Church vs. COVID (part 1): setting up the issues


 By Joel James - Posted at The Cripplegate:

Over the last year and a half, churches around the world have been severely impacted by government regulations related to the COVID outbreak. In South Africa where I pastor, restrictions have varied from banning all church services during seasons of high infection rates, to long-term limits on the number of people allowed to attend worship services (varying from fifty to one hundred people irrespective of the size of the meeting hall). Corporate singing and the serving of communion elements have been banned from the beginning, along with constantly changing prohibitions or restrictions on other fellowship events. Masks and social distancing have been required throughout. No doubt your church has experienced similar regulations, and it has left us all asking, “How do we respond when government regulations significantly impinge on biblical worship and fellowship?”

Opinions are legion. Reponses range from, “The church should obey the government no matter what,” to “Once it steps on the church property, a church can do whatever it jolly well pleases,” to various intermediate positions. In this series of articles, I want to share some of the principles that have helped my church in Pretoria, South Africa, make COVID-related decisions over the past year. As Christians, we want to identify and embrace long-term principles that will inform our consciences, strengthen our faith, and guide us when we have to respond to similar situations in the future.

And make no mistake about it, there will be similar situations in the future. Because of the patterns established around the world in 2020 and 2021, there can be little doubt that Christians will face further health-driven bans on church services in the days ahead. Not only is COVID still with us, but new viruses are likely to emerge, stimulating similar governmental restrictions: the precedent has been set. Moreover, in the decades ahead Christians are sure to face government overreach and prohibitions completely unrelated to public health concerns. For example, a province in Australia recently passed legislation imposing stiff fines on any person attempting to convert someone from one religion to another. Evangelism just got expensive! How should we respond?



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