Keeping the Faith in the Face of the Coronavirus

Americans adjusted their Sunday schedules as the national emergency declared because of the increasingly dramatic spread of the coronavirus upended the normal flow of everyday life.

“God is right in our midst, He’s a very present help in times of trouble,” internationally known pastor Joel Osteen said. Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston broadcast its Sunday worship service online and closed the doors of its building in response to authorities’ call to cancel events that draw large crowds. Lakewood is one of the nation’s largest churches and holds services in a converted sports arena formerly home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Family Church posted an online message urging members to watch its 10:00 a.m. service online. The statement read in part:

“We are people of faith, not fear. Panic, worry, and anxiety are horrible reactions from the body of Christ. We must be people of prayer and trust in a Sovereign Lord. We are also people of wisdom. Faith does not exempt us from good judgment and discernment. The extremes of coarse joking and panic are not who we are as a church. There is wise balance in the face of uncertainty.”

Members of Pastor J.C. Thornton’s church, Macedonia Baptist in Little Rock, pushed through the disruption and decided to meet. A relatively small church, Thornton distinguished between megachurches and those with a moderate-sized congregation.

“I don’t know that the “threat” is severe enough for the average church (100 members or less) to be as concerned as work environments or businesses with 100 people or less,” he noted. “Besides, the biblical message of triumph and victory and staying calm in confusion is best demonstrated in service than delivered in sermon.”

Schools, Stores and States

Schools are closing around the country and many companies have directed employees to work from home. Congress is working on an economic stimulus plan to assist those impacted by the affect of the disease on family budgets as well as small businesses. Cases of coronavirus have been reported in every state except West Virginia.

Major retailers like Walmart are shortening hours and other retailers like Urban Outfitters are closing their stores. All Apple stores outside of China are closed. And, more closures are expected in the coming days.

“Whatever it takes to do, that’s what I would like to see,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said when asked if he would support a national lockdown. Fauci is the nation’s leading infectious disease expert and has served as one of the spokespeople on the Trump Administration’s Coronavirus Task Force.

Fauci told CNN, “We need to be very serious about – for a while, life is not going to be the way it used to be in the United States. We have to just accept that if we want to do what’s best for the American public.”

Democrats have relocated tonight’s primary debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders from Phoenix to Washington, D.C. Organizers also cancelled the plan for a studio audience. The candidates are expected to make the coronavirus a significant part of the debate with each laying out their response plans and critiquing President Trump’s handling of the crisis.