How Should Christians Respond to the Coronavirus?
WILLS POINT, TX — The emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has dominated headlines for nearly a month. A Google search on the word “coronavirus” yields a return of over 4.5 billion responses, even though most people were unaware of the virus until early February.
There is no cure for coronavirus, nor is there a preventive vaccine. No one knows for sure how the virus spreads. As of this writing, there has been more than 120,000 cases of COVID-19 around the globe. More than 4,300 (3.6%) have died. The World Health Organization has officially declared the virus to be a pandemic.
A widespread concern is already escalating to panic in some areas.
The question then arises, “How should Christians react to the coronavirus?”
Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship commented that “There’s a lot of panic. In some ways, I think the viral fear about it may be worse than the virus itself.” He went on to say that we need to listen to and follow the advice of medical experts and that “we need to replace our fear with faith” that God will protect us.
Scott James is a pediatric infectious disease specialist. He is also a Christian. He agrees that there is a “general tendency to focus on the unknowns in a way that stokes panic and fear.” He agrees with Laurie that Christians should not panic. We need to maintain a “biblical perspective based on the understanding that no matter what threat is on the horizon, God is still in control. Trusting in God equips us to take the threat seriously without giving in to panic or despair.”
Gospel for Asia (GFA) founder, KP Yohannan, wrote that true believers should be “Trusting God Like Little Children.” He recalled hearing George Verwer when he (Yohannan) was 19 years old. Verwer had urged his listeners to stop holding on to their lives. “Let the Lord be God.”
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