Coronavirus: There are no heavenly bonus points. Please stay home if you’re sick
Dr. Jamie Aten
5 messages Christians need to hear when it comes to public health concerns like coronavirus
It’s hard to avoid the news right now about coronavirus, and I don’t think we should. It’s important that Christians not panic, but instead take a measured approach and focus on preparedness. This goes for individuals, as well as faith communities, who will be looked to for leadership, reassurance, and hope until the virus stops spreading and is contained.
As a disaster researcher who has studied outbreaks like Ebola and other public health crises, here are key messages I want every Christian to know right now.
1) Get back to basics: Wash your hands
This may not sound like super “spiritual” advice, but it’s critical. To curb any type of sickness outbreak, focus on practical steps most of our moms, dads and teachers taught us. Most of us understand how to prevent common contagious viruses like influenza; being diligent to carry out the basic steps of avoiding sickness like hand washing and covering our mouths when we cough will go a long way.
2) Please skip church if you’re sick
Avoid being around others who are sick, even if it means skipping church. There are no heavenly bonus points for church attendance. Have a fever? Feel unwell? Stay home. Are you particularly vulnerable to sickness or have a weakened immune system? If the CDC and public health agencies in your community are warning that the risk of virus is high, quarantine yourself.
This also goes for serving teams. Even if you’re scheduled to teach the kids or greet people at the door, limit your exposure to others if you suspect you’re ill. You’ll be helping to contain a problem and not inadvertently making it worse.
3) Faith leaders, now is not the time to compete
Churches and nonprofits are not exempt from competition, although not all will admit that. Yet in times of public health outbreaks, it’s critical that communities like these drop any division and unify. Our research at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College has found time and time again that faith communities often offer significant social support that helps enhance resilience—yet ironically, when it comes to public health emergencies (like the current outbreak), they’re potentially in harm’s way.
If you’re discussing how to prepare in the event of a coronavirus outbreak in your community, come together to decide what rituals to engage, what practices to absolve, and what steps are needed to remove the risk.
4) Now is the time to embrace something different
If a public health crisis hits, it cannot be business as usual. We, humans, are not always great at change, especially fast change, but to sail through an emergency with contained fallout, change, and preparedness is key.
Maybe you cancel the welcome team altogether, ask people to not shake hands during the greeting, or pause communion if it leads to everyone touching the same bread and wine. Or if communion is a weekly ritual, consider how to offer anti-bacterial ways of observing it. These rituals of our faith are important and special, yet they should be held with open hands during public health outbreaks. We can find peace in God’s encouragement that He doesn’t look at the outward actions of man, He looks at the heart.
5) Caring for your sick self is one of the most selfless things you can do
As Christians, we want to be like Christ. We want to love and serve others. In the event of a public health crisis and outbreak, caring for our bodies if we’re sick and containing the virus so we don’t expose other people is one of the most Christ-like, loving things we can do.
About The Author
Dr. Jamie Aten is the founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Blanchard Chair of Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. His latest book is “A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience” (Templeton Press). In 2016 he received the FEMA Community Preparedness Champion award at the White House. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram or jamieaten.com.
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