Your Voice

Responses to ‘Will unbelievers blame Christians for virus spread?’

EDITOR’S NOTE — We received several responses to Dr. Bob Cosby’s opinion printed in the Sept. 23 Your Voice section, “Will unbelievers blame Christians for virus spread?” Those who disagreed with Cosby expressed concerns about COVID-19 vaccine safety and how medical research was conducted, as well as concerns about not gathering as believers and government mandates in general. Here are excerpts from those responses.

The world is going to hate and blame Christians no matter what, even as they blamed Christians when Nero burned Rome. The Roman Empire justified the persecution of Christianity right up through the mid-third century by making false claims against believers.

Neither is the refusal to follow the government’s laws when they conflict with our conscience or God’s moral law foreign to Scripture. Indeed, we are expected to follow both our conscience and God’s law above that of man’s immorality or ungodly edicts, even as Daniel (Dan. 6:6–28), Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan. 3:8–30), and Peter and the other apostles (Acts 5:29), refused to obey such rules.

Desmond Allen
Opelika, Ala.

We are to stand against injustice. If the world blames me for the pandemic, they are wrong, not me. I will not give up church or singing for the government or non-Christians.

Lana Meadows
Jackson, Ala.

First, I will say that I have had both COVID shots. But it seems to me that the author is not taking into consideration in any way the people who for whatever health reason feel they should not at this time take the “shots” or those people with natural immunity.

His comments, “It is unwise to promote congregating in church buildings simply to socialize and fill pews” may be the reason he goes to church, but not me.

My church did worship online for a few months, but soon we realized we needed to be together and began worshipping in person. I believe we should obey God “above governmental authorities.”

So while I am “fully vaccinated” as they say, I believe everyone should be able to make his own decision without blame or ridicule.

Susan Pate
Gordo, Ala.

Many in the modern church have a poor view of the physical gathering of the church. Having church in person isn’t simply socializing and filling pews, it’s a command of God. It is impossible to be doing life together unless we are actually together.

Watching from home is not the answer, only a short-term solution. Cosby suggests we “get vaccinated, wear masks and meet virtually,” all reasoned on “scripturally submitting ourselves to every authority by following the recommendations of our God-given leaders.”

This sort of an understanding is narrow, binds consciences without direct biblical teaching, puts the impetus on Christians to appease the world in this way so as to avoid them hating us and removes the ability from Christians to follow other commands like missionary work and evangelism.

Such an understanding undermines the gospel, gospel efforts and commands given to the church.

Such arguments basically say we should not do what God has clearly said for an undefined period (When will COVID-19 be gone? Health officials say that it won’t be.).

And when we meet together (remembering that online meetings are not actually meeting together), we are giving the world an opportunity to hate us and blame us and persecute us.

My immediate problem with that is a question: why is worldly America still OK with the church here at all? Jesus says faithful followers will be hated by the world. What those who argue such things are afraid of is the very thing Jesus said will happen to His faithful followers. This seems then like a poor motivation for any decision.

Some have asserted the only reason the government hasn’t mandated vaccines and masks and prohibited gathering physically is fear of man. But isn’t that the whole reason for Cosby’s argument that we should be censuring ourselves?

I do think wearing masks when out in public is a loving alternative to vaccines, but when assembling together, we have the freedom to choose whether we wear a mask based on each other’s comfort with the situation. So what seems best is a constant, loving conversation among the church about mask wearing. But to push the idea being injected with something is obedience to God? We’ll need a “book, chapter, verse” for that strong of an assertion.

And even if the world does blame us, is it a justified blame? There is no evidence in the Bible linking potentially exposing another to sickness as an unloving or sinful action. We are not blameworthy for accidentally infecting someone with something we don’t know we have. Deaths from COVID-19 are tragic. Death also reflects the consequences of the fall and our motivation for evangelism.

But does it make us worthy of blame? No, it doesn’t.

If someone knew he were sick and came to church anyway, that would be unloving at the very least. It wouldn’t reflect the careful heart of Jesus. But in our kingdom of redemption, it would still be forgivable. Cosby’s reasoning and counsel are more reflective of fear and cancel-culture than that of trust, wisdom and redemption in Jesus.

James Hammack
Prattville, Ala.

“Apart from submission to God, suffering is meaningless.”

Morris Murray Jr. 
Jasper, Ala.

The decision for hope rests on what we believe at the deepest levels — what our most basic convictions are about the world and about God and about the future. We choose hope, not as a naive wish, but as a choice with our eyes wide open to the reality of the world and our responsibility to be at work in it.

Diana Garland, author
“Why I Am a Social Worker”

My dear friends … lost, blinded, hurting people all around us could care less about our theological debates or stances.

They do not care a thing about our creeds or credentials. They do not care about what version of the Bible you use because it does not matter the version if you are not sharing it with them. They do not care about our meetings, but whether or not we will do ministry.

What they need from us is not more denominational strategies, but real devotion to the Savior. It is time to work while it is still day because darkness is setting in!

Clay Hallmark, senior pastor
First Baptist Church
Lexington, Tenn.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I have been a Christian for for over 35 years. I’ve been blessed to be in ministry for over 25 years now. Over these years, the Lord has been good to place some godly men in my life who have influenced me. There’s no way I could possibly thank them all, but over the next several days, I will make an attempt to publicly acknowledge many of these men who God has used greatly in my life and ministry.

Pastor Andy Frazier
Grace Baptist Church
Sumiton, Ala.

Got a phone message today that was simple but powerful:

“Hey bro, … I’m proud of you, and I love you.”

I’ll say this. Sometimes you just need some people in your corner that believe in you. No matter how small it may seem, a little encouragement goes a long way.

Pastor Jarman Leatherwood
House of Hope and Restoration
Huntsville, Ala.

Equipping high school seniors

The college campus is one of the most strategic missions fields in the world. As Bill Bright said, “If we can reach the campus, we can reach the world.”

Thousands come and gather together in college towns all across the nation every single fall. This movement presents one of the greatest opportunities in the world to reach, disciple and send college graduates to the ends of the earth. It is a big deal.

Therefore, youth ministry matters. And the decisions a leader makes in the final chapter of high school ministry can alter the trajectory of how incoming college freshmen approach their campus.

Instead of fumbling over the finish line, it is essential a leader finishes strong in his equipping of a student for this new season of life.

College campuses do not need incoming freshmen who have merely come in contact with the Word. They need students for whom the Word lives inside of them (John 15:7).

Commit to discipling students in your church. Do whatever it takes to see that they mature as fully devoted followers of Jesus who not only hear the Word but do the Word (James 1:22).

One of the biggest challenges incoming freshmen face is connecting with a local church in their college town. Equip your students to find a gospel-centered, Bible-believing, missional church.

What if instead of senior recognition, we had sending recognition: a celebration as students took a step of obedience into a missions field of engaging people far from Jesus with the gospel?

We are saved to be sent. Therefore, send those seniors.

Pastor Ethan McCreary
The Well Church
Huntsville, Ala.

From the Twitterverse

@macbrunson
Pastors, does your desk transform into an altar when you sit down behind it? That will make a huge difference when you stand up in the pulpit.

@EdLitton
Pray and give some thought today as to how you might encourage your pastor … . Faithfulness does not attract a lot of attention, so let it attract yours and express your gratitude. #PastorAppreciationMonth

@jontyner
Faith has 3 distinct stages: The faith that reckons; The faith that rests; The faith that risks. —Leonard Ravenhill

@jeffredding
The more time passes, the more thankful I am that because of Jesus, the greatest memories we’ll ever have of times with loved ones at home now in heaven — have yet to be made. #SeeYouSoon becomes #WelcomeHome #Heaven

@LysaTerKeurst
Trying to maintain control in situations I face makes me feel like I’m trusting God when, in reality, I’m just counting on Him to the level that He comes through for me. Let’s rest in the knowledge that the One who brings about good is actively working on our behalf right now.

@davidcofield
The cumulative effect of too much information — so easily and constantly accessible to us — creates a burden that our minds and souls were not created to bear. —Brett McCracken

@MattSmethurst
Satan loves sowing seeds of suspicion. Do you make his job easier? Or do you assume the best of those with whom you’ll live forever? Which more energizes you: edifying people or exposing people? One way we can fight worldliness is by not acting like the world.

@ronniep
New day. New mercies. Same God of steadfast love and faithfulness.

@PastorJFC
Without a strategy for saying no, you default to yes, and your life vaporizes with other people’s priorities being realized rather than yours. @cnieuwhof

@DustinBenge
The problem is never Scripture but our unwilling hearts to believe what Scripture clearly teaches.

@ArtRainer
Our first place of generosity should be our local church.