Apr 12, 2020 3 min read

Today is Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar, when most believers flood into churches to profess their faith.

Not this Easter.

Most churches have shuttered in recent weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak, as have mosques, synagogues and houses of worship used by other faiths. That it comes during the Easter season is undoubtedly painful for many Christians. Individuals can find fellowship, solace and connection by being part of a church, and churches can play vital roles in assisting the downtrodden in their communities.

We also can’t forget a tenet of Christianity is honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy. For many, that makes church attendance all but mandatory.

But the silence of churches today is necessary. It’s crucial to the health and well-being of the parishioners who belong to them and the communities where they live.

Consider the following: One coronavirus outbreak in California has been linked to a single church. Peter Beilenson, the director of Sacramento’s health services department, told CNN that at least 70 coronavirus cases could be linked to the Bethany Slavic Missionary Church, located in that city. It’s one of the largest outbreak clusters in the country. Beilenson said he singled out the church “not to cast aspersions on anybody but to really hammer home the importance of not congregating, not only in church but also in prayer gatherings in people’s homes.”

The leaders of some churches have been ignoring the warnings about the coronavirus, either in the belief that it’s a conspiracy cooked up by “the deep state” to degrade religious liberties, defeat President Trump or some other specimen of nonsense. Jonathan Shuttlesworth, who co-founded Washington County-based “Revival Today TV,” stated a few weeks ago that he was going to stage a “Woodstock”-style extravaganza on Easter, coronavirus and stay-at-home orders be damned. There’s no indication that this is actually going to happen, of course, and the smart money has Shuttlesworth simply seeking attention and a headline or two. But such talk is deeply irresponsible and profoundly reckless. If pastors truly care about their congregations, they’ll tell them to stay away.

Besides, many churches are deploying digital technology to conduct services online. Congregations can partake in Easter services without moving away from their computers.

Daniel Harrell, the editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today, pointed out “the church remains the church online, too.” He also said that “even if we do practice stringent hygiene and social distancing, coming together as congregations in the face of this pandemic actually mars our witness. Rather than looking courageous and faithful, we come off looking callous and even foolish, not unlike the snake handlers who insisted on playing with poison as a proof of true faith.”

The last word should actually go to Rabbi David Novitsky, who leads the Beth Israel congregation in Washington. There have not been services at the synagogue since last month, and a Passover seder was called off. He noted “life takes precedence in Judaism.”

It should for everyone else, too.