Three Important “Oughts” for Christians During Pandemic
Guidelines for making decisions about how and when to engage the people around us during this time of uncertainty, confusion, and political polarization.
I was recently confronted with a situation in which I was asked my thoughts regarding the possibility of spending time together with some people we love dearly, but for whom there some virus-related concerns. Should we spend time together with them or not? And if we do, what should that time together look like?
This got me to thinking about how it is that would think through this situation and the many nuances it contained. Having a background in mathematics and an interest in statistics, I am well aware that any set of data can tell a wide range of stories depending on who is telling the story and the message they wish to convey. Numbers are not nearly as black and white as we might wish they were.
Then on the opposite end of the spectrum are the spiritual pillars on which I base my life and the way I think about and act upon most everything. There, as nonintuitive as it may seem, is a black and white principle known as the Law of Love — love God and love your neighbor (Luke 12:30–31), do everything in love (1 Cor 16:14), and perhaps most important of all the sacrificial love of Christ, who is the perfect and full reflection of the Heavenly Father (Phil 2:5–11, Col 2:9, Heb 1:3, and many more).
Of course, woven in and among all of is the unfortunate politicizing that clouds everyone’s vision, making it impossible to know with real certainty (perceived certainty or wishful certainty, perhaps) exactly what is going on, how it all started, the necessary steps to control it, and to balance the economic, medical, social, and spiritual factors at play.
So, how do I decide how to proceed in this situation where there are differing ideas on what is appropriate and good, when the state-mandated protocols are in flux, when legitimate medical concerns are present, where social-distancing has not been practiced recently in a large group setting, and so on. I offer the following glimpse into how I considered this question:
1 — We ought to follow the law of the land as best as we can, within reason.
Unless our human rights are being egregiously violated, then we have no good reason to not do this. Wearing masks and being careful in how we interact with people, for example, do not cross this line, in my estimation. I ought to do what I can to ensure the well-being of the community even at the cost of my own convenience. Yes, there are some for whom wearing a mask is difficult thing to do, a legitimate medical concern. That’s fine…as with most things there is a reasonableness in all of this that we can all appreciate and respect.
This is not the case for most of us, however. I hate wearing a mask — it fogs my glasses and constricts my nasal airways — but I’m willing to do it. And in doing so I’m neither sending a political message of any kind nor reacting in fear. Rather, the law of love leads me to do whatever I can to encourage the well-being of those around me. And even if I am not sick, if my wearing a mask makes it easier for other people to also wear theirs, then that’s a good thing. And, even if tomorrow someone produces conclusive and undeniable truth that wearing masks has absolutely no effect on the transmission of this virus (I’m quite certain this will never happen, but indulge me with this hypothetical), I have lost nothing. More importantly, even if my wearing the mask was completely useless, if doing so conveyed to the people around me my concern and compassion for my neighbors, then I’m okay with that.
2 — We ought to live our lives while taking reasonable precautions in our interactions with friends & family in the course of our daily lives.
We have got to live our lives, love our families, and engage in appropriate ways with the people in our lives. From the beginning it was clear to me that economic cost — and the results that could follow — could be just as damaging in the long run than the cost of lives lost. How many parents must choose between not working and not being able to feed their families? How many lost jobs are too many, especially in places where unemployment benefits are “not a thing?” How many people would feel forced to turn to “less than good” forms of income generation? How many children would be sold or traded? People need to work. Parents need to be able to feed their children. And economic collapse could have much larger than expected long-term consequences.
My daughter wisely observed that we must be careful — even as we focus on the physical well-being of people around the world by implementing protocols designed to keep people healthy — to not forget or ignore the mental and emotional well-being of people. Wise words. People need people. Even the most introverted among us need relationships with others. The emotional, mental, and relationship consequences at play here must also be considered.
What we have so far is a balancing act for sure. And not an easy one. We won’t all agree on the best implementation, and that’s okay. But again, the Law of Love demands that I consider the physical, economic, mental, and emotional well-being of myself and the people around me.
Which leads me to my final thought —
3 — We ought to take seriously the concerns, fears, and susceptibility of the most concerned and most vulnerable people around us, whether that be family, friends, co-workers, or people in our social network.
There is, of course, a reasonableness at play here, too. But as far as I am able and as far as it is reasonable, I ought to be willing to restrict myself a little more than I might think necessary when there are others with greater concerns and greater vulnerability than myself. This, too, is love. This is how I believe Christ would act…but even apart from any spiritual connection, it’s also how a responsible, compassionate citizen ought to act towards his or her fellow citizens.
As a follower of Christ I must remember that Scripture speaks nothing of individual faith or individual rights. “What’s good for me” is not the primary standard by which I must make decisions. John Wesley taught that “there is no holiness but social holiness,” an idea backed by Paul’s exhortation that “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6).
In other words, it is impossible to live a faith-full and holy life hunkered down by myself or even isolated with only my immediate family. The decisions I make, I make not only for myself, but out of love for God and love of the people in my household, my church, my neighborhood, my nation, and the global community in which I live.
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