Thread by @jonpyle

Some of the #hottakes I’ve seen from Pastors, religious leaders and other prominent Christians about the pandemic and church re-openings are not just absurd, they’re anti-Jesus.

The term spiritual malpractice comes to mind.

If you think re-opening your Sunday morning worship service and other meetings at your church building is more important than serving your community... you could not be more wrong.

Not just morally. Or ethically. But theologically.

And make no mistake... bad theology leads to toxic beliefs which leads to horrific behavior.

Years and years of self-serving, and frankly heretical, teaching have led some of y’all to completely miss EVERYTHING Jesus came for.

Let me start with this: God did not bring COVID-19 as a judgement on anyone. Much less the hurting or the oppressed. The whole reason Jesus came was so that there would no longer be anymore wholesale judgement.

I can’t be more clear about this. COVID-19, the Coronavirus or whatever other name you wanna use, is 100% absolutely, positively, NOT A JUDGMENT FROM GOD. I am absolutely sure.

Please listen to this... the Church is not Israel. Even if you disagree with that theologically, this is absolutely clear if you’ve read the Christian Scriptures: Followers of Jesus are under a new covenant.

The new covenant no longer requires temple sacrifice. It is a covenant of grace. Jesus came so that NONE should perish. So why in the year of our Lord 2020 do you think God would send a disease to kill people?!?!?!

I understand why Jesus and Paul got so damn mad at these false teachers. You are ruining people’s f***ing lives. And you are pushing people further away from Jesus, who they don’t actually have a problem with. Stop it!

Theology matters. What you believe about God informs what you say and what you do. If you believe God is angry with everyone and looking for opportunities to hurt everyone... guess what???? You’re going to do the same. But that’s an idol... a god made in your own image.

And I promise you this... Jesus reserves His fury not for the “sinners” or the outcasts but the greedy rich and merciless powerful elites. Read Luke sometime, bro.

Have you read the Sermon on the Mount, my dude?

Honestly, that’s why these guys fight so hard to be seen as oppressed. Because they have read the Scriptures and they can’t possibly come to grips with the fact Jesus didn’t come to protect them.

Most Christians, when watching people say nuclear-level ignorant stuff about God and the coronavirus.

*didn’t come to protect their comfort and preferences.

I hate to speak for God, since He doesn’t need that, but I’m confident of a few things: 1) God is heartbroken that hundreds of thousands of His children have died from the virus 2) God grieves over all deaths 3) God does want you to believe, but He wouldn’t hurt you to do it

To clarify: this isn’t for everyone who re-opened. Every situation is different and these are very hard decisions for leaders to make. Many made them humbly and wisely. Others are absolutely selfish and foolish.

And while God grieves loss and cares about your pain, part of God’s mercy is that there is a life after the suffering of this world. A place where everything will be made right. You will be made whole and we will be united together.

So, this world isn’t all there is.

For some, opening the church does actually serve the community.

A serious question for the folks who are reasonable but are pushing for churches to open... WHO are you opening for?

What if I told you that opening for your church people alienates the people you spend hours and thousands of dollars trying to reach