The Church and the Virus

Rev’d Dr Edward Dowler offers an excellent theological reflection on the virus and how the Church has and should respond. The full video can be viewed here.

In the preamble, he raises four important points:

1. Is the response from Government proportionate?
2. Are the measures – lockdowns, distancing, masks – really effective in the ways presented?
3. Even if the measures were effective, legislation that locked up healthy people in their homes promoting further health, economic and spiritual damage might never be morally justified.
4. The potential for vaccine passports open up new areas of questioning and dissatisfaction.

Dr Dowler’s lecture consists of FIVE key points that need re-framing:

1. The human face and mask wearing.
2. The song of the Church.
3. Theological virtues over against the threat and fear factors used by governement.
4. The physical proximity of Christians and the Sacramental life of the Church.
5. Our Christian hope in the face of death and a risk averse culture.