distancing and face masks. COVID-19 outbreaks have been traced to large outdoor gatherings at which the participants stood or sat close to each other and did not wear face masks.

5 Things I Am Preaching to Myself While Preaching to a Camera

Last week I shared six things I am greatly missing from teaching in old-school physical gatherings among people I love who are singing to God and ready to hear a message from His Word. When preaching to a camera, it can easily feel like I am preaching to God’s people without being among God’s people. And I miss preaching to them from the posture of being among them, of hearing them sing, of being able to look at them as they hear the Word, and from being able to hang out with people in between services. I long for those days again, but in the meantime, here are five things I am preaching to myself as I am preaching to a camera. Read More

Churchgoers Aren’t Able to Lift Every Voice and Sing during the Pandemic – Here’s Why That Matters

Because of COVID-19, churches no longer reverberate with song; hymnals are neatly stacked and projection screens blank. Even as church leaders plan for reopening, scientists warn that it might be too early to resume singing in groups. Read More

Helping Kids Feel Safe and Secure during Crazy Times

Dale Hudson offers suggestions on how we can make our kids feel safe and secure during these troubling times. Read More

Saturday Lagniappe: Leadership and Racial Injustice and More

Leadership and Racial Injustice: 4 Guiding Thoughts

As leaders, how do we blend the right combination of saying the right words in the right way and doing the right things at the right time to solve real problems? Read More

When I was involved in child welfare work for the State of Louisiana one of my coworkers was shot and killed on the way home from work. His truck had broken down and he was looking under the hood when someone who was angry because he was obstructing traffic drew up to his truck and shot him dead and then drove away. He was Black. As far as I know his killer was never brought to justice. He was kind, gentle, and unassuming man. My entire agency was shocked by his murder. If he had been white, he might not have been killed. I cannot say that with certainty but I think that the likelihood is strong. Racial injustice is not something that church leaders can dismiss or ignore nor should they.

Complementarians in Closed Rooms

Aimee Byrd, Beth Moore, and private words that reveal a pressing problem. Read More

Byrd's New Nest

Aimee Byrd moves her blog to a new site. Read More

Confederate Memorials: A Quandary for Christians

On the Gospel Coalition web site Joe Carter has an article about the removal of Confederate memorials, “Should Christians Support Removal of Confederate Memorials?” The removal of statues of Confederate generals and other Confederate memorials has been a hot button issue in the South and other parts of the United States for a number of years. In the last few months it came closer to home. First, I received an email from a local pastor campaigning for the preservation of Confederate memorials. Then a MSU assistant football coach drafted a letter to Murray city officials requesting the removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee that stands on the courthouse square. Since that time Murray State University and the City of Murray have also called for the statue’s removal.

The statue of General Lee was erected on the square in 1917, 52 years after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. It was erected during a resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan during the early twentieth century.

During the American Civil War the Commonwealth of Kentucky was divided in its sympathies. Kentuckians fought on both sides. At the outbreak of hostilities the governor of the state supported the Confederacy. The majority of the state legislators supported the Union. The state legislature passed a bill in favor of neutrality. The governor vetoed the bill and the state legislature overrode the veto.

The Jackson Purchase, the westernmost region of Kentucky, in which Murray is located, had strong Confederate sympathies. A convention to succeed from the Union was held in Mayfield. This convention led to the establishment of a successionist shadow state government. Union troops would occupy Paducah at the northwest corner of the Purchase. A number of battles were fought in and around the Purchase.

In 1915 white Protestant nativists organized a revival of the Klu Klux Klan in part in reaction to the surge of immigration that the United States experienced in the early part of the twentieth century. The statue on Murray courthouse square was erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy during this revival.

In the South and elsewhere the Confederate battle flag has been used by the Klan and other groups as a symbol of white supremacy. These groups often express Neo-Nazi sympathies.

In 2016 the Jackson Purchase voted heavily for President Trump. In the wake of the election an element of the Klan attempted to stoke racial tensions in Murray and to recruit new members. A coalition of local pastors led the community in resisting these efforts. Around the same time a Neo-Nazi group also tried to recruit new members on the MSU campus.

More recently two men from Paducah were arrested for threatening and attacking peaceful demonstrators calling for the removal of the statue.

The removal of Confederate memorials is one of those contentious issues into which Christians will be drawn. Joe Carter’s article offers one viewpoint. The local pastor who is campaigning for the preservation of these memorials offered another viewpoint: they memorialize a part of the nation’s history. In the case of the statue on Murray courthouse square two question are frequently asked: “What part of the nation’s history does it memorialize? Is it a part of the nation’s history that we should be commemorating?”

The number of casualties in the American Civil War exceeded the United States’ losses in all its wars from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam War. The largest number of casualties were from disease. Hundred of thousands returned home permanently maimed by the wounds that they had sustained. It was the first modern war—a dubious honor to say the least. Among the forms of warfare and weapons that were first introduced in that conflict were trench warfare, artillery bombardments, massed infantry attacks, observation balloons, an early form of the machine gun, torpedoes, mines, iron-clad battle ships, breech-loading rifles, and chlorine gas shells. It is not a war to romanticize, much less to celebrate. Its horrors are only exceeded by those of World War I.

At a time in American history when the number of casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic far exceeds the casualties of the Vietnam War, it might be better to commemorate all who died in the American Civil War, not out of a sentimental attachment to a lost cause, a cause that treated men, women, and children as less than human and would have kept them in bondage and servitude for the pleasure and the profit of their owners, but as a reminder that war is a terrible thing and a war that is fought between brothers is the most terrible of all.

Friday's Catch: A Prayer Guide for Reopening Churches and More

10 Ways to Pray for Your Church While Preparing to Reopen

As you’re navigating relationships with people who hold various opinions on how and when churches should reopen, and you’re evaluating your own approach to in-person ministry, use prayer to guide you. Read More

7 Reasons Many Believers Are Lonely, and What We Leaders Might Do about It

This week’s Time magazine has an interesting article on the epidemic of loneliness among Americans, preceded by and now exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.[1] I’m convinced, though, that loneliness marks the church, too – which is quite odd, given that Christianity is a relationally-driven faith. Here’s why I think loneliness hits believers, too, followed by simple suggestions for dealing with it.... Read More

COVID-19 Is Making America's Loneliness Epidemic Even Worse

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, public-health experts were concerned about an epidemic of loneliness in the U.S. The coronavirus has exacerbated that problem, with most face-to-face socializing for people still under lockdown orders indefinitely limited to members of their own households. For the 35.7 million Americans who live alone, that means no meaningful social contact at all, potentially for months on end. Read More

Never Waste a Good Sermon: 6 Ways to Re-Purpose Your Message Content

Here are at least six ways to stretch the reach of a good sermon beyond the single weekend service.... Read More

Three Easy Steps to Assess Your Church’s Communication Strategy

As we move to a more digital-focused world, your church’s communication strategy will become more critical as you navigate this new terrain. Your church’s communication strategy will be the roadmap to helping you determine what effective communications will look like for your church and congregation. In this post, we’re going to walk you three key questions that will help you hit the pause button and take a step back to assess your church’s communication strategy. Read More

Sharing Jesus with Mormon Missionaries

Trying to reach Mormons with the gospel is a tricky endeavour. Read More

Am I My Brother's Keeper?!

By Robin G. Jordan

I vet most articles to which I post links. In some cases the examination that I give them is cursory. It depends upon the subject matter of the article. Those related to the COVID-19 pandemic and church reopenings I look at more closely.

I will sometimes reject an article because it does not fit with what the larger number of accounts on church reopenings are reporting. For example, I decided against posting a link to an article upon that subject, which I read earlier today. The support for the claim that the author was making was anecdotal and involved a very small number of churches.

The tone of the article suggested that the author had been caught up in the initial excitement of reopening and was overlooking accounts of reopenings that do not support what she was claiming. Her description of the inadequate precautions or lack of precautions that these churches took in reopening might have encouraged other churches to follow their example and to endanger their congregations and communities. It might also have reinforced the poor decisions that other churches had made at the time they reopened.

The author herself did not show an appropriate level of concern over the laxity of these churches in implementing adequate levels of protection against the transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

While I may not agree with an author’s contentions, I may post a link to the article because it contains ideas or information that may benefit readers. I believe that readers are able to judge for themselves the merits of a writer’s arguments. I may in a comment draw attention to points where I disagree with the author and why.

In the case of the article in question it contained nothing that might benefit readers. Its only redeeming value was as an example of how the excitement of reopening can blind people to the need for caution in the midst of a pandemic but that did not outweigh the harm that it might cause.

The article also reflected an attitude that is proving an obstacle to efforts to suppress or mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States. It is the attitude that whether we observe social distancing, wear face masks, and take other precautionary measures to prevent the transmission of the virus is a matter of individual choice. It is summed up in statements like this one, “You can choose to wear a face mask but I’m not going to wear one. That’s my choice.” It ignores the fact that the choices that we make affect others. It results in the inconsistent implementation of precautionary measures that can reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. As long as this attitude is countenanced, the United States is not going to be as successful in suppressing or mitigating the virus’ spread as it could be. It points to a weakness in the American value system—a lack of a sense of social responsibility. We are not just responsible for ourselves but we are responsible for others too.

It is also an attitude that is not consistent with the Christian faith. Jesus talks about loving our fellow Christians. He talks about loving our neighbors. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan he expands the definition of who are neighbors from the “brethren” of the Old Testament, the people of our “tribe,” to those who are outside our “tribe. In these days of “the tribalization of America” his redefinition of neighbor should give us pause. Jesus even talks about loving our enemies, those who hate and despise us. Loving others includes caring about how our own behavior may impact them.

Jesus talks about serving others. The service that we offer to them is service which we are offering to him. Jesus also talks about treating others in the way that we would wish ourselves to be treated.

In regard to what appear to be unfair demands that are made upon us, Jesus further talks about going the second mile, doing more than we need to do to meet these demands. This is a reference to the practice of Roman soldiers forcing the Jews to carry burdens for them. However, Jesus’ teaching applies to the demands that others make upon us and which we rightly or not may perceive as arbitrary and unreasonable.

We can search the Bible but we will not find a passage in which Jesus says anything that approximates, “You do your thing; I’ll do mine. I won’t interfere with what you are doing as long as you don’t interfere with what I’m doing.” This way of looking at things is not found in Jesus’ teaching.

In practice those who voice this point of view frequently do not refrain from interfering with the other person. They often as not belittle that person for his choices.

What they are really saying is that they should be allowed to what is right in their own sight. They should be permitted to do what they please no matter what the consequences are to others.

The Bible does not have kind words for the kings of Israel and Judah who did what was right in their own sight. They turned their backs on God’s ways. They led the people of Israel and Judah astray.

In our day those who do what is right in their own sight are endangering not only their own lives but also the lives of others. Their actions are harming others.

Thursday's Catch: The Empty Chair in Church and More

What You Should Know About My Empty Chair in Church

Navigating the reopening of church buildings is difficult for many people. This is especially true for me. I’m a pastor’s wife and the mom of three children who have a serious health condition and are at risk for complications from coronavirus. Read More

3 Principles To Guide You When Nuance Overtakes Strategy

Dan Reiland offers 3 principles that will help pastors lead more effectively over the next few months. Read More

COVID-19 Spiritual Health Check [Video]

Rico Tice prepared this video to ask some vital questions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. How is your spiritual health? Watch Now

Be Slowly to Tweet: Applying Biblical Commands to Online Speech

Nobody who bears the name of Christ is exempt from the Bible’s command toward thoughtful speech. Read More

8 Reasons Churches Don't Do Evangelism Well

Chuck Lawless identifies 8 reasons why he doesn't believe churches do evangelism well. Read More

Church Tied to Oregon's Largest Coronavirus Outbreak

A church in rural northeastern Oregon is now the epicenter of the state’s largest coronavirus outbreak, as 236 people tested positive for the disease

A church in rural northeastern Oregon is now the epicenter of the state's largest coronavirus outbreak, as 236 people tested positive for the disease, authorities said Tuesday.

The outbreak also led to Oregon's second consecutive record-setting daily case count.

“I think generally we are seeing increasing numbers, which is what we expected with reopening,” said Thomas Jeanne, the deputy state health officer and deputy state epidemiologist.

In response to the increasing case counts Gov. Kate Brown last week said she was putting all county applications for further reopening from her COVID-19 restrictions on hold for seven days. Read More

The church in question reportedly held services in April and May despite Oregon COVID-19 restrictions limiting gatherings. It also reportedly held a wedding and a graduation ceremony, each with more than a 100 people in attendance. When a church does not follow its own state's guidelines and then becomes the nexus of a large cluster of COVID-19 cases, it damages the witness of other churches not just in one locality but throughout the region, the state, and the country. It reflects poorly on other Christians and Pentecostals in particular because the church was Pentecostal. The freedom to worship is something that we should cherish but with that freedom comes responsibility. It is not freedom to disregard the safety of others, to act recklessly, and to endanger their lives.

Wednesday's Catch: A Church Leader's Craving for Stability and More

How to Gain A Healthy Stability During A Time Of Disruption

As leaders who live inside the continual process of productive change, we crave a certain degree of stability. Read More

10 Findings about Church Membership Classes

Chuck Lawless shares several findings of the ongoing research into membership classes that he has been following since he wrote Membership Matters: Insights from Effective Churches on New Member Classes and Assimilation Read More

Best Radios for Church Security – 3 Great Options

Church security is becoming more and more of an issue, and because of that, churches all over the country are opting to improve their security through the use of security systems and by having radios on hand. Read More

COVID-19 Confronts Reopening Churches with New Challenges

By Robin G. Jordan

Several times a day I scour the internet for new research findings regarding the transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus and their implications for precautionary measures to suppress or mitigate the spread of the virus, particularly in regard to church services and gatherings. Two articles caught my attention yesterday evening after I had posted my article, “The Complexity of Church Reopenings During a Pandemic.” The two articles report the findings of recent studies that back up the findings of earlier research. One study involved ventilation; the other “toilet plumes.” Both studies related to the accumulation of high concentrations of COVID-19 virus particles in rooms and other confined spaces.

An earlier study conducted by the Chinese health authorities into the transmission of the COVID-19 virus particles in hospital settings determined that the type of ventilation in a room was a key factor is such accumulations as was the size of the room. In spaces that were occupied by COVID-19 patients rooms that were ventilated by mechanical means had high concentrations of COVID-19 virus particles and bathrooms that were used by these patients had the highest concentrations of the particles. Rooms that were naturally ventilated, that is, rooms which had doors and windows that opened to the exterior of the hospital and in which the air circulated had the lowest concentrations of particles. The movement of the air in these rooms dispersed the particles.

One explanation for the high concentration of COVID-19 virus particles in bathrooms was that individuals infected with the virus shed these particles in their urine and feces. An earlier study of how SARS is transmitted was referenced. An outbreak of SARS in an apartment building was traced to the building’s bathroom ventilation system. The system connected the bathrooms of a number of apartments and SARS virus spread through the system. One or more ducts in the system was not connected to  the exterior of the building as it should have been and SARS virus particles were able to travel along the duct work and infect the occupants of the other apartments in the building.

Early CDC guidelines which the White House modified on the ground that they were “too precise” before authorizing their release suggested familiarity with this early research on the part of the CDC staff who prepared the original document. The proposed guidelines recommended that churches reopen in phases, that they restrict the size of their in-person services and gatherings, and hold these services and gatherings outdoors or in a large, open room with the doors and windows open to the exterior of the building and ventilated by electric fans. They also recommended the implementation of other precaution measures such spacing of seating, social distancing, hand washing, and the like. They further recommended that the number of occupants in a restroom at one time should be limited and the restroom should be cleaned and sanitized after each use. All of these measures if properly implemented and used in combination would have reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection, based upon what was know about the virus’ transmission at that time.

The more recent study supports the need for adequate ventilation of spaces that people will be occupying to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. The need for adequate ventilation of these spaces may also be deduced from what we know about other airborne diseases such tuberculosis once it was determined that the COVID-19 virus was transmitted by airborne particles. Tuberculosis was rife in the crowded tenements of New York and other US cities in the nineteenth and twentieth century. It is widespread in the slums of the heavily populated urban areas of Africa, Asia, India, and South America where poor families still live in overcrowded conditions. One South African study found that tuberculosis was less common among South Africans who lived in traditional African dwellings which were open to the air than it was among slum dwellers.

The second study involved “toilet plumes.” A “toilet plume” is a column of particles that rises from a toilet when someone flushes the toilet after he or she has used it. If the individual is infected with COVID-19, this column of particles may include COVID-19 virus particles shed by that individual when he or she urinated or defecated. Electric blower hand dryers have been implicated in circulating the particles from toilet plumes in public restrooms, exposing more people to any diseases that these particles carry. The second study recommended that individuals close the lid of the toilet before they flush the toilet after using it. This prevents the toilet plume from spreading particles into the room. However, most public restrooms have toilets which do not have lids. For privacy toilets are installed in stalls in public restrooms. The stall prevents the dispersion of any particles that rise in the toilet plume when the toilet is flushed. In many small churches restrooms may be the size of a large closet. In such a confined space COVID-19 virus particles will also not disperse quickly. The next individual using the stall or restroom may walk into a cloud of COVID-19 virus particles. Whether an individual becomes infected from these airborne particles depends upon how concentrated they are and how long that individual inhales them. How large a role this phenomenon plays in the transmission of the COVID-19 virus has yet to be determined. Like contaminated surfaces it may play a role in the disease’s transmission while at the same time it may not be the primary means of transmission. This does not, however, mean that it can be dismissed as a means of transmission. It did play an appreciable role in the transmission of SARS.

These two studies show the challenges that churches face when they decide to regather. Very few church facilities were designed to help churches meet these challenges. How we can retrofit church facilities to make them safer will itself prove to be a major challenge. Churches will have to come up with better ways of ventilating the rooms of their facilities. They will have to install in their restrooms systems that not only draw air from the outside of the building into the restroom but also exhaust it from the restroom to the outside of the building. If the toilets do not have lids, they will have to replace them. They will also have to train attendees to close the lid before flushing the toilet. The latter may prove the greatest challenge of all.

The Complexity of Church Reopenings During a Pandemic

By Robin G. Jordan

“We do not understand the source of the outbreak. To the best of our ability we followed the guidelines that were given to us.”

These words may be prophetic in the sense that they foreshadow what we will be hearing from more churches as they reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are the words that the leaders of a church in Greenbrier County, West Virginia posted on the church’s Facebook when it became the nexus of a cluster of COVID-19 cases upon reopening. The church has shut its doors for a quarantine period of fourteen days. It is the fifth church in West Virginia that has become the epicenter of a COVID-19 outbreak. On Tuesday the Lexington Herald Leader reported a worrisome uptick in COVID-19 cases in rural Kentucky as businesses and churches reopen. Earlier on Monday the Calloway County director of public health reported the largest number of COVID-19 cases in a single day in my county and expressed concern at this development.

While some counties in the United States may be experiencing a decrease in COVID-19 cases, others are not. They are experiencing an increase. Rural areas that previously had not experienced any COVID-19 cases are now experiencing a large number of such cases. Having negligible cases in their area may have lulled the residents of these areas into complacency.

The residents of these areas may have bought into the conspiracy theory that has been circulating in the United States, a conspiracy theory which claims that COVID-19 pandemic is not as serious as the media maintains or is even a hoax. Those who have bought into this conspiracy theory tend to dismiss the need for the precautionary measures that health experts are encouraging Americans to take such as social distancing, face masks, and hand washing.

In some areas the use of these measures is equated with weakness or fearfulness. This attitude toward such measures can be traced to a regional culture that emphasizes toughness and macho behavior. Both woman and men are influenced by this type of culture, incorporating its values at a very early age. Both receive the same message to “be strong” although they learn to embody it differently. Women learn to endure suffering without complaint. Men are expected to display what the culture defines as manliness. This includes various forms of bravado intended to show that the individual in question is fearless. As consequence both men and women will not seek medical attention when they need it and they will not take precautionary measures against contagious diseases or common physical injuries. In the past such a culture may have had some survival value but in a pandemic it complicates suppressing or mitigating the spread of the disease.

The same attitude can acquire a religious veneer. An individual who maintains that Christians should put their trust in God for protection against infection with COVID-19 instead of the precautionary measures that health experts are recommending may actually be embodying this attitude. Such an individual may minimize or ignore the fact that while God can work in miraculous ways, he also works through ordinary means.

A story that many of us have heard from the pulpit is the story of the man who was caught in a flood. He climbed on the roof of his house and waited for God to rescue him. Meanwhile, the water of the flood rose around him. A neighbor in a duck boat offered to take him to safety. “No,” he told the neighbor, “God will rescue me.” He sent the neighbor on his way. The water rose higher. State troopers in an inflatable boat offered to take him to safety. “No,” he told the troopers, “God will rescue me.” He sent the troopers on their way. By now the water was lapping at his feet. National Guardsmen in a helicopter hovered overhead. They offered to take him to safety. “No,” he shouted, “God will rescue me.” He sent the National Guardsmen on their way. As he waited for God to rescue him, the flood waters covered the roof of his house and swept him off it. After struggling in the water for a few minutes, he drowned. When he appeared before God, his first question was, “Why didn’t you rescue me, Lord? Why didn’t you save me from drowning?” God replied, “Three time I tried to rescue you. Each time you turned those whom I had sent to rescue you away.” The man was dumbfounded.

The lesson which may be garnered from this story is that God works in the way that he chooses, not in the way that we may wish him to work. He may choose ordinary means over miraculous ones.

The factors that I have touched upon may account for why some churches may become the nexus of a COVID-19 case cluster upon reopening in the midst of the pandemic. But how do we account for a church like the one in Greenbrier County, West Virginia becoming the nexus of such a cluster. To the best of its ability it followed the guidelines that were given to it. There are several possibilities. It misunderstood the guidelines. It did not have sufficient information to properly follow them. The guidelines themselves were inadequate. They did not reflect the latest findings on how COVID-19 is transmitted and what are the best practices to prevent infection, based upon these findings. Reopening guidelines differ from state to state, county to county. Most are based upon the guidelines that the Centers on Disease Control issue from time to time. These guidelines, however, are vetted by the White House and vital recommendations which do not serve its economic and political agenda may be diluted or omitted. For example, a recommendation that churches avoid singing and loud talking was quickly withdrawn. The explanation for its withdrawal was that the White House had not authorized the recommendation. As health experts who have reviewed CDC documents have observed, the guidelines that are published are often couched in ambiguous language that leaves too much leeway in their application and which can result in the taking of inadequate precautionary measures.

While a comparison is made between churches and businesses like grocery stores and supermarkets, people tend to spend longer periods of time attending church services and gatherings than they do grocery shopping. Many church sanctuaries and worship centers rely on mechanical ventilation. They may have emergency doors that open to the exterior of the building but very few have windows that open. As a consequence the room in which worshipers gather may accumulate a high concentration of COVID-19 particles. Similar conditions may be found in grocery stores and supermarkets but shoppers do not remain in these environments as long as worshipers do in the room that is used for Sunday worship gatherings.

In a proposed set of guidelines that the White House did not authorized without significant changes, the CDC recommended that churches should reopen in phases. When it came to the phase in which gatherings of up to 50 people were permitted, it was recommended that the gatherings should be held outdoors or in a large, open room whose doors and windows were open and which was ventilated with electric fans. This permitted the circulation of air and the dispersal of any concentration of any COVID-19 virus particles. This precaution by itself would not prevent the transmission of COVID-19 but when used in conjunction with other precautions such as spacing of seating, social distancing, face masks, sanitizing of frequently-touched surfaces, hand-washing, and use of hand sanitizer would add to the layers of protection and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

As can be seen from the foregoing, preventing a church from become the epicenter of a new outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in a community is a complicated undertaking. It is much more difficult than we may have anticipated. In cases of churches like the one in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, denominations, judicatories, local associations, and other community churches need to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened. We all need to know what was done, how well it was done, and what may have been overlooked. This information will prove useful in protecting our own churches and communities. We can learn from each other's mistakes.

5 Unintended Consequences of Worshiping from Home

By David W. Manner

Unintended consequences can be positive or negative outcomes in response to unforeseen or unplanned events or experiences. We certainly didn’t choose this season of worshiping from home. But most of us have unintentionally learned some valuable lessons that should influence how we do gathered worship on the other side of this crisis. Here are five unintended consequences of worship from home:

Sermons are shorter, yet more profound

Most pastors have realized that attention spans online are much shorter so they have intentionally left more of their sermon notes on the cutting room floor. What they have discovered is that a succinct, refined, and consolidated message offers their congregations less information to synthesize but more spiritual truths that can actually be internalized. Preparing and presenting messages with an economy of words is a practice that should continue since attention spans are probably not that much longer in person.

Worship is simpler and less contrived

Most worship leaders have realized when trying to program a remote worship service that less is always more. Before this season of dispersed worship, it seemed like many of us had fallen into the unhealthy habit of trying to surpass the creativity of the previous week. So, we over innovated, over stimulated, and over imitated. Hopefully we’ve learned how unnecessary and unhealthy that practice can be and we’ll spend more of our time in the future focusing on the creator rather than on our own creativity.

Intergenerational worship is foundational instead of optional

Many of us have looked for ways but have often found it difficult to encourage our congregations to move away from worship services separated by generations. And even though intergenerational togetherness was forced during this season, we figured out how to do it because everyone cared more about protecting their families than protecting their preferences. We certainly shouldn’t waste what we learned in this time as everyone was willing to sacrifice some for the good of all. So how can we leverage that deference for continuing intergenerational worship when we again have the opportunity to gather?

Off-limits music programs are now on the table

Some of those music ministry programs we thought we couldn’t possibly live without, we could. So instead of thinking about when we might start them back up, we should be asking if we should. This season has forced us to initiate music and worship ministry audits that we should have already been implementing regularly anyway. So maybe before firing up all those music ministry programs again, we should first ask if they are going to help us fulfill our mission. If they aren’t, then why would we do them?

Church size isn’t determining worship quality

The quality of worship should never be determined by the quantity of worship leaders and worshipers. But that hasn’t stopped those previous comparisons of bigger being better because larger churches have more resources, personnel, and talent. During this season, however, the perceptual playing field has been leveled as all churches were limited to the same number of worship leaders, the same resources for technology, and the same platforms for streaming. Hopefully this online leveling will continue to remind us when we gather again that a comparison according to size is always unhealthy. Every church should be developing distinctly and becoming uniquely the congregation God has called them to be where they are with what they have. The commitment to that calling instead of comparison is what sets the bar for worship quality.

Dr. David W. Manner is the Associate Executive Director for Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists with responsibilities in the areas of Worship, Leadership and Administration. He blogs at Worship Evaluation where this article was originally posted. The article is posted with his permission.

Tuesday's Catch: "Don't Let Politics Ruin Your Witness" and More

Don’t Let Your Politics Ruin Your Witness

I know a lot of people personally who love Jesus, who would tell you that their only hope is in him and what he accomplished on their behalf, who lead their families lovingly, serve others selflessly, and partner with their churches faithfully. The problem is that you would never know any of this based on what they choose to post on the internet. Read More

David Prince offers a much needed word of caution in an era in which politics threatens to overshadow the faith of many Christians and to damage their witness to world in great need of Christ. From a spiritual warfare perspective exploiting the human weaknesses of Christians and embroiling them in the political divisions of the day looks like one of the schemes that Wormwood in C. S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters might have cooked up to divert the attention of a Christian from following the teaching and example of his Lord and to hamper the Church in its mission of spreading the gospel to all peoples.

Churches Experiment with In-Person Gatherings but Many are Split and Unsure About Their Return

Regardless of whether churches are meeting in-person or not, this summer is a wonderful time to take advantage of granting leaders rejuvenation and a vision for the next season. Read More

COVID-19 Church Survey Third Round Report [Free Resource]

"Churches are displaying both courage and caution in returning to in-person gatherings this summer." Learn More

Why This Is the Christian Side Hug’s Moment

Will our disgust for germs get the best of us? A psychologist weighs the risks and benefits of human touch in a pandemic. Read More

COVID-19 has raised people's awareness of how they can become infected with a disease. While Brad D. Strawn points to one possible outcome of this heightened awareness, we also need to be aware of the corresponding danger of romanticizing a number of practices to which Strawn refers to in his article. Human beings do need physical contact to grow and develop as infants. However, how much physical contact adults will have with older children and adults, as sociologists will tell you, varies from social group to social group and is culturally determined. For example, Italians tends to be physically demonstrative while the English tend to be reserved. Some individuals may welcome physical touch while others experience it as a violation of their person. Practices like "passing the peace" and anointing with oil are not essential to the life and worship of the church. A number of church traditions do not follow these practices and have flourished without them.

5 Small Group Principles That Change Lives

Here are five small group principles that you can use as a new Small Group leader in creating a culture where “No Perfect People Are Allowed” and life change can happen.Read More

3 Principles for Living on Mission Outside of Your Church

Let me share three things I learned about non-religious people while planting a church.... Read More

How might we adapt these three ways of reaching our neighbors to the realities of the COVID-19 era?

Supreme Court: Employment Law Protects Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

In the case of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that employers who fire someone for being gay or transgender violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Read More

This Supreme Court decision will affect church hiring policies and practices, some churches more than others. It remains to be seen how it will affect these policies and practices.

Monday's Catch: COVID-19 and Religious Freedom and More

Religious Freedom Lessons from COVID-19 Disputes

Understanding the legal issues at play can help the church if government restrictions return with another pandemic spike. Read More

Does one group acting irresponsibly in terms of exposing themselves and others to the COVID-19 coronavirus and the government refraining from cracking down on that group due to the possible repercussions justify another group acting irresponsibly in the same manner and arguing that it should be free to do so in the light of the government's failure to crack down on the first group. I don't think so. That is a specious argument. One group exercising what may prove to be poor judgment does not justify another group doing the same. The demonstrators who protesting police violence are caught up in the heat of the moment and are throwing caution to the wind. Churches, on the other hand, need to think about their ongoing relationship to the community and to keep a level head. It is to their benefit in the long term to act responsibly. Those protesting on the street may damage their own cause if their demonstrations become linked to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. They may harm the very community that they are seeking to protect from further police violence. It is a risk that they are taking. Some may understand that risk; others may not.

8 Pitfalls Small Groups Should Avoid

Many small groups lately are meeting online using video chatting software such as Zoom. Eventually, though, groups will again be able to meet in-person at churches, in homes, or even at Starbucks (if that’s your thing). And there are a few pitfalls to avoid when that happens. Read More

Two Religions That Claim to be Christian

Can a religion claim to be “Christian” if it changes biblical truths about Christ and God? Read More

When Churches Reopen, Don’t Sing or Shake Hands, Do Make Sermons Short, Says New Guide

An ecumenical group of clergy, scientists and other experts has released a guide to help congregations consider best practices for reopening for worship.

Among their suggestions:

Refrain from congregational singing. Clap or stomp instead.

Preachers, shorten your sermon.

Congregants, mouth your response during Communion instead of speaking.

Pass the peace to other worshippers with a gentle nod or a reverent bow, but no physical contact.

The 36-page document notes that church leaders will make different decisions depending on the recommendations of denominational and health officials. Read More

RESUMING CARE-FILLED WORSHIP AND SACRAMENTAL LIFE DURING A PANDEMIC The Guide - Free PDF Download

I have not reviewed the guide so I am reserving comment.