“What fascinates me though, is some people’s propensity to send a link to a YouTube clip, news article, or Facebook post as the final word. Little is done to check its source or accuracy: ‘I saw this, and it contradicts what you’re saying, so you’re wrong.’ That’s their message over and over.” - Rob Buckingham
“Two lay vicars from Salisbury Cathedral have helped to further the gradual return to choral singing in churches and cathedrals across the country.
“What Hoerr’s encouraging words reminded me of, though, is that God has known all along that the risks presented by the novel coronavirus awaited us this year.” - IFWE
“To declare that ‘church is not church’ unless it takes a certain form discounts our incredible history and demeans believers around the world who are meeting differently than we meet. And to insist that a specific form of church is essential can attach people more to the form than to the focus of our gatherings.” - Eric Geiger
“We are facing a ‘social recession,’ argues the Manhattan Institute’s Michael Hendrix, driven by a mix of stress over public health, economic anxiety, and the isolating effects of physical distancing. ‘Disasters often have a way of bringing communities together,’ he writes. ‘But not this pandemic.’” - Acton
“The type of connection we’re wired for is more than a fist bump, a handshake, or a hug. To be connected means to be joined with others in heart or purpose.” - F & T
“Conflicting government [COVID-19] guidance about baptisms in England and Wales has prompted the Church in Wales and the Church of England to pursue different policies.” - C.Times
Much of the debate over whether churches should submit to COVID-related rules in California has been inaccurately framed. “We must obey God rather than man,” they say (drawing from Acts). Using phrases like “ban on indoor worship” or even “ban on worship,” they represent the options as totaling two: We can (1) obey God by continuing to meet, disobey the manmade rules, and stand up for our rights or we can (2) disobey God by not meeting at all, comply with oppressive orders, and watch our liberties be slowly stripped away.
But these aren’t really the choices anywhere in California.
“Speaking on NPR’s ‘Here & Now,’ Barna president David Kinnaman said that based on trends both before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, American churches will look significantly different after the pandemic—and a fifth of them could close.” - C. Leaders
“Yet interruptions—even life-altering intrusions—are a normal part of the history of mankind. Floods, famines, wars, and pandemics have punctuated the lives of our predecessors. How did Christians of the past respond? How should we today?” - Rooted Thinking
