As a PCA ruling elder here in the Washington area the By Faith article on lessons learned from COVID makes me think the author did not learn any lessons. We struggled for the first couple of months partly due to considering our witness as a good neighbor and then due to the draconian nature of the local government's mandates. However, we opened to in-person worship after about two months. The vast majority of churches of all denominations stayed closed for 6-18 months.
I think what the author missed and continues to ignore is the fear factor. We as believers have nothing to fear, but the Lord. And those churches that closed up enhanced the fear factor - of nature and of man.
Perceptions of Christianity are moving, but subtly. The description the Silicon Valley view of faith shifting from “hostility” to “low status” is kind of amusing in a way. But the opening it presents to point people to Christ is very real in many cases. I’ve seen this with people I know personally.
I can’t help but wonder how much of it is a response to people getting burned by so many of the ideologies that were hyped for a time. Now it’s as if people are digging around in their closet and discovering a shirt that was always there. “Maybe this one still fits.”
Not the most flattering analogy for Christian faith, but that’s what it feels like to me. Thanks Aaron, as always, for your insightful takes.
As a PCA ruling elder here in the Washington area the By Faith article on lessons learned from COVID makes me think the author did not learn any lessons. We struggled for the first couple of months partly due to considering our witness as a good neighbor and then due to the draconian nature of the local government's mandates. However, we opened to in-person worship after about two months. The vast majority of churches of all denominations stayed closed for 6-18 months.
I think what the author missed and continues to ignore is the fear factor. We as believers have nothing to fear, but the Lord. And those churches that closed up enhanced the fear factor - of nature and of man.
Perceptions of Christianity are moving, but subtly. The description the Silicon Valley view of faith shifting from “hostility” to “low status” is kind of amusing in a way. But the opening it presents to point people to Christ is very real in many cases. I’ve seen this with people I know personally.
I can’t help but wonder how much of it is a response to people getting burned by so many of the ideologies that were hyped for a time. Now it’s as if people are digging around in their closet and discovering a shirt that was always there. “Maybe this one still fits.”
Not the most flattering analogy for Christian faith, but that’s what it feels like to me. Thanks Aaron, as always, for your insightful takes.