As we are all making sacrifices and enduring certain hardships due to the Covid-19 virus,
I wanted to pass on Jon Nessle’s excellent article in a special blog post this month.
Are Virtue Signaling Pastors Breaking the Law?
(2020 Covid-19 Pandemic)
By Rev. Jon O. Nessle
It was the winter of 1974 and my first Sermon. The room had been rented and
everything organized and I was ready. But then a snow storm hit. Normally an inch
or two of snow would not thwart my congregation who were from small Midwest
towns and farms, who would not think much of it. But this snow fall was over 8
inches! I called everyone up and said, don’t come. We will reschedule it. I knew
that there would be some stubborn or persistent folks who would brave the elements
and still try to come and I had elderly members that I did not want to put at risk. So
I postponed the meeting and told everyone to even call folks that they didn’t think
would come, just to make sure no one tried.
Weeks later when the meeting was to be held again, it began snowing again. I
declared, not again! I called up a few strong believers and we prayed for the snow
to stop. At the same time another congregant was flying in to the local airport. He
later told me of a strange thing he witnessed. He saw the snow stop falling! He said
it happened all across the sky simultaneously. The snow stopped all at once and as
the plane was descending to land he watched the clear patch of sky increase in size
moving downward. The layer of snow fell together like a falling blanket, leaving
clear air above! I asked him when was this? It was exactly at the same time we were
praying. We on the ground saw the snow stop and so we continued preparations for
the meeting.
Then one hour before the meeting was to start, I received a phone call from my
Mother. Her house had caught on fire! Thankfully, it was put out in time and the
damage was not terrible. I was 30 miles away. I asked her if she was OK and she
said yes and I explained that I could be there in a few hours and she said that was
fine. So I taught my first Sermon and made the Devil sorry he ever messed with me!
What was the difference between those two incidents? Wisdom.
With this current pandemic, these are unprecedented times in our lifetime,.
Ecclesiastes, a book of wisdom declares:
2
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time
to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a
time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time
to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast
away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a
time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of
peace.
Perhaps this too is a time for wisdom : Because of the potential to spread the virus,
this is a time to refrain from embracing. Sometimes we face situations in which
there seem to be conflicts of priorities or Laws. This is one of them. On one hand,
the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution states that “Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
On the other hand, Regional Health Authorities and State and County Governments
are imposing quarantines or limits on the size of meetings including Church, to limit
potential exposure to the virus. What should we do? Normally such constitutional
things are adjudicated in a Court of Law in which a Judge weighs the issues and then
based upon his or her wisdom, applies the law. We do not have time for that, for
this virus does not wait. But since this conflict of law will ultimately be resolved by
wisdom, can we not appeal to wisdom now?
This is the key question: Is complying with the Government’s temporary restriction
on large meetings, including Church meetings, an act of fear and therefore a violation
of faith? Is there a Biblical precedent for this situation? Yes there is! Quarantines
are Biblical and the rules are outlined in Leviticus 13ff. Therefore, obeying
quarantines are not a questioning of our faith.
3
Leviticus 13:1-5
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,
2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab,
or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of
leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one
of his sons the priests:
3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh:
and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in
sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy:
and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
4 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be
not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white;
then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:
5 And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if
the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the
skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:
The priests were tasked with the job of diagnosis and quarantine because they were
authorities who could be trusted. While some could dogmatically claim that the
observation of such things must be done exactly the same today, I say that the
principles that are here can transfer to our modern situation. Today the trusted and
licensed ones who are tasked with diagnosis of disease and setting quarantines are
Doctors. Back then the Priests were trained and experienced in this. Today our
equivalent, Pastors, Priests and Rabbis, etc. are not. But the truth of quarantining
for a period of time still stands.
The Law of Moses also contained fascinating details about hygiene that protected
the Jews from germs 3000 years before they were discovered by Louis Pasteur.
There are directives about washing after touching dead things, and being unclean for
periods of time. This also includes washing clothes that were worn and even shaving
and social distancing!
4
Leviticus 14:8
8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off
all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and
after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out
of his tent seven days.
9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair
off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he
shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his
flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
Leviticus 14:34-48 even speaks of checking homes and condemning the buildings.
Again in modern times, religious leaders are not tasked or trained for such things.
Other trained and licensed experts are. It is fascinating to read this section of
Scripture knowing that mankind did not know about germs (but God did…)
5
Leviticus 15:2-13
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any
man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is
unclean.
3 And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh
run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his
uncleanness.
4 Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and
every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean.
5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe
himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue
shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean
until the even.
7 And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall
wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until
the even.
8 And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he
shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean
until the even.
9 And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall
be unclean.
10 And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be
unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall
wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until
the even.
11 And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not
rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe
himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
12 And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue,
shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.
13 And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he
shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his
clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
Leviticus 17:15
And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which
was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a
stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water,
and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean
Disease was prevented by the requirement to go outside the camp and defecate there
and then bury it. (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13.) Bloodborne diseases were prevented by
the prohibition of eating blood and viruses borne by unclean animals were avoided
by dietary laws. Leviticus 22: 4ff states that these rules even applied to the priests
themselves. Furthermore, Exodus 30:17-21 required the priests wash at the Laver.
While this would have ceremonial significance, it also has health implications for
the Tabernacle was a place of assembly for the congregation and as such, a common
source of the transmission of germs, much like schools are today. Social distancing
also was part of the Law:
6
Deuteronomy 23:10, 11
10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of
uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad
out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself
with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp
again.
So was the compliance with the Law a question of fear or faith? No, it
was of obedience. Therefore because of this precedent, I think that wisdom
should prevail and that we ministers who run Church meetings ought to think
of our most vulnerable congregants and not put them in harm’s way. Look. The Priests
and even Moses were super-believers and at times had interceded to miraculously stop
plagues, more than once. So why were these health related regulations even needed?
Wisdom…
Yes, these times are fearful and assembling with fellow believers is a comfort, but
the mitigating factor of the potential for virus transmission discourages that. But
thankfully, because of our affluence and technology in the USA and other countries,
there are other ways of assembly. We can assemble virtually over the Internet or in
cell phone conference calls. But we also must reach the most vulnerable group
which is our elderly folks who make up a significant proportion of some Churches.
They do not tend to utilize technology to the same degree as younger generations.
But there are still ways of dealing with this. I heard of congregations who have
assembled in their cars in parking lots and the Pastor preached from horseback.
Churches could even utilize closed Drive in Theatres for this purpose.
Furthermore, I know of no general reason for any minister to require anyone
to break quarantine, unless, of course, one has technicolor revelation to do so.
I say “technicolor” because such a thing would violate what I have just shared from the
Bible. There is precedent for doing so like when Paul circumcised Timothy despite
what he wrote about circumcision, but again, he had technicolor guidance to do so.
So if a minister thinks he has such guidance, may I remind him that the rules for
prophets given in the Old Testament apply:
7
Deuteronomy 18:22
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow
not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not
spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously:
thou shalt not be afraid of [revere, (hence obey any more)] him.
There could be a miracle like what happened with the snow preceding my second
meeting. But if there is no divine intervention, people could get hurt. So if anyone
follows his so-called guidance and gets sick he cannot attribute that to their lack of
faith. There are healthy Churches and unhealthy ones, true ministers and false ones,
and there is a lot of gray area in between for both. When it comes to such
complicated analyses, the words of Jesus suffice: “By their fruits ye shall know
them.” He did not say “by their words…”
In my opinion, any organization who legalistically requires people to attend Church
is violating the spirit of assembly which is at the core of any ekklesia. People ought
to be coming because they want to, because they get results, fruit, not just words. If
people are criticized and judged there, something is wrong. It is not healthy. Or if
ministers feel they have to signify themselves or their Church by breaking the rules
of quarantine, both rules, I say, of our secular government and in the Bible, unless
they have “technicolor” revelation to do so, it is either that they are confused,
immature or virtue signaling. The English Oxford Dictionary describes “virtue
signaling” as: “a pejorative neologism for the conspicuous expression of moral
values.” That is, it is a newly coined term of communicating disapproval by
conspicuously expressing one’s moral values. They are disapproving of the
quarantine by signaling their supposed “holy bravery” by implying they have great
faith in spite of it. Well, that’s great for you, but what about grandma? You can be
responsible for your own risks, for the Bible says, “may your blood be on your
own head.” But what about the vulnerable folks in your congregation?
In a religious setting, virtue signaling is the “persistence or occurrence of various
costly religious practices such as circumcision, fasting, snake handling, and trial by
ordeal. This idea is that the participation in an act with a religious purpose serves as
a way to signal one’s dedication to the beliefs held by that religion, thereby signaling
personal morality to onlookers.” 1
These virtue signalers are trying to gain acclaim and followers like birds dancing and
displaying their plumage to attract mates. The Bible has another way of describing it.
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Colossians 2:23a
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility…
The word “will worship” is ethelothrēskeia which is defined as a self-devised external form of ceremonial service. 2
Self-devised, as in not of God, external, as in showing off, ceremonial, as in not practical or useable. So my advice is find yourself another Church if they are requiring you to break quarantine. After this is all over you can go back if there is anyone left…
1 Bulbulia, Joseph; Schjoedt, Uffe (2010-07-16), “Religious Culture and Cooperative Prediction under Risk: Perspectives from Social Neuroscience”, Religion, Economy, and Cooperation, DE GRUYTER, pp. 35–60
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Jon’s reference to Ecc. 3 and the “28 times” as they relate to the 28 Lunar Mansions, fits in with our current series on the Lunar Mansions, which we will be wrapping up in our Part 3, blog post later this month.
From the 28 times in Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 we see the obvious juxtaposition to “easy“ times
vs. “difficult” ones, 14 on either side, like 2 hands. These associated attributes with the twenty-eight “times” in Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 come in pairs, and in each pair, one element is the opposite of the other. Birth/ Death; Planting/ Plucking; Killing/ Healing,
Breaking down /Building up, etc. This strongly suggests the goal is to portray a range
of human activity according to this pattern whether good or evil, depending on individual choice. Again, with the knowledge that all these results can occur in life, with God on our side in His path of righteousness, we can still prevail in the most difficult of “times” in this world. This brings to mind Deut. 30, where God’s Word lists some related pairs resulting from
freewill choice He has given to all men, to walk in their lives in the ways that they choose to go.
Deut. 30:19-20
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
God not only gives us this freewill choice, He also tells us which choice benefits us the most! We are thankful for Jon Nessle, providing us a perspective of added wisdom in these difficult times that clarifies the vagaries of choice we are faced with every day.
Let’s Choose life Folks…
God Bless,
Rene’
