In response to “An Open Letter on Closed Churches,” Dr. Daniel O’Roark wrote me. Yes, as in medical, giving him the creds needed to combat the panicked ignorance out there about C-virus.
The good doctor also follows Jesus Christ. He’s combined that with his medical knowledge to produce a pamphlet entitled, “A Brief COVID-19 Analysis and Its Implications for the Church.” I was cheering before I’d finished the first page, in which he affirms philosophical and religious truth. He then explains the medical facts about C-virus [“Coronavirus, a frequent cause of cold and flu syndromes, is not new. The current strain (COVID-19[CV]) is novel (7th Coronavirus strain discovered that infect humans) … CV is one of about 200 microbes that can cause flu syndromes (there are a number of non-infectious diseases that can cause “flu”). Therefore, having the “flu” describes only a syndrome (a collection of signs and symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache, nasal congestion, etc.) but cannot inform us as to the cause of those symptoms…”] while calling on Christians to respond as Christ would (i.e., not by running away and closing churches).
If like me you’re hoping to change minds among our siblings in the Lord and re-open our churches, please email me for a copy of Dr. O’Roark’s PDF. And do so quickly, before your state outlaws churches as Virginia has.
I also heard from Norman Patterson of The 100th Sheep Ministries. He’s kindly “updated” James 5:14 for “the modern day pastor”: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call, text, or email the elders of the church, and let them pray remotely for him, as he anoints himself with sanitizer in the name of the Lord.”
10:23 pm on March 26, 2020
