The kind of thing that makes for a fictitious epic novel with a conclusion of one lone survivor has become the headline.
Every winter around here we realize that any given day could be inconvenienced with a series of snowstorms followed with days of wind and frigid cold. The school children hope for the cancelation of school. Where the hope of an extended spring break may exist, the fear around this day deserves a conversation about a few things.
When is the last time anyone living in this land of comfort was faced with this kind of talk?
So here we are. Real? Fake? Who to trust? What to do? The media has a reputation of being an advancer of hype or a narrative of its own story. The government and her agencies have not given the citizenry much to trust. When is the last time the NBA was looked to as a voice of reason and ethics? Does a government have a right to instruct the population to not assemble, for any reason at all?
Let’s start with what we know.
Viruses exist. Any person with an active virus puts others at risk of transmitting the virus to others. Taking care of washing hands, how we cough, what direction we sneeze, etc… are important things for courteous neighbors to do toward others. Some people are more vulnerable than others to get a virus because of compromised immune systems.
What we don’t know. Is the hype real? Is the concern made up? Was this virus intentionally released? Is the economy related to pandemic fear? Some of what we don’t know might be what we will soon know.
The question I want to think through though is, what should we do? By we, I mean Eastside Baptist Church. A church is an assembly of people. A gathering of people who have interacted with many others.
What then should be done?
The first thing I want to do is ask the serious question about what a church should do regarding her gatherings when there is a potential (real or fake) risk of public endangerment. While answering this question consideration of what is behind this kind of outbreak will be complex.
The Bill of Rights guarantees the right “of the people to peaceably assemble.” Is this the time to exercise that right if it is in conflict with the opinions of the government and/or her agencies? Is it irresponsible of churches to gather and assemble knowing that it potentially might put the assembly at risk of a health crisis?
These are fair and good questions to ask. They have been discussed with the other elders of Eastside Baptist.
Here is what we concluded last night as we were gathering for prayer.
- Unless providentially hindered, Eastside Baptist Church will gather on the coming Lord’s Day.
- We will gather much like we would if a winter storm had been forecasted, with respect to the individual right of each person and family to weigh out the potential risk of driving. We will behave the same in this potential risk as we would in other risks.
- We will exercise appropriate discretion and respect for how others might feel about being together while measuring the threat of virus infection.
- For those willing to gather – we will provide a gathering place. We will assemble with care for each other, with respect to our community, honestly, and with joy to bless the Lord together. If from the time of this published post there should be an announcement from the government of Idaho or any of her agencies to not assemble, our resolve will remain the same; we will exercise our right to gather with full awareness of the risk to others and to ourselves. We will behave responsibly and remain home if sick and will be pleased to assist each other with reasonable compassion with respect to our community at large.
Lord willing, I’ll gather with my beloved church family on the coming Lord’s Day.
Remember: for anyone unable to gather with us in person, you can find us online at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time. HERE
Edited for grammar…
Case in point: Today, the Times News published my column entitled “