Christians Are Not To Blame For The Coronavirus

"If the world hates you, know that it hated Me

before it hated you. If you belonged to the world,

the world would treat you with affection and would

love you as its own. But because you are not of the

world, no longer one with it, but I have chosen 

you out of the world, the world hates you."

John 15:18-19

All The Bigotry That's Unfit To Read

According to a recent op-ed in the New York Times,

because President Trump was widely supported by "religious

ultraconservatives" a.k.a. evangelical, or Bible-believing

 Christians, a movement which, according to writer Katherine Stewart,

"denies science, bashes government and prioritized loyalty

over professional expertise" America is now reaping

what it has sown with the rampant spread of COVID-19

 or the coronavirus across the land.

Stewart goes on to link conservative Christians with the beliefs

of a man named Robert Dabney Lewis, a southern-born,

 19th century theologian, best known as the biographer

 of Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson.

Lewis denied the theories of science, (evolution) yet, is said 

to have believed in slavery. Many people in the South and in the 

 North condoned slavery at one time in this nation. It was 
 a standard business practice sanction by law.  
Many in Lewis' day considered the enslavement

  of other people to be "a necessary evil", sort of

 along the lines of today's abortion industry,
which is also a legal business practice, only the

 political Left has changed the words, "necessary evil"

to " a woman's right to choose" in order to justify the 

deliberate and willful taking of unborn human life.

 Many conservative Christians, myself included, are indeed

aware of the environmental issues affecting our planet.

However, the swipe Stewart takes in regards to

believers "denial of science" as it pertains to 

the issues of global warming and climate change

is most likely in retaliation for the recent failure by

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to insert tax credits for

solar and wind and C02 emission standards for airlines

into the recent $2.2 trillion dollar stimulus bill.

Pelosi was also prevented from slipping more

abortion funding into the bill too.  

 Furthermore, Stewart's initial charge that the "denial of

 science" and "critical thinking" by evangelicals, and the

president's attachment to this particular group of supporters

has somehow negatively affected his handling of the COVID-19

 virus outbreak in this nation is absolutely ridiculous.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to pray for our leaders

and encourage them to seek the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit

in making important decisions for the nation.  Mr. Trump needs our

prayers and support right now.  Satan knows this and he hates it.

He hates that God's people in this nation and all over the world

 are praying for this man, Donald John Trump, who, by the divine

intervention of a merciful and holy God, was elected President of the

 United States of America in 2016 for such a time as this in our nation.

President Trump addresses media at the White House

Ms. Stewart goes on to attack certain evangelical leaders like

Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of The River at Tampa Bay Church

in Florida who allegedly mocked people concerned over the virus,

calling them "pansies" and insisted he would only close the doors

of his packed church "when the rapture is taking place."

Howard-Browne was recently arrested for refusing to close

his doors after he failed to heed warnings by the Hillsborough

County sheriff.  He calls the government orders of quarantine

tyrannical, however, the pastors of many churches across 

America are coming up with creative ways to hold services and

obey the restrictions at the same time. Many in my area are 

 holding"drive-in" Sunday services in their church parking lots.

 Furthermore, the apostle Paul specifically admonishes

 believers in Romans 13: 1, "Let every person be loyally

subject to the government (civil) authorities. For there is no

authority except from God, by His permission, His sanction,

and those that exist do so by God's appointment."

Another pastor under scrutiny by Stewart is Pastor Tony Spell

whose recent sermon was live-streamed on Facebook.

Pastor Spell of Louisiana told his listeners, "We're going to

pass out anointed handkerchiefs to people who may have a fear,

who may have a sickness and we believe that when those anointed

handkerchiefs go, that healing virtue is going to go on them as well."

The giving of handkerchiefs believed to be anointed by the Holy Spirit 

 has become a common practice within certain evangelical churches today.

This belief comes from a story in the book of Acts, when God

brought special powers of healing and other miracles through 

 the hands of Paul during one of his missionary journeys.

"And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the

hands of Paul. So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which

had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick,

and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them."

(Acts 19:11-12)

Although these handkerchiefs or towels were blessed with the

 anointing of God, it was the genuine and sincere faith of the  

people in Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross

 which set them free from their illnesses and evil spirits.

Isaiah 53:5 attests:  "But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful 

 to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the

stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole."

There was also a group of Jewish exorcists mentioned in the story, who were

watching Paul and the miraculous healing taking place. They began giving

 commands to the evil spirits, saying, "I solemnly implore and charge you 

by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches!"

But the evil spirit in one man retorted, "Jesus I know, and

Paul I know about, but who are you?"

 The group of Jewish exorcists confronted 

by the demon-possessed man

Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon the group

and violently attacked them, tearing off their clothes.  The terrified

exorcists dashed out of the house fearing for their lives.

This particular incident became known to all who lived in Ephesus,

a city which in those days was a hotbed of abhorrent occult practices,
including the conjuring of evil spirits by people like the exorcists.

 Both Jews and Greeks there were "alarmed and terrified,

 and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled and magnified."

(Acts 19:17)

Stewart further goes on to say that President Trump's tendency

to "trust his gut "over experts on issues like vaccines and climate change

"does not come from any deep-seated religious conviction. But he is

perfectly in tune with the religious nationalists who form the core of his base."

The truth is that most of the media, be it the New York Times, or

networks like CNN and MSNBC, cannot bear to see our president

as well as Vice-President Mike Pence, two of the most powerful 

 men in the world, standing with their heads bowed reverently

in prayer to Almighty God, whether inside the Oval Office or in public.

Furthermore, our president has certainly not forgotten those who helped him,

through their earnest prayers and support and overwhelming votes to win 

  the White House. Mr. Trump believes in the exceptionalism of America

and her people.  He has been trying to bring us together as a nation,

unlike the political Left and the news media, which has actively sought

to divide us through deliberately inciting a climate of hatred, suspicion,

 and fear-especially since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms. Stewart writes, "Yet none of the benign uses of religion in

this time of crisis have anything to do with Mr. Trump's expressed

hope that the country would be "opened up and just raring to go by Easter".

She is of the opinion that our president only mentioned the word, "Easter" 

to appease his"evangelical allies" and their vision of "packed churches all over

this country".  I hope you are right, Ms. Stewart.  How wonderful it would be if  

millions of Americans would come to know the mercy and love and forgiveness  

 of the Lord Jesus Christ at this most holiest time of the year.

 Because as I have long said and believe, only God,
 in His infinite wisdom and mercy can save America now.