Should we Honour the Emperor in the Covid-19 World?
The purpose of this post is to speak into the debate around church worship in the current climate. I have utmost admiration for those in formal church leadership, and to a large extent I am very glad I was not the one making operational decisions for the church during the pandemic. It is also worth knowing that I do know people who have sadly lost their lives to the virus and have therefore seen the sadness of my friends who have had to mourn the loss of family members. For those of you reading this then you need to know that I am not here to attack the organised leadership of the church (some of whom are my family) nor do I approach this topic lightly. However, I do want to offer my opinion as a member of the Academy and a critical friend to the Church. Unfortunately, like so many debates in the modern era, this conversation lacks nuance, as people, as we will see, are either ‘all in’ or ‘all out’. Thus, part of my aim is to be fair to both sides but providing a more nuanced answer.