Vaccines and Christian Liberty
This is the first of several posts on the issue of vaccines. This post focuses on ways that we can maintain the unity of the church in the midst of yet another difficult situation.
Over the past few months, concerns around vaccines have been growing on all sides. Some Christians believe that not taking a vaccine is risking your life, and risking the lives of others. They see vaccines as a gift of God. In other cases there are weighty concerns about the use of fetal tissue in research or production of vaccines, about modifying the body with mRNA technology, about unknown long-term effects, and about government pressure. Some Christians are willing to lose jobs over concerns, which means they are going to be firm on their position. Both sides would point to God's law, both would be convinced they have reasons to stick firmly to their position. How do we relate to each other in times like these?
A. Remember Christian Liberty
Helpful passages to read are Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. In those passages, some in the church had to be told not to dispute about doubtful things. These Romans and Corinthians were largely gentile Christians, who lived in pagan cities, and were surrounded by evil practices. The debate was over how much a Christian may participate in eating in pagan temples, or eating the food produced in the temples. Pagan temples in those days were the slaughterhouses of the towns, that was where all of the meat was taken to be blessed by the false priests and ritually slaughtered. The sins committed in those temples were horrific. Some kept so much distance that they had become vegetarians. Others had no problem eating meat offered to idols that they would get at a pagan temple. Some even had the liberty to eat inside a pagan temple without any real issue of conscience! (1 Cor. 8:10) But they were cautioned about doing so, because they might lead others astray, and cause them to slip into idolatry. It is interesting that Paul says he would be willing to even eat vegetarian to help a weaker brother. (1 Cor. 8:13) How many of us would be that gracious? Paul was willing to weaken himself, to strengthen other Christians! The point in those passages is:
i. God allows Christians to vary in their consciences. Some Christians have more freedom of conscience. Other Christians really should not go anywhere near certain things.
ii. What we do and say affects one another. Christians should have a gracious spirit towards one other. Sometimes Christians should even hold themselves back to help each other's consciences.
The solution was to consider the consciences of others. Realize that for some people, taking a vaccine would be denying their faith. More on that later. For others, not taking it would be considered denying God's gift or taking a sinful risk. It may be hard to understand how it is possible that your brother or sister has such a different practice than you, but this has happened from the beginning in the church.
It is worth noting that the Lord's counsel even calls us to hide or restrain our activities for the sake of others at times. Be careful not to flaunt your freedoms too much. Practically speaking, I think that going forward the best solution is to talk carefully about vaccination in the context of the church. “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;” (James 1:19) I'm sure both sides will be sure their stance is the stronger one. But if Paul advised staying out of the temples, and avoiding the meat, for the sake of others, it would seem that it might be wisest to simply try to be fairly quiet and give much grace. Remember that this situation is putting a lot of pressure on some people, and also be encouraging.
Neither our local church, nor our denomination, has an official stance on vaccines. We have neither taken a position for vaccines, nor against them, but see them as a matter of Christian conscience. There has always been room for both sides in our churches. Some may not like that, but it is reality. Though there are ethical concerns on both sides, those issues are arguably at arms length to some degree. There is always a counter-point from the other side. Search the scriptures, pray, and make decisions for yourself and not for others.
B. Be Careful about Links to the Mark of the Beast
Some are asking, but what about the mark of the beast? Are we not in a time in Canada and an increasing number of countries of not being able to buy or sell without this? Some are convinced we are watching this part of Revelation unfold, while others see no relationship at all. Whether you think the mark is related might have to do with your church background, or what you have read or watched in the past. It may also relate to where you live right now. Whether we like it or not, this issue has become the elephant in the room in some churches.
The questions are understandable, because buying and selling is being restricted, but please realize that what is happening right now still does not fit well with the rest of Revelation 13 at this time in history:
ii. There is no mark on the right hand or forehead. (Rev. 13:16)
iii. There is no plausible calculation of 666 or link to a certain man. (Rev. 13:16)
iv. Unvaccinated people can still buy and sell most things in most places. (Rev. 13:16)
v. To believe this, you have to make earlier judgements in Revelation symbolic, but then make the mark of the beast semi-literal.
If you take this kind of approach, you can make the book of Revelation relate to almost anything on a superficial level. Why not make wristwatches the mark of the beast? Perhaps more connections could be drawn to smartphones? There is also possible evidence that a literal mark of the beast happened almost 2000 years ago, but few people will agree on that. There are possible links to the name Nero, who was known as "the beast," and emperor worship being required to buy and sell. Probably the best interpretation, in my opinion, is that every generation has less literal "marks" of the beast to avoid that relate to slavery to sin and false worship. Those will intensify at certain times, and towards the end, will be clearer. At this point, it likely has more to do with examining your mind and works to see if there is evidence of Satan's dominion over you. As of now, it is not a good interpretation to link vaccine passports this to the mark of the beast. There is too much missing. Most is missing at this point. It could be that some people, in a less literal way, have such faith in science that it excludes God. In that case, in a non-literal way their "faith" in vaccination makes it a false saviour from death that does nothing for sin. But that is not the case for everyone who uses a vaccination. It is evident that true Christians are getting vaccines, but not because their faith is in the vaccine itself.
But will there be a more literal mark some day? Certainly, that is a real possibility. We should keep our eyes open. Time will tell. We can see some signs of the times in our day. Through the internet, and other media, Satan and his lies do seem to have increasing power over the nations. If you look at how the sexual revolution is spreading across the nations, it is a troubling sign. The earth itself seems to be wearing out and getting old in front of our eyes. There are wars and rumors of wars.
If there is a literal mark coming, it would seem that most people would think it was a good idea to get the mark. We should not completely rule out that it could be related to something like a vaccine. It is possible that people have misplaced faith in science, and begin to use medical therapies that are more clearly or directly ethically wrong and deceptive in the future. Sadly much of the medical community is embracing abortion, euthanasia, transgenderism, and even trans-humanism. At some point, vaccines or related therapies could become completely off-limits for Christians. We should not blindly trust that everything pharmaceutical companies offer in the future will be ethical.
Even if a literal QR code on the hand were in the near future, which I would not try to "prophesy" at this point, Christians who had been vaccinated over the past few months could still refuse to get the mark itself. If something like that were to happen, there will be a lot of social pressure to use a mark. Undoubtedly, the majority would think a mark is good and necessary for society as a whole. So even though we cannot make the link now, and should not, that does not mean our eyes should not be open to future vaccinations potentially being evil.
But at this time in history, to make the association is not consistent with most of Revelation 13. Not only that, the association becomes dangerously accusatory to brothers and sisters. We don't have the clarity of revelation to do this. We need to always realize that the devil is very deceptive. It is pretty clear he is getting a long leash to attack and divide the church in our time. Could he not deceive by bringing forward these very associations? Think of how hard COVID restrictions, the residential school history, issues of racism, hate speech laws, and now vaccines are getting for churches. One of the things Satan does best is twist scripture, and use it against God's people, and divide us from each other. The broader pattern is destruction and division of the church.
Finally, this relates to broader views of history. We don't yet know if we are seeing the collapse of Western civilization, or the end times for the whole world. No one knows that for sure. We need to be careful and sober minded, and recognize that God may have a plan to humble our nations, while blessing other nations for a long time to come. We may be nowhere near the end. Make sure you have really, really good reasons from God's Word to call something the mark of the beast before you make that association. In 20 years, we might see this all very differently. Don't try to predict history, we do not know the mind of God. (Romans 11:33-34)
C. Hold Back Accusations of Reckless Endangerment
By now it is becoming pretty clear that COVID is more than a mere "flu." Though it is clearly not nearly as serious as plagues of the past, I personally have dozens of middle-aged acquaintances who have been hospitalized, some who have long term effects. I know a handful of elderly folks who died of COVID, who were otherwise living fairly active lives. A number of my colleagues have been in the hospital. It is sad to see how hard COVID has hit a number of pastors. People who have lost family members, or who have had bad experiences with other diseases, are asking is it not "reckless endangerment" of ourselves or others not to get vaccinated?
Consider that past histories and consciences make this a difficult situation for some on both sides. Once again, we need to be careful not to become accusers. Both sides will make this argument, and it is not going to get settled soon. You might think it is settled on one side or another, but you are probably not going to win others over. Consider that people have been through different things in life.
There are those still amongst us who lived with polio since childhood. There are even a few still living in iron lungs. It is not a surprise that some in their families would be first-in-line to get a vaccine. There is an older generation who lost quite a few years ago to various childhood diseases, it is not a surprise that many of them are quite pro-vaccine. All of us need to be sensitive to the pain that some of these people have been through. If you are against vaccines, you have to realize that there is a cost to that position. We live in a context of herd-immunity to polio, smallpox, and other diseases that we should not take for granted. It is much easier to be anti-vaccination in this time than it was 50 years ago, and that should make any who take this position carefully restrained in how they interact with some, especially in the older generation. I suppose some might think that the eradication of those diseases had nothing to do with vaccines at all. If you think that way, you need to go talk to the older generation that lived through polio, and saw the differences pre-vaccine and post-vaccine. We should be careful how we relate to them, and hear their concerns.
There is also the other side that has similar concerns. Other families have had serious reactions to vaccines, and some even have children with disabilities as a result of a vaccination. It is not a surprise that they are very reluctant to get one. Some have had acquaintances or family who had reactions to mRNA or other vaccines. Some know people who ended up in hospital soon after a vaccine, some know of people who died soon after. In some cases, we can't be 100% sure of what the real underlying cause of death was. COVID, or vaccine, or something else? We don't know what would have happened it a person was on an alternative route.
Some are convinced that the vaccine is a higher risk for them than the virus. Depending on their age or other conditions, they might be right. It seems that the vaccine carries a higher risk of heart problems for teenage boys than COVID has. There is debate over whether children are at more risk from the vaccine or COVID. Many people are in the middle, uncertain what is the greater risk. Some would rather risk God's providences with COVID than take a vaccine they don't quite trust. Some are convinced that short-term positive results mean little. Some fear that vaccines will be the cause of mutations that escape treatment in the future. Only time will tell. Some are suspicious of pharmaceutical companies who have demonstrated questionable ethics in the past. Some are so troubled by the use of fetal cells in research, that they would rather die of COVID than participate even indirectly. Others simply cannot see getting a vaccine at this point because they believe it would be bowing in worship to a government that is coercing them.
On both sides, there are those that are convinced the “others” are a danger. They do not want to be in the same room as the vaccinated, or the unvaccinated. Or the masked, or the unmasked. As Christians, we simply need to reject such behavior. Even if that risk were significant, Christians have historically been those who ministered to lepers, visited prisoners, and laid down their lives. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13). If you die as a result of being in the same room as a brother or sister you consider foolish, you die an honorable death in the Lord. Your reward will be eternal.
The best solution is that vaccination is a personal decision, and we should give each other a lot of latitude. Do not accuse others, try to avoid infringing on other's consciences. Do not fall into the error of imposing your conscience on everyone else. Be sensitive to the reality that Christians have faced suffering, or know those who have, on all sides around the issue of vaccines, and their positions are probably not going to be changed by you. At this point, trying to change another person's position is probably not going to be fruitful. Do not live in unhealthy fear of disease or death from any angle. Trust that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. Prepare to meet your God. (Amos 4:12)
Finally, remember that times like these can be an opportunity for great spiritual growth in the church. The fruit of the Spirit grows most abundantly when there are situations that demand "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” - Galatians 5:22–23.
The second post on vaccines will engage with weighty ethical concerns, focusing on the use of fetal cells in research and production. This is a much more serious issue than many realize.
