As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“his meek, pastorally intuitive use of a face covering in an unusual situation to aid God’s people in remaining under the ministry of His Word serves as a reasonable Scriptural example for church leadership to emulate and expect.” - Ref21
“…for believers to use protective measures is not an indicator of fear but of wisdom. Using an umbrella when it’s raining or a coat when it’s cold doesn’t mean that you do not believe that our Lord can heal pneumonia.” - BJUToday
Curiosity might kill cats but it’s a really good thing in humans. We could all use more of it. I offer the following to the masks-vs-COVID curious. My view on both mask use and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) use—along with most other COVID-related questions—has been that being dogmatic isn’t appropriate either way.
That said, my overall impression of the evidence continues to be that masks are very likely somewhat helpful and HCQ very likely isn’t. This post focuses on masks.
Evidence comes in many forms. Here I’ll look at these categories:
“While the federal government does not have the constitutional authority to issue a nationwide mask mandate, state and local governments do have a broad ‘police power’ that legally allows them to pass such regulations to protect public health and safety. The political question remains whether this is the best policy.
“Community post-Enlightenment serves me now, not the other way around. The all important ‘I.’ In a word, our much beloved individualism.
“Grace City Church, a fast-growing Hillsong Family church in Lakeland, Florida… announced that it would ask members to wear masks after the church’s husband and wife team of lead pastors revealed they had been infected with the new coronavirus.” - CPost
“I will relinquish my ‘rights’ in order to serve others. Theologians have labeled Philippians 2:5-8 as ‘the great kenosis’ passage. It is a Greek word that describes the self-emptying of Jesus in order to live among us on His way to the cross. ‘Have this mind among yourselves…’” - Church Leaders
“A church in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, will be closed for 14 days after a reported 28 people connected with the church tested positive for COVID-19. The Greenbrier church outbreak is the fifth COVID-19 outbreak at a church in West Virginia, and Governor Jim Justice is emphasizing the importance of carefully following safety precautions.” - Church Leaders
“Falwell has jabbed repeatedly at Northam while downplaying the public health risks of the coronavirus. Last week, Northam issued an order that masks be worn inside …. where people congregate.
“ ‘Wearing a mask is for smug liberals. Refusing to is for reckless Republicans.’ If only things were that simple; if only we could laugh off the debate as hyperbolic virtue signaling from both sides. Most likely by the time you read this, though, we will have tragically raced past the 100,000 mark in this country’s fatality count.” - John Ellis
Discussion