COVID, Mass Awakenings, and the Bible
It’s all over the news. “WHO declares pandemic.” “Hundreds of thousands infected.” Many people have gone into full panic mode, to the point of completely emptying grocery store shelves through panic buying. Despite this, many people have no idea what exactly they’re panicking over. What is it, and how does it affect belief in creatio ex nihilo, exactly?
The Coronaviridae family of viruses is so named because of what they look like under a microscope. Those protein spikes that the virus uses to genetically program cells to make copies of itself form a ring around it that reminded the first scientists who studied the virus family in question of the corona of the Sun. And as one would expect, there’s actually a lot of viruses out there with this basic structure and M.O. — including many viruses responsible for the common cold.
The difference between those viruses and this one is what cells it is genetically programmed to attack. Common cold coronaviruses (which for the record are actually rare among those responsible for it — the most common are the rhinoviruses) are genetically predisposed to attack nasal passages — hence the runny nose, sore throat, and occasional cough. The Sarbecoviruses, which include this new one, on the other hand, are genetically predisposed to directly attack cells in the linings of the trachea, bronchi, and even alveoli. The result is tissue damage to the lungs themselves, which, if left untreated, can literally suffocate people, especially the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, in whom it’s capable of causing pneumonia directly, without any bacterial assistance.
There was an outbreak of something similar in recent history — a little over a decade and a half ago, that is. Remember SARS? This new virus is so genetically similar to that one that it basically counts as a new strain of the same thing. A new strain of the common cold or of the flu (the latter of which is caused by the Influenza A and B viruses which are also unrelated — in the family Orthomyxoviridae) is something we can deal with pretty easily with antiviral drugs and vaccines, among other things, but a new strain of SARS is cause for grave concern — that is, until one realizes that the symptoms of this new strain are milder than those of the older one.
The reality is that for teens and young, healthy adults with strong immune systems, this new virus is no more dangerous than the ordinary, run-of-the-mill, seasonal flu. It’s only those 60+ who are at risk — that demographic, however, includes my parents, which is why I see these new restrictions on large events as, among other things, a necessary evil, because I definitely wouldn’t want to be charged with manslaughter for carelessly exposing them to it.
Wait, what large events? Right, in my case that would include worship services. As a result of restrictions put in place by the government, Harvest has gone exclusively online for the time being, which begs the question: if God makes all things work together for good, then what good could possibly come of something as dark as this? Yeah, about that:
Sheer volume of responses to the Gospel during the Harvest at Home services. Source: InstagramThese numbers are astonishing — but they’re also to be expected from a situation like this, where people who normally attend a megachurch like Harvest (which would include myself) are encouraged instead to, in Pastor Greg’s own words, “bring church to them.” It’s in the face of fear, uncertainty, and panic that is disproportionately affecting clueless unbelievers who don’t know where they are ultimately going that mass conversions occur.
Most, if not all, mass awakenings in our history have had triggers of one sort or another that are almost invariably rather tragic circumstances. In the case of the initial, colonial Great Awakening, the trigger was the mass exodus of Christians whom the Anglican Church deemed heretical from the UK. In the case of the Second Great Awakening, the trigger was the threat of civil war — something that only Scripture had the power to resolve. In the case of the Pentecostal movement, the trigger was World War I and the Spanish Flu that followed. In the case of the “Jesus Revolution” of the late 1960s and early 1970s, it’s important to remember that we were in the middle of the Cold War and had just gotten over — by 5-7 years — its tensest moment: the Cuban Missile Crisis. So, with all this in mind: could this pandemic be the trigger for the next one?
One could only pray that this be the case. If these numbers from “Harvest at Home” — which are not only almost 14 times the average number of responses that we typically garner on any given Sunday but also on par with the number of responses we get when we fill up Angel Stadium every August — are any indication, we’re already off to a good start, and we have to remember that, as Christians, when we remain calm, collected, and joyful even in stressful times like these, those who are freaking out will notice — and whenever they do notice, it’s always an evangelism opportunity.
In these next few weeks, may we all realize the importance of turning back to He who inspired people to leave the UK and found this country in the first place. Given that in the Bible there are examples of plagues that were miraculously turned back by the creator of this entire universe from absolute nothingness, who knows? Maybe if enough of us turn to Him, He’ll rebuke this one too.
UPDATE — In fact, according to 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, that’s exactly what the deal is:
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Again, the message of all this is clear: Repent!