Insurance companies that Religion News Service spoke with said most plans do not cover pandemic-related incidents such as disease-related deaths. Insurers acknowledged that the decision to open a house of worship carries considerable risk.
While many churches are thinking in terms of weeks when it comes to gathering again in person, new information suggests that it may be months or years before group singing is once again safe.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed virtually every aspect of public life in America, also has touched a very intimate part of Americans’ lives: their religious faith and worship habits.
As incoming BWA President Tomás Mackey considers the impact of coronavirus in Argentina and around the world, he thinks this could be a critical Kairos moment for Baptists to live out the call of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:16: “make the most of every
A group of three dozen rabbis signed an open letter urging Jews in Missouri to invoke religious beliefs in order to vote absentee during the coronavirus outbreak. The argument in the letter could be critical to allowing more people to vote without visiting a polling
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had the right to ban church assemblies in the interest of public health during the coronavirus outbreak, a federal judge ruled on May 5.
Evergreen Baptist Church in Bixby, Okla., plans to reopen its building May 17 for an in-person worship service – but only for those age 55 and older.
Although some commentators in the U.S. point to Sweden as an alternative example of how to respond to the coronavirus with fewer restrictions, for Baptists in that country, worship and ministry has been impacted in ways similar to U.S. churches.
Missouri-based TV pastor Jim Bakker is asking a judge to dismiss a state lawsuit accusing him of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure the coronavirus, and the lawyer representing Bakker is former Gov. Jay Nixon.
No matter how we plan, people in disaster situations are notably bad at assessing risk and predictably overconfident about the control they have over their environment. Nor can church leaders control the behavior of whoever might walk in the door.