Churches Debate Staying Open During the Coronavirus Pandemic
ZORA readers respond to a touchy question: Are they still going to church?
Dear ZORA Readers,
Just yesterday, contributor and theologian Candice Marie Benbow published a piece on how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting Black churches across the United States. Some church leaders, such as Pastor Courtney Clayton Jenkins of Ohio’s South Euclid United Church of Christ, kept the sanctuary open, though sanitized, and encouraged “vulnerable members” to stream online. Others, like Pastor Valerie Washington of Louisville’s Hughlett Temple AME Zion, kept the doors open not just for the community but also for the financial sustenance. According to theologian and ethicist Keri Day, “Many of our congregations are vulnerable financially because we are vulnerable financially. And yet what would it mean for the ethical response of pastors in this moment to honor what our officials are saying and have the faith they preach about when it comes to the church’s finances?”
The responses to this post have been far-ranging. We’ve gathered several to continue what is often a sore yet necessary discussion both online and off:
