More COVID Lockdowns Expected; Time Is NOW for Churches to Decide How 'Essential' They Are

Rumors and reported inside information tell us that more coronavirus lockdowns are headed our way again in light of the BA.2.86 COVID variant. As a forerunner, mask mandates have already popped up again in Georgia, New York, and who knows where else. Word on the street is that lockdowns are right around the corner. Faith is a huge target of the lockdown lords, who closed down churches and classified them nonessential while deeming it just fine for hundreds of people virtually crawling on top of one another to riot and tear down neighborhoods and businesses in the name of Black Lives Matter. The time, therefore, for pastors to decide if they will comply this time around is now.

Here is a portion of a column I wrote in March 2021:

Remember when the pandemic hit and lockdowns began? Only the “essential” could proceed. Churches didn’t fit the description, so they got the old heave-ho, too. Pastors were harassed when trying to hold services. Members who thrive on fellowship were isolated. Nursing home residents who got picked up once a week sat in a room on Sundays, instead. Community members who knew where to find hope when depression hit could no longer go. Why? Because the church wasn’t essential…enough. The impact of the church was trivialized. Exercising caution while gathering to hear wisdom from a pastor and sing songs of praise were out of the question. Six-feet social distancing in this case wasn’t good enough. Too close. Stay home.

Any half-awake, barely discerning person knew that what we experienced then was just a trial run—a successful one, at that. We all saw how easy it was to get people to comply. It’s a simple recipe, the main ingredient of which is fear. Add in threats and lies, and people become puppets. It works, and the effects are long-lasting. My goodness, I can still spot people walking around this area with their faces covered in masks.

These shutdowns did indescribable harm to people, families, and businesses. Depression was up. Suicides were up. Family members died alone. Nursing home residents said they’d rather be dead. And the one thing that has proven throughout history to help lift hearts, save souls, heal bodies, and give purpose was labeled nonessential, and most churches accepted that label. A few refused and were willing to pay the price. But most complied. This is no dig on those churches that fell in line. This was new. Pastors had not experienced this before. They didn’t want to put their members at risk. They wanted to “obey the laws of the land.” So I’m certainly not throwing shade about the past.

But what about now? If rumors are right and this is Shutdown 2.0—as we head to an election year again, of course, and folks can use shutdowns as a way to push massive mail-in ballots that get lost and then miraculously show up, 99% of them for Joe Biden,—what will the church do? How essential, Christians, do we really believe we are? The time to decide what you believe is not in the midst of the fire, but before the fire falls. By the way, they’re also about to roll out more boosters, you know.

The media are already getting us used to seeing the reports of how bad things look. Type “BA.2.86” in a Luxxle search, and this is what you’ll see right away: