Church and Corona, a few of my thoughts.
It is a kicking open door to say that the Netherlands is rather divided over the Corona measures. Some rub the carts at the supermarket carefully, others find it all exaggerated. Many people who do not understand the measures even see all sorts of conspiracy theories behind them. The government wants the power! It's not much different in church. Church people are like ordinary people. Here too, we think differently about the measures. And about the impact of the disease itself. How you think about it depends very much on your character but also on what you have experienced during this period. If a relative has been seriously ill, or even died, you are in it differently than when you have not experienced anything. But even then it depends on your attitude. Do you believe the government, the science, the RIVM or you have questions and suspect power games, you know scientists who think differently about it and you sometimes find the RIVM making weird sliders. Then there is also a part of the church that see prophetic times come true: infectious diseases, fear and disbelief are part of the contractions before the coming of Christ. I myself move from left to right. I always have questions about measures being imposed. So now, too. And I think that should be allowed. Asking questions, adjusting expectations. Put the Bible next to it. Yet I also think that as Christians we are called to obey the government (Romans 13). To how far? I don't know that very well. At least now. We still have reasonable freedom. Within the rules, much is possible. We can believe what we want, and even if singing is disliked, it is not forbidden. So I keep myself in traffic with others by the rules. Also in the church. Personally, no one has to keep a distance from me and anyone who wants to get a big hug. But who doesn't want to? Equally good friends. I want to do everything I can to ensure that there is no dichotomy. Not in society and not in church. I listen to you, and I hope you do that to me. And if you don't, because your opinion is fixed, you can. The government is not made up of saints, far, very far from that. There's plenty going wrong. Baybassin has been sitting for 23 years! wrongly in prison. Power, corruption, manipulation, it also takes place there. As with the Roman government in the days of Paul. Those weren't sweethearts either. Yet the same Paul calls us to obey. At the same time, he makes use of all the rights he has. He's litigated a lot. Standed in front of every court. And finally, he invokes the emperor. Can't be higher. That's allowed. Also in the Netherlands. We do not have to agree on all the issues, but on the way we raise things. For me, that means society. In that society, I want to move, knowing that my home country is elsewhere. We're citizens of a celestial kingdom. A high calling in an earthly setting.
#corona #kerk #samenleving #maatregelen #overheid #Bijbel #Paulus