Coronavirus tests global faith community

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/02/2020 (2398 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

‘God full of compassion and mercy, we lay prostrate before you… Wuhan and the surrounding cities have now been closed, and the spread of the virus has exceeded our capacity. The city is surrounded by the shadow of death. We, the covenant people who have received great grace, cry out to You.”

That’s the opening paragraph of a letter from a pastor in Wuhan, China — the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic.

“Save us, oh Lord, from this great calamity,” the Chinese pastor went on to pray. “Help us not to hide ourselves, but may we have a strong sense of social responsibility to serve the elderly and the children.”

The prayer went on to ask for protection of those living in poverty in the countryside villages, and for “fellow citizens of the city of Wuhan to prevent the spread of this virus. May they no longer take this situation lightly.”

He also prayed for health-care workers: “Protect them as they serve the sick.”

The prayer ended with a plea to God “please remove this plague, hear the cry of your people, and have mercy on the city of Wuhan.”

That letter by the anonymous pastor — faith groups in China face many restrictions from the government — reminded me the epidemic affects churches in that country, too. This includes Christians in that city who are grappling with the implications of the quarantine.

Other churches in China are also affected. The Catholic News Service reports some Catholic churches outside the quarantine zone have suspended services and programs. The Ningbo Diocese in Zhejiang province asked parish priests not to distribute the host on tongues as a preventive measure.

It’s also affecting churches in nearby Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reported the churches in the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong are holding mass as usual, but some churches decided to cancel other activities and a few are offering services online.

“This is a responsible arrangement,” said one church leader, adding going to church is “not about the building or the place itself, but about the spiritual relationship and companionship among brothers and sisters.”

Other churches are holding services but skipping communion or telling members who feel unwell to stay home. People who have visited mainland China have been asked not to come to church for 14 days.

There are also fears for the million or so Muslim Uyghurs detained by the Chinese government in what it considers to be re-education and training centres, but what many call mass detention or concentration camps.

At least 20 coronavirus cases have been reported by the Chinese government in the Uyghur region, where the camps are located, although some believe the actual number of cases is higher. With reports of overcrowding and malnutrition in the camps, there are fears of mass outbreaks and much higher mortality rates than reported in Wuhan.

The situation in China reminds me of what sociologist Rodney Stark wrote about how the early church responded to plagues — and how that contributed to the rise of Christianity.

In his book The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force, Stark describes how Christianity grew from a rag-tag band of 12 disciples after the death of Jesus to the religion of the empire in just a few hundred years.

One of the big reasons for the rise was the love and care the early Christians showed for each other. This included how they cared for each other during times of plague. While the ancient Romans fled from plagues, Christians ministered to the ill — both those inside outside of their communities. The result was lower mortality rates among Christians, and those they helped.

According to Stark, these actions made the Christian religion very attractive to non-believers. It made the ancient world “a lot more bearable… what Christians did was take care of each other.”

So far, there are no reports of coronavirus in Manitoba. And our situation is very different from ancient Rome, or China today. But if it came here, how would local faith groups react? Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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