The Christian and Politics

 

"Latesha," the message on my phone read.  "You too can make difference!  We need you to get out and vote for candidates who can produce change!"

I paused for a moment with a shocked look on my face.  It has been over 20 years since I entered the witness protection program and someone had finally figure out my true identity -- Latesha Smith.  And now, with this blog post the reality is out over the whole internet... 

This is not the only text message I have gotten over the last several weeks, intended for someone else, but encouraging me to take up my civic duty.  Reading some of the posts on Facebook, I would be convinced that the main duty of Christians is to vote for the right candidates.  Certainly if we can put God back into the legislative process, this country would be a better place.

The Two Kingdoms

Anabaptists have traditionally have had a view of the kingdoms of this world which is decidedly negative.  The rulers of this world are never truly at peace with the Kingdom of God.  At best, these worldly kingdoms have an uneasy truce with the church, but often they attempt to manipulate it and coerce its followers.

There are no theocracies on earth and even those countries that pay lip service to a deity in their Constitutions cannot truly claim to serve God in their actions.

I suppose hope springs eternal.  Perhaps if enough people in a democracy voted the right way, truth and morality would prevail.  Certainly that seems to be a common refrain and yet, there are certain dangers we need to think about when Christians get too focused on politics.

Opportunity Cost

Quite simply our mission on earth is to enlarge and strengthen the City of God.  This will not happen through political means.  Enacting good laws can get our neighbors to clean up the outsides of their homes and lives, but this is not the goal of the servants of Christ.

Our goal is to introduce people to Jesus and allow Him to change their hearts.  

Everyone of us has only 24 hours each day and 7 days each week.  Ephesians tells us "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."  Quite simply, politics to me feels like a waste of time compared with other ways we can use our time.

Push towards Hyper-Patriotism

The Prophet Jonah is well known to us.  We know the story of how he was called to give a message of God's judgment to the nation of Assyria.  Instead he fled, only to be swallowed by a fish.  

What is hidden until the end of the book is Jonah's reason for fleeing.  It wasn't that he was afraid of the Assyrians or that he didn't believe God's message.  Quite simply, Jonah was afraid that the Assyrians would repent and find forgiveness.  As a devout Jew, he could not abide the possibility that his enemies would find redemption.

At the end of the book of Jonah there is a beautiful question from God "Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"  

The answer is never given, but should appear clearly to the reader.  God is bigger than politics and He desires redemption for all -- Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.  His servants would do well to remember that.

Being too focused on politics can lead us to think that those on the other side of the political aisle are unworthy of redemption.  The political process really seems to have led to a high level of anger and it is hard to imagine praying for those who we see as despicable.

Taking an Easier Way

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, we have recorded in Matthew 4 of Satan coming and tempting Him.  One of the temptations was to worship Satan and in return, the devil would give Him all of the kingdoms of the world.  

Quite simply, Satan was offering an easier way for Jesus to achieve His goal.  This was a way that did not involve suffering and the cross.

Today, Satan beckons to Christians with the message that they do not need to invest themselves in ministry and discipleship and mentoring others.  Instead, they can use the political process to achieve the same ends, with much less effort.

Satan would tell us that our goal is legislating against sinful behavior, but nothing can take away from our true basic responsibility -- to introduce people to Jesus.

Overestimating Politics

About one hundred years ago, this country embarked on an experiment with something called Prohibition.  For thirteen years, a Constitutional amendment went into effect that prohibited the sale of alcohol in the United States.  Church groups were very pleased, because they believed that alcohol was a major source of immorality in the United States.

In some ways, Prohibition worked.  It reduced alcohol consumption by quite a bit.  Rates of fetal alcohol syndrome dropped considerably.  Rates of cirrhosis and alcoholic liver disease plummeted as well.

At the same time, organized crime flourished with the illegal alcohol trade.  In numerous woods and hollers illegal stills popped up to nourish the continued desire for that which was now illegal.

Laws had changed while hearts remained the same.

Then in 1933, Prohibition was quietly repealed and everything went back to the status quo.  Prohibition left the law books and entered the history books.

In some ways, Prohibition was unusual.  More often than not, politicians are simply not able to carry through on their campaign promises.  The House or the Senate simply doesn't cooperate or judges shoot down laws that have been enacted.

Far more than that, enacting the right laws may make for a safer society for the righteous, but it doesn't fix the fact that the "Heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."

Jesus said to Pilate "My kingdom is not of this world."  

It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that if the right person isn't elected President, if the wrong party controls the Senate and the House, that God's will cannot be done on this earth.

It is not so easy to circumvent the will of God.

We are called to share the Gospel, to serve, to disciple, and to teach others.  We are to love as Jesus loved, even those who might differ from us in beliefs.  We are called to introduce those who do not know Jesus to our Master.

Only then will hearts be healed.

Only then can the world be changed.

The Christian and Conspiracies

  

"Dad, why do people believe conspiracy theories?"  My twelve year old son asked me.

"I don't really know, Vince," I said.  "They've been around for a long time and so I suppose they must help people deal with life in some way, but I'm not sure exactly how."

And so my mind began to turn, thinking about the subject and trying to understand it.

Conspiracy theories aren’t anything new.  Throughout history, there were lots of different ones.  In Europe, long before World War II, there were strong beliefs that Jewish people were behind many terrible things in history.  Europeans in the Middle Ages even believed that Jews caused the Black Death by poisoning their wells.  More recently, there have been lots of interesting, if unprovable theories about the assassination of John F Kennedy.  

The conspiracy theories that you buy into depend on who you are and the culture that surrounds you.  Citizens in the Middle East are much more likely to believe that the holocaust was faked or believe that many recent terrorist activities were sponsored by Western countries with colonial aspirations.  On the other hand, Americans tend to believe that government agencies are “out to get them.”  They think that the CDC is controlled by unsavory elements that are trying to harm the citizens of the United States.  They are sure that “Big Pharma” is creating illnesses to pad their bottom line.

The most important thing about conspiracy theories, is that they do not require facts, but are more dependent on strong belief by the people espousing these theories.  So, if you believe that the earth is flat, that the moon landing was a hoax, or that the CDC and all the other “experts” are faking the COVID pandemic, you need very little data to back up your opinions and convincing you that the main stream opinion is correct is likely impossible.

Conspiracy Theorists Value the Wrong Opinions.

I remember a patient of mine who came to see me after seeing her cardiologist.  "He tells me that I need a pacemaker and defibrillator," she told me.

"He's a good doctor," I told her.  "I think you should probably go ahead and do it."

"Yes," she said.  "But he doesn't really know me and I know he doesn't care about me like you do.  That's why I wanted to come and talk to you about what he wants to do."

I understand this feeling.  Experts may be smart, but do they really have our individual concerns and needs in view?  Maybe they are just trying to make their next boat payment.  

At the same time, a cardiologist is far better to listen to when it comes to a decision about a pacemaker than a family doctor.

Conspiracy theorists are unwilling to trust the mainstream “experts.”  They claim (and rightly so) that experts aren’t always correct.  Computer models and initial predictions are often wrong.  So they choose other experts and ignore the facts and data informing their chosen expert's opinions.

The most important thing when evaluating a video on You Tube should not be “does this make me feel good,” “is this person charismatic,” or “do I like what they are saying.” The question should be what facts are behind their statements and is there real data that backs up their opinions.

I would say one thing more, which is that true experts are quicker to say “I don’t know” when something is unclear.  This is not always the case with Conspiracy theorists.

Conspiracy Theorists Exaggerate Their Credentials.

I come at this from a medical standpoint.  I have read articles where doctors claim to have cared for “thousands of COVID patients” or to be members of some Harvard task force.  Investigating further, you find that these claims are exaggerated. 

I am not someone who claims that you need board certification to have a valid opinion on a medical subject, but I also don’t think you need to be deceptive about who you are and what your background knowledge is.

For what it is worth, I am a small town family doctor in Central Virginia who wants to serve Jesus and thinks a little too much about things like this.  Those are my only credentials.

Conspiracy Theorists Only Bring Up Facts that Support Their Theories.

I suppose this is not surprising, but conspiracy theorists are quick to delve into tiny sentences in articles that don’t really support their point of view and claim that they support what they believe.  Understand that this is not a court of law, this is about having a real understanding of the facts about anything from COVID, masks, or even assassinations.

If you are talking about masks, for instance, I want an explanation of why countries who use them see reductions in new cases and deaths from COVID and do not see lots of hospitalizations and ER visits from mask induced hypercapnia.  If you don’t address this, I am going to be less willing to listen to some of the other things you are sharing.

If your claim is that the earth is flat, I want more than criticism of the round earthers, I want an explanation of the physical laws we see and observe.  Skipping that makes me believe that the round earth scientists are correct.

Conspiracy Theorists are Unwilling to Trust Occam’s Razor.

William of Occam in the 1300s believed very strongly that all extra details need to be stripped away and the simplest explanation of the facts should be viewed as the most likely explanation.  This is the opposite of most conspiracy theories. 

For a conspiracy theory to be really juicy, there need to be secret powerful societies involved, as well as some foreign labs, and maybe a couple of suitcases full of money floating around for good measure.  All these sorts of things make a good spy story, but not so much what we see in our every day world.

If the CDC makes a recommendation, it is not because a political party is paying them off, nor is it because “Big Pharma” is manipulating them.  It is because the scientists that work there believe what they are saying to be accurate.  If they change that recommendation, it is not because they are being paid off, but because new data has come out that makes the older recommendations no longer valid.

Conspiracy Theorists are Looking for Reasons.

Terrible things happen in this world.  Men assassinate world leaders.  Terrorists fly planes into tall buildings.  Viruses somehow transition from bats to humans in China and lots of people get sick and some die.  All of it seems like there should be plots behind it, replete with secret labs, illuminati, and criminals in dark suits and sunglasses.

Unfortunately, there aren’t always reasons behind things.  The experts give their assessment of the situation and it doesn’t feel adequate.  In this absence of “real” answers, people rise up who will explain the "why" of each tragedy.  Each of these individuals has a following, if not the facts.

 Conspiracy Theories Harm the People Who Believe Them

There are probably a number of ways in which these beliefs are harmful, but there are a few which stand out to me.  First of all, they lead to a general paranoia.  There is enough evil in this world without believing that the people charged with our safety and protection are trying to destroy the very things they are supposed to protect.  Paranoia is a dangerous mind set and one that can lead to depression, fear, and anger.

Further, it seems as though people who believe conspiracy theories in one area tend to have these beliefs become generalized.  Quite simply, if you are certain that one part of the government is lying to you, it is easy to believe that other parts are as well.

Another thing is that folks who believe conspiracy theories are often unwilling to do things that would be beneficial to them from a health and wellness standpoint.  They are afraid of vaccines or cholesterol medications and will not try them, even though there are numerous studies that show benefits.

The last thing is that these theories really seem to lead to anger and hatred of all who hold different views.  I suppose it is human nature, but over time people seem to become really entrenched in their beliefs and believe that all others who hold different beliefs are foolish.

Christians Are Commanded to be Discerning

We know that in the Old Testament, false prophecy was judged harshly.  False prophets were to be put to death if a single one of their prophecies was incorrect.

In the New Testament, Christians were still commanded to be discerning.  John, in I John 4:1 said, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."  Quite simply, John did not want the early Christians to naively believe everyone who came along.

We are to be like the Bereans, searching and trying to understand to see who is really sharing truth.

Buying Into Conspiracy Theories is an Indication that Christians are too Invested in this World.

This is a mouthful. 

Jesus told His disciples that they were to be in this world, but not of it.  Paul told Timothy that “A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.  They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”  It feels as though this Scripture has come to pass in my hearing.

Of course Christians care about the society they live in, but they should care more about seeing people meet Jesus.  Our focus should not be understanding the darkness, but on spreading the light.

It is important for Christians to evaluate carefully the source of their information, but even more, not to become overly politicized.  When Jesus returns in the clouds, he will not be riding a donkey or an elephant and those He returns for will be those who have served Him, not those who voted a certain way or posted the right memes on Facebook.

They will be those who visited Him in prison, who saw Him hungry and fed Him, and who saw Him in need and gave freely to help His needs.  The message of the Gospel is clear.  As we do these things (or don't do them) for the neediest among us, we do them to Him.

This morning I pray for clarity and for truth to prevail.  I pray for anger and dissension among the people of God to end.  I pray for false prophets and false scientists to be revealed.

Most of all I pray that Jesus’ followers could focus on Him and the world to which they are going.  

While Conspiracy Theories may, in some convoluted way explain the darkness they will never spread the light.

This world needs that light more than anything else.

               

                 

Super-Saturated

 

"Dad," my son Elliot said to me, a little breathlessly.  "Do you know what I just saw?"

 

"A bedroom that needs cleaning," I said, I am afraid with just a bit of sarcasm in my voice.

 

"No," he said.  "I just saw a hummingbird!  It was flying near the deck."

 

"Oh," I said, feeling a little guilty.  I've been busy enough that I didn't remember my little snow birds.  While I had forgotten them, they clearly hadn't forgotten the feeders I usually had up beside our home.

 

With that unintended encouragement, I went digging in my closet to find our hummingbird feeders.  Then, I made nectar for them.

 

It isn't much.  It is just water and sugar.  Some people add red food coloring, but I never do.

 

I mixed the sugar with the water and eyed the cloudy mixture and the sugar slowly settling on the bottom.  It looked for all the world like a newly shaken snow globe, only without any sort of pretty scene in the bottom.

 

I put the container in the microwave and heated it for a few minutes, then took it out and stirred it again.  The cloudiness vanished as the sugar dissolved in the heated water -- a perfect super-saturated sugary mixture.  At last the nectar was ready for the tiny visitors from the south.

 

As I poured the liquid into the bird feeders I thought of my own life.  All too often it has been so focused on itself that there was little room for anything else.  It takes just as much time and effort to live a selfish, self-centered life, but it certainly isn't very satisfying.

 

I know that Jesus calls me to something more.  He calls me to a life filled up with the Love of God.  Honestly, when I fill my life up with all sorts of other things, there isn't room for much else -- sort of like the water before it was heated.  When I empty myself of all these things and allow God to work His will, everything changes.  

 

Like when the water is heated and lets more sugar dissolve suddenly, there is room for me to be saturated with my Heavenly Father and His love.

 

It feels as though this is a big problem in our world.  Those who call themselves Christians are better at arguing than they are at loving.  They are better at analyzing other's flavor than they are at being salt.  They are better at cursing the darkness than at being light.

 

I pray that this would change.  I pray that God's people would be salt and light.  Most of all, I pray that we would allow God to heat us and purify us until we are saturated, no, super-saturated with His wondrous love.

The Science Behind Masks

One of the most frequent questions I am asked in these days of coronavirus is whether masks are beneficial.  So I lift pen to paper and will attempt to set down what is known from a science standpoint about the subject.  I don't know that it is terribly exciting, but I will do my best to cover the subject.

The Initial CDC statement.

I am not sure that most of us remember March of 2020 -- it was a month and a half ago (seems like longer) and Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC in lock step specifically recommended that individuals not wear masks.  This was in a time when other countries were specifically requesting their citizens to do so.  At this time there were two specific reasons given.

First of all, it was not thought that people who did not have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, etc) could pass the virus on to others.  If they did have symptoms they should just stay home and isolate.  The second reason was the personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply.  Hospitals and clinics across the United States were scrambling to try to get masks for their staff.  Many nurses and physicians were wearing masks for multiple shifts in a row.  There was a real fear that private citizens could buy up masks (just as they were doing toilet paper) and put healthcare workers at increased risk.

With these things in mind, the message was sent out clearly, "No masks for non-healthcare workers."

What We Know Today.

So a lot changes.  Obviously one of the things that has changed is that there is much less of a shortage of masks.  Hospitals and clinics are able to to get their hands on PPE for their staff.  I can change my mask after every office shift and don't have to use the same one a couple of times in a row, like I did in the beginning.

The second thing that has become clear is that most people with COVID-19 are most contaigious two to three days before they have symptoms.  This is based on a couple of studies done in both China and Germany:  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-infection-contagious-days-before-symptoms-appear That seems to be why the average person with COVID-19 gives it to slightly under four other people.

The third thing is that while the virus is quite small, it is carried in droplets of water that are transmitted during breathing and speaking.  It seems pretty clear that these small droplets are how COVID-19 is transmitted.  https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/05/12/2006874117  These droplets probably remain in the air for quite awhile before they fall.  In many situations, particularly where singing or shouting are involved, droplets are probably projected much farther than the typically stated 6 feet mentioned in most social distancing mandates.  These droplets probably hang in the air for several minutes just waiting to be inhaled.  https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/droplets-from-speech-can-float-in-air-for-eight-minutes-study-67538

The idea with masks is to reduce the amount of spread of water droplets filled with viral particles into the environment.  Obviously designs differ greatly, but this study:  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c03252  tested multiple fabrics and found that a dual cotton fabric mask was at least as effective as a surgical mask in halting the spread of the tiny droplets we are concerned with.  At the end, the study authors wrote, "In summary, we find that the use of cloth masks can potentially provide significant protection against the transmission of particles in the aerosol size range."

Different Categories

The WHO has now said that they don't think asymptomatic spread is very common with COVID-19.  This adds another layer of confusion on to everything.  Particularly when the CDC says that they think that 40 percent of transmission occurs in asymptomatic people.

What needs to be sorted out is that there are three categories of people who have COVID but don't seem to have symptoms.  (1) Asymptomatic People -- this is probably a good chunk of people who get COVID -- maybe 40 percent of individuals.  These folks never have any symptoms at all.  (2) Pre-symptomatic people -- these folks do not have symptoms now.  In four or five days, they will develop symptoms.  They certainly are shedding virus.  The only way to know the difference between these first two categories is to wait.  (3) Low Symptom COVID patients -- these are folks who don't realize that they have COVID at all, but in hind-sight, they will say, "Yes, I did have a stuffy nose and some sore throat a few weeks ago, but I thought it was just allergies."

These three categories of individuals tend not to stay home because they don't feel sick and can and do spread the virus.  This seen in this clarification by the WHO:  https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/09/who-comments-asymptomatic-spread-covid-19/

Many Countries Have Used Masks

Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and the Czech Republic all used masks aggressively early on to prevent spread of COVID-19.  They were able to do so with less aggressive business closings than were found in many US states.

Clearly this was not the only thing that these countries did.  Many had pretty robust testing and tracking programs in place too, but clearly the citizens in these countries were willing to wear masks and COVID was more easily controlled there.

Masks Seem to Act as a Crude Vaccine

This is a relatively new development, but it turns out the the severity of your COVID infection is related to the number of viral particles you inhale when you are exposed.  If you don't inhale very many, you may not get sick at all and your immune system can easily deal with them.  If you inhale lots and lots the infection is much more likely to be more severe.

Using masks seems to push the number of asymptomatic infections from 40 percent up to 80 percent of new infections.  Until there is a real vaccine, this may be a reasonable alternative.  Certainly I am in favor of anything that reduces hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and people on ventilators.  https://coronavirus.medium.com/can-masks-function-as-a-crude-vaccine-696049cb06db

Myths About Masks

I have read multiple times that masks cause decreased oxygen levels and elevated carbon dioxide levels in the users, but this simply isn't true in real world usage.  N95s are air tight and certainly could cause some reduction, but cloth and surgical masks are not air tight and should not reduce oxygenation in anyone wearing them.  Certainly, short term usage while shopping or other activities should not be an issue.  From a personal standpoint, I have checked my pulse ox at work while wearing a surgical mask and have not seen any change in my oxygen saturation. 

If you have really bad COPD and retain carbon dioxide and struggle with low oxygen levels, your experience might be different.  On the other hand, if that is your medical condition, you probably wouldn't do very well with COVID-19 either.

Some have said that masks collect the virus and then it somehow makes its way from the wearer's nose up into their brain.  Of course, this ignores the fact that virus is already in the mask wearer's nose (hence the odd loss of the sense of smell) and the fact that the oropharynx and the nasal passages are interconnected.  Quite simply though, you can't catch COVID from yourself and wearing a mask won't make it worse.

Then some people think that masks increase the chance that you will touch your face.  This may or may not be true.  People actually touch their face an amazing number of times each day, wearing a mask just makes you more aware of how many times you are actually touching your face.  Regardless, most transmission of COVID does not come from touching an infected object and then touching your mucus membranes, but rather from inhaling aerosolized COVID particles.   Most Covid-19 infections spread air

Honestly, reading this list of negatives, they come across as the list of someone who is trying to inflate the dangers of masks and not as real issues.  Health care providers have worn masks on a daily basis since the beginning of the pandemic without issues.  Surgeons operate with masks in place to protect their patients.

The biggest negatives in the real world are comfort and stigma.  That is to say, wearing a mask, when you aren't used to it is uncomfortable.  Most people can learn to wear them, but they don't necessarily see the need.  In addition, in the US, people are used to associating masks with disease and so it is felt that making them wear masks is akin to telling them that they are ill and identifying them as such to others.

From a public health standpoint, The Lancet came to the conclusion that combined with a hand washing and social distancing, it makes a lot of sense from a public health stand point:  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30918-1/fulltext

The Unselfish Reason to Wear a Mask

Simply the point of wearing a mask is protect others from what you don't know you have.  If you knew for certain that you didn't have COVID-19, if for instance, you were tested once a week or something like that, you could go without a mask without endangering the people around you.

Wearing a mask is probably a more reasonable option for most of us.

The Selfish Reason to Wear a Mask

So, it seems as though a lot of people don't really care about whether they transmit the virus to others.  The people who die will mainly be old people -- or people with prior medical problems, so no big deal (I am writing sarcastically).

Even if you don't believe the virus is a big deal and the only important thing is getting the "economy back on track," the best way to do this is to cut down on asymptomatic spread of the virus.  This preprints article:  https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202004.0203/v1  indicates that if masks were 50 percent effective (a very conservative estimate) at reducing the spread of the virus, they would make a huge impact.  That is to say, normally over a month's time you would normally see 100 cases spread to 30,000 people with no intervention, however with a 50 percent reduction in viral spread with masks, that could drop to around 600 cases.

In addition, masks probably mean fewer serious infections and more mild or complete symptomless cases.

What this means, pure and simple, is that countries that adopt masks should be able to have fewer restrictions on behavior and have them for shorter duration.  That, to my way of thinking is a good thing.

I suppose I am like most people.  I want things to get back to normal as quickly as possible and to me, masks are an effective and inexpensive way to make this happen.  Countries that have used them have had very good results and no downsides.

In His Steps?

"What are you reading to Victoria?"  I asked my oldest daughter, Anna.  It looked like a pretty thick book for a five year old.

"It's a children's version of 'In His Steps,'" Anna answered.

"Does she like it?"  I asked.

"I think so,"  Anna said.  "It has lots of things that would help her be better behaved."

"Oh," I said.  I wasn't altogether sure how well this idea was working.  But my mind turned to the adult version of the book.

In His Steps is a classic book that introduced the question, "What Would Jesus Do?"  I remember, not so many years ago, many people had bracelets with WWJD written on them, I suppose to remind them to ask that question as they did things every day.

In His Steps (the adult version) begins with a tramp who wanders into a town and asks multiple people for help, getting turned down every time.  He then shows up in church and asks the people in the congregation how they claim to be following Christ when they aren't ministering to the needs around them.  Do they mean that they are suffering and denying themselves and trying to save lost humanity, just as Jesus did?

Lately I feel like a homeless man who has wandered into a town called "Facebook."  I read different posts and wonder what is it that separates the Christians here from those who do not claim to be the followers of Christ?  I stand here asking this question and worried that the answer is "Not much."  I would like to think for a little bit about another question, which I think is just as important for our time.

"What didn't Jesus do?"

This is an odd question and one that has lots of random answers.  Jesus didn't drive a car.  He didn't sell drugs.  He didn't eat pizzas or drink coffee or V8 juice.  All of these are probably true, but are beside the point.  There are a few things that stand out to me in this time.

Jesus did not rebel against the Roman government.

Jesus did not live in a society with a democratically elected government, or even a Jewish monarchy.  He lived under a harsh Roman tyranny that had brutalized the Jewish people for decades.  As bad as wearing face masks might seem, the Jews were an occupied state with Roman soldiers watching their every move, ready to imprison them or execute them for doing the wrong thing.

Many of Jesus' disciples were actually men who were looking for rebellion.  They wanted a strong Jewish leader who would overthrow the Romans and kick them out of Palestine.  Certainly Jesus could have started a revolution.  He had power and could easily have a built a political party, but as He told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world."

His focus and the focus of His followers after His death and resurrection was the building of another kingdom -- a kingdom that will survive in spite of war, famine, and pestilence.  I am afraid that His followers today have shifted their vision too much to the kingdoms of this world and not enough on the heavenly city to which they are travelling.

Jesus did not focus on identifying the medical errors of His day.

Doctors weren't very good in Jesus' day.  Not only did they not have many cures for things, but they  often made things worse.  Mark comments about a woman with a bleeding disorder that "She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better.  In fact, she had gotten worse."

I suppose the physicians were doing the best they could, but honestly, they were probably better at describing diseases than treating them.  Jesus did not focus on the doctors who had let their patients down.  He didn't constantly bring up the "broken healthcare system" that was failing the Jewish people.  Instead He saw hurting, sick people and healed them of all their diseases.

Once again, this speaks to me of where we should be at.  It is more important to love than to blame.  It is more important to heal than to find where the fault lies.

Jesus did not live a paranoid life.

Jesus knew that the rulers of the Jews were thinking about killing Him.  He knew that Romans didn't like the Jewish people and would happily kill Him as well.  He said as much to His disciples on several occasions.  He never let this stop Him from carrying out His mission.  He taught, He healed, and when the time was right, He journeyed to Jerusalem, knowing that there was a cross waiting for Him.

I am afraid that Christian people in the United States have become paranoid and afraid.  This is not a time of persecution, but a few inconveniences and a COVID pandemic have been enough to turn the people of God into religious Chicken Littles.  The sky is falling and Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci are doing something terrible and our mission is forgotten and the kingdom is falling on hard times while we meme and blog and Facebook post about the terrible times that are coming.  This was not Jesus' way and should not be ours today.

Jesus did not identify people as "other."

Jesus met and ministered to all of the people He met.  When He saw tax collectors, Gentiles, and even lepers in need, He listened to them and provided forgiveness and healing.  If He was ministering today, He would have welcomed Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to His gatherings.  The important thing to Jesus never was who someone was, what their occupation was, or even their family background.  It was only important to Him that a person saw their need of a Savior and accepted the healing that He offered.

I am afraid that Jesus' people have become a little too good at identifying who is unworthy of receiving Jesus' love and healing and actively push those people away.  Maybe we are different on social media than we are in the real world.  Maybe we shouldn't be.

It is more important to introduce people to Jesus than to win an argument on the internet.  It is far more important to see a soul enter the kingdom than win a debate.

We are in the midst of a crisis today, but it is not a crisis caused by a virus.  It is a crisis that is brought about by Jesus' followers not being willing to walk in His steps.  We are focused on our own needs and desires and fears and not on what will build our Master's kingdom. 

Maybe we have taken our eyes off of our Savior.

Maybe we have too little faith.

Maybe we just need to ask the question.

What would Jesus do? 

Should a Christian Wear a Mask?

"I like my mask better than yours," Elliot told his sister, Victoria.  "It has tractors on it!"

"Yours is ugly!"  Victoria said in a definitive voice. 

Elaine made masks for our children, although at this point, since they haven't really gone anywhere, they haven't really had any reason to wear them.

It seems as though this week, the subject of masks is the hot topic.  The idea that businesses might ask their customers to wear them somehow seems unamerican.

The whole point of masks is not to prevent the wearer from catching COVID -- for that you would need a fit tested N-95 mask.  The idea is to reduce the viral shedding of asymptomatic carriers of Coronarvirus and prevent them from being Typhoid Marys within their communities.

Many are stating pretty firmly that this infringes on their rights and that their liberties are being stolen away.  I read this and I can understand this perspective, however, a different question keeps coming to me.  "What should my response as a Christian be to such a request?"

As I thought about this, my mind was drawn to I Corinthians chapter 8.  At first glance, this has nothing to do with wearing masks in a Corona-Crisis.  It speaks only to the question of whether the Corinthian Christians should eat meat offered to idols.

The Apostle Paul explains carefully that he doesn't think it is that big a deal.  He doesn't think that these idols are really gods at all.  His conscience is not bothered by eating this meat.  He feels liberty to eat whatever he wants -- regardless of what happened to it before it was set before him.

All well and good and probably where most American Christians would come down on the subject -- in favor of individual liberty.  The only thing is that Paul doesn't stop there.  He has realized that life isn't only about him, it is also about his weaker brother.  Verses 11 and 13 say, "So by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died... Therefore, if food makes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat lest I make my brother stumble."

The Apostle Paul did not only think about his rights, his conscience, and his liberty.  He had to think about his weaker brother and his weakness.

This feels like the Christian response.  I need to look at the needs of the weakest in my community and make certain that they are met, even if I forego some of my rights as a result.

If my Savior was able to bend down one evening and wash the dirty feet of His disciples, surely I can wear a mask the next time I visit a big box store.

Not for myself, but for the sake of my brothers and sisters...

The Stages of COVID-19

"Elliot, don't touch my doll!"  Victoria yelled at her brother across the room and then paused as she tried to think of a sufficiently terrible consequence for his continued misbehavior.  "You'll get Coronavirus if you do!"

Even my children have figured out the life is different now.  They are working at home, aggravating each other (more than usual), and not seeing their friends, either at school or church.  All of this because of a tiny virus that has settled on the United States and Europe in a major way.

As COVID-19 sweeps across our nation and the world,  each of us has different responses to it.  These responses based on our own experiences, the presence (or lack of presence) of the virus in our communities, how much it has affected our lives and businesses, and our own personalities.  At the same time, it feels as though many of us are experiencing this in the stages of grief that Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described in 1969 of people dealing with a terminal illness.

The stages begin with Denial.  I suppose I see this a lot right now.  Many are convinced that the numbers are cooked, that COVID 19 isn't as bad as people say.  Maybe doctors and hospitals are getting paid extra to fake this diagnosis (they aren't).  Most of the people who have died already had terminal illnesses.

Perhaps there are other things that I haven't heard or read.  I think a lot of us pass through this stage.  For me, I went through it a couple of months ago when I hoped, against hope, that COVID-19 would stay in China or at least be contained in Europe and we, in America, just wouldn't have to deal with it.

It is here and no amount of denial will change that fact.

The next stage is Anger.  The biggest problem with COVID-19 is that it represents a loss of control.  Modern medicine and the CDC have let us down.  We are stuck, helpless to protect ourselves except with a level of isolation that tears at our very spirits.  We desire human contact and technology like Skype and Zoom just isn't the same.

There is plenty of wrath to go around.  Some is directed at China, some at Dr. Fauci, and much is directed at the politicians who could have handled things better and maybe still aren't doing great.  While anger is an understandable emotion in dealing with a crisis, it can really hinder our ability to think clearly and to understand who we can really trust.

Unfortunately, the people who stoke the anger the most are usually selling something, even if they keep it hidden for the most part in a back room.

Bargaining is the next phase.  I suppose this can manifest in people trying to get prescriptions for Plaquenil and Zithromax from their doctors, "Just in case."  Or maybe it is going out and buying all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer you can find.

Once again, this is all about gaining control of a situation that has no easy answers.  It is a combination of fear and loss of control that leads people to try get medications and in the absence of that, even to swallow fish tank cleaner.

Depression is the next step and for people who have been isolated and have been bombarded by dark news reports, this is a small step.  I have seen and talked to many people who are struggling mightily with depression and anxiety right now.  They are worried about their finances and families, about the healthcare workers, and the world in general.  There is so little they can do to help and fear and anxiety slowly ramp up.

It seems as though the little slivers of hope in our days are slim and far apart.  It can feel as though the battle with discouragement is one that is futile.  Nothing is further from the truth.

All of these stages are negative, but the final stage is the step of Trust.  Kubler-Ross's stages of grief ended with acceptance, but for me, this is not adequate.  Dealing with any crisis is not about acceptance of the crisis, it is rather about learning to love and trust my Savior more.

Proverbs 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths."

Our own ways lead places like denial, anger, and depression, but His ways lead to hope and light.

It is in the time of drought that we need our wells the most.  It is in a time of COVID that we need to trust our Savior most of all.

They Also Serve

"Dr. Waldron,"  the older man's voice was muffled by the mask he was wearing.  I could only see his eyes and I realized how hard it is to read a person's expressions when half their face is hidden by a surgical mask.  "I wanted to let you know how much my wife and I appreciate you and all the staff here in Brookneal."

"Thank you," I said.

Tears came to his eyes.  "We read about a doctor who was taking care of patients with this virus who died.  It was terrible."

He paused, trying to get a handle on his emotions.  "We can't do much.  Just stay home and try not to get sick.  But we can pray and we do a lot of that.  We pray for you and the nurses and all the people who work here.  We're praying too for all of the other people around the world who are trying to take care of sick people right now."

I thanked him again and moved on, but I continued to think about this interaction.  It hasn't been the only one where people thanked me or told me they were praying for me lately.

I am not on the front line of fighting COVID 19 by any means, but the knowledge that there are people thinking and praying for me says a lot.  Truthfully, it doesn't say much about who I am, but more about what sort of people they are.

These people are those who think, not only of themselves, but also of others.  They are filled with love to the point that when life bruises them it brings forth kindness.

Tough people may make it through tough times, but it is those who figure out ways to love others who will grow in a crisis.  They may not be able to do much, only think and pray and worry for those on the front lines, but that is enough.

Many years ago, the poet John Milton wrote about a sonnet about dealing with his blindness and his struggle to serve God with that disability.  The poem ends with the simple phrase, "They also serve, who only stand and wait."

I would emend that just a little for the crisis we are facing today.

"They also serve, who only love and pray."

The Plague of Cyprian

The year was 260 AD and a dread invader had the Roman Empire on its knees.  It was not the Huns or the Goths or the Vandals.  It was the Plague of Cyprian.

No one knows for sure what this virus was that tormented the Empire for the next several years.  Some speculate that it was Small Pox, but most feel that it was some sort of Hemorrhagic Fever -- possibly something like Ebola.  In the days before gene sequencing and virus tracking websites, you didn't know what disease it was, only that it was bad to get.  Really bad.

Death was everywhere.  At one point 5000 people were dying every day in the city of Rome.  Even the wealthy were not exempt as two emperors fell beneath its scourge.

People fled from those afflicted with this disease, afraid to be even with their family members who were dying with it.  Only the Christians in communities remained behind to care for the sick and dying.

It is written that those Christians dressed the sores of those sick with the disease.  They brought food to those in need.  They did this in spite of the fact that many of the Christians ended up catching and dying from the same illness the people they were caring for had.

Even as Christians died, Christianity grew.  It wasn't just the love that they showed that convinced unbelievers to join with them.  Rather, it was their fearlessness and joy in the face of a hemorrhagic fever that had no earthly treatment.

I look at my response to COVID 19 and wonder if I have the faith that my forefathers had?  Do I have a love for others that conquers my fears?

Adversity does not just build character, it reveals it.  Those of us who claim to love Jesus would do well to show it through our willingness to provide hope and comfort and care for those in need.

We should abide by social isolation -- not because we are afraid, but because we love those around us.  At the same time, as servants of Jesus, our hearts and minds should be ready to give, to help and to support those who are in need.

1800 years ago a plague built up the church, even as it wiped out its members.  There is even more need for the hope Christians have today.   I pray that we might serve Jesus today and that He would replace our fear with love.

Some Coronavirus Thoughts

Coronavirus is coming.

Some say it is already here.

It started off floating across Hubei Province on silent bat wings.  It touched down in Seoul and Osaka.  Then soared across the ocean to Milan and Madrid, headed to the New World.

Quickly and inexorably it flies.  It touches the lives of oldest among us, those with four score years of experience and silences them, except for the metallic sound of the ventilator.

It has brought with it anger -- anger at a lack of testing and anger at long lines at airports because of testing.  It has brought anger at the president and anger at the Democrats.  Most of all, it has brought anger at both those who take it seriously and anger at those who don't take it seriously enough.

Even more, fear has settled over society.  It is a fear of lack -- of inadequate food, antibacterial gels, and toilet paper.  It is a fear that the government officials and doctors and scientists don't really know what they are doing.  Most of all, it is a fear of death in all of its forms -- even death that comes from China on silent bat wings.

I sit in my home and think about all of this.  I see the darkness that is engulfing those around me and wonder if the light can overcome.  What does hope look like in a pandemic?

Out of my window I can see a peach tree.  All winter it has stood, bare and gnarled, but now it blooms a brilliant pink.

It knows nothing of Hubei and Italy, of viruses and vaccines.  It only knows that spring is coming and the One who gave it life has promised that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, day and night shall not cease.

Until He comes...

COVID 19

"Dr. Waldron," the older lady said.  "Do I need to worry about all this virus stuff?"

"Well, Ms. Edna," I said.  "It is a little hard to say..."  And with that, my mind began to race along different paths.

This "Virus Stuff" has a name, given by the scientific community.  It is COVID 19 and while it first showed up in China, it has since spread to over 50 countries and 120,000 people and has caused over 4000 deaths.

It showed up like an unwanted and unexpected visitor to disrupt business and travel, handshakes and hugs, sporting events and church services.  I suppose the hardest thing about it is it's newness.  Even the experts just don't know that much about it yet.

Unlike Influenza, which shows up every year, has a season and then goes away, we haven't seen this particular virus before.  We have no specific treatment for it and we don't know how long it will stick around in our various communities.  We only know that it is really contagious and that it is particularly hard on people older than 70.

As I read various posts, it seems that many are polarized, with some claiming that this is just an extra strong "flu" while others are buying up all the toilet paper in Walmart, "just in case."  It is not surprising that anxiety levels are climbing and it certainly is not entirely due to the media overinflating the story.

The Coronavirus is a big deal.  For people under the age of 70, the death rate is under 1 percent, but for people between 70 and 80 years of age, the death rate was 8 percent in China and for people over age 80, the death rate went up to 15 percent.

The problems result from a combination of things.  First of all, there is no magic symptom that tells you that you have this new virus.  The number one symptom is fever, which is as generic as they come.  Other symptoms include cough and shortness of breath.

Then, testing takes a minimum of two to three days, during which time Americans are notoriously bad at self-quarantining.  If we don't feel too bad, we tend to keep doing normal activities, spreading the virus around our church and work families without too much thought.  Most people probably start shedding virus several days before they have symptoms.

Finally, there is no special treatment for COVID 19.  Antibiotics and to this point most anti-viral agents don't seem effective against it.  Our care for the sickest people with this virus is primarily supportive until their body's immune system can over come it.

It is into this situation that public health officials can probably make the biggest difference.  Limiting large groups meeting can halt the spread of the illness.  Maybe it seems silly to be so aggressive with a "flu bug," but on the other hand, it is far better to be overly aggressive with canceling meetings and events and have this virus stop spreading, than to continue blithely on and wish we had done more when there were only a few thousand cases in our country.

China has been able to contain this virus, but only after 80,000 people got the virus and only with really aggressive quarantine measures.  It is important for us to learn the lessons they learned on ground zero.

We should take it seriously, but also remember that there are bigger hands than ours in control.  Thousands of years ago, the Psalmist wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea..." (Psalm 46:1,2).

We can have confidence.  Our health care workers will do all they can to take care of people in need, but most of all, our God will be the refuge and place of safety for us to go to when everything seems designed to produce anxiety in the hardest headed of us.

So I come back to a simple verse I learned a long time ago.  "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." 

I don't have all the answers and neither do all of the public officials in charge of the Coronavirus response.  But God is never at a loss and when I am most afraid, that is also when I need to trust Him most.

Thumb Wars

"One, two three, four, I declare a thumb war!"  My two sons chanted in unison from the back seat of our minivan.  This was followed by much moaning and groaning as both tried to put into action the theory of mutual assured destruction.

"All right boys," I said.  "That's enough thumb wars.  How about something else?"

"Can we play bloody knuckles?"  Elliot asked.

"No, that's an easy question," I said.  "How about you think about something you learned in Sunday School or church and talk about that?"

There was silence in the back seat as both of my sons contemplated this weight subject.  Finally, Elliot said, "Friday is Valentine's Day and Jesus says we should love our enemies on Valentine's Day."

"No," Vince said, very assuredly.  "Jesus didn't say that."

"Yes, He did," Elliot said with as much confidence as an Olympic skier heading down the bunny hill.  "It says so in the Bible."

"Elliot," Vince said, in a professorial voice.  "When people talk about Valentine's Day, they are talking about romantic love and that is not what Jesus was talking about."

"But I wasn't talking about romantic love,"  Elliot said.

"Yes, but Jesus wants us to love our enemies every day," Vince said earnestly.  "Not just on Valentine's Day."

It was a little amusing to have my boys hammering out some pretty hard aspects of the Sermon of the Mount in the back seat. 

Jesus' words are really hard to put into practice, but one of the hardest things is that these are not just words that we need to put into practice on special occasions like Washington's Birthday, Columbus Day, and Valentine's Day.  We are to love those who dislike us every day.

Even Mondays.

It isn't easy, but by God's grace we can do it, one day at a time.

Fear of Dying

We were reading the story of the Trapp Family Singers, the group on which the Sound of Music is (somewhat loosely) based.  I read to our children most evenings from a variety of books and for some reason had chosen this book by Maria von Trapp.  Much of the book is amusing, but close to the end we came to a long chapter that dealt in detail with the death of Georg von Trapp from lung cancer.

Most of our children were quiet after I finished reading the chapter, but Elliot was in tears.  "What's wrong?"  I asked him.

"I'm afraid," he said.  "Of getting lung cancer!"

"Well, it's a good thing you gave up smoking," I told him, hoping to assuage some of his fear with humor. 

This seemed ineffective for he began to wail even louder.  "Why is Elliot crying?"  Victoria asked.

"He's afraid of dying," I said.

"Oh," Victoria said.

"Are you afraid of dying?"  I asked.

"No," Victoria said. "Because I'm never going to die."

This amusing interchange over, I rolled up my sleeves and tried to calm my son's fears and eventually he ceased crying and moved on to fighting with one of his siblings.

This conversation stuck with me though and in particular, the contrast between these two children.  One of them thought about death a lot and had a morose fear of it, while the other blithely assumed that while it might happen to other people, it would never happen to her.

To me, this was this illustrates the way in which so many deal with concept of death.  Many are scared by it, while others simply do not think about it until forced to by accident or disease.

Neither of these approaches feels like a good option to me.  It is so much better to place our futures in the hands of the One who conquered death and can give us victory over it as well.  Only then can we have inner peace in a world full of epidemics like Ebola and Coronavirus and even cancer, for Jesus will give us victory, even in the face of death's darkness.