We are in the midst of a global pandemic, world-wide uprising over racial discrimination and man's inhumanity to man at historic proportions -- one calling for individual distancing and isolation and the other for mass demonstrations by the thousands in the public square. Talk about an ironic contradiction of purposes that only complicate an already compromised world.
Governments have proven to be ill-prepared and ill-equipped to deal with crisis of this nature and degree and are struggling to play catch-up, let alone find solutions. It is by no means a pretty picture. The resultant costs are astronomical, both monetarily and in terms of public good will and faith in mankind.
My question, in view of all that is happening, is: "where are our churches?"
I'll tell you where our churches are, or aren't...At the community level they have been forced to close down completely because of COVID-19 with all of its mandated restrictions, reduced to conducting less-than-perfect Sunday worship services on line and for the most part putting mission and outreach programs on hold. Personally, I never thought that I would see the day...Did you? Church premises sitting vacant, completely void of people, empty hulls sitting on valuable real estate.
My real concern, however, is where are our national church bodies in all of this. What is happening with the World Council of Churches. In the eyes of a nation, have they become irrelevant? Maybe its the fault of the media in not asking for comments from church leaders during this difficult period, but I look for a more vocal response from our churches, promoting conciliation and compassion, easing public unrest and generally being present.
Certainly, relief wings of religious organisations have been dispatching disinfection supplies, powered air-purifying respirators, face shields, gloves, coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents, ventilators, patient monitors, syringe pumps, infusion pumps, and food to affected areas. Some churches have offered free COVID-19 testing to the public. Adherents of many religions have gathered together to pray for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, for those affected by it, as well as for wisdom for physicians and scientists to combat the disease.
All very well and good...churches tend to be low key and not particularly publicity conscious, to their peril.
Right now, our conversations and our action on the subject of racism should begin with police accountability, how black people like George Floyd are perceived by society, and how their lives are affected by that perception. We need to maintain that focus and stay on that topic to work out specifically how we will tackle that problem.
Surely I am not alone in looking to church leaders today to take a more active role in public affairs and the promotion of faith in times of trouble and unrest and being solidly behind all movements to that end. It's all about standing up and being noticed.
I could get more religious in this post, but I fear it would get in the way of my thesis.
Hell, we all matter...and churches are there to remind us of that fact!
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