On Tuesday this week, I rolled up my sleeve and received my first COVID-19 vaccination. It is with significantly more trepidation that I dip my toe into the waters of the debates around vaccination. As I do this, here are some things that I am fully aware of:
There are strongly held views on all sides of this issue, even within our church.
I am not a scientist, doctor, immunologist or epidemiologist.
We live in an age where personal choice is king and 'truth' is under siege from all sides.
But there are two perspectives I can bring to the conversation around vaccination that might be helpful.
The first perspective is that of a pastor.
I've been entrusted with a flock (City on a Hill) as an undershepherd of the Lord Jesus Christ. My role as a pastor is to teach the Word of God to the flock, to pray for them and the lost around us, to equip the flock for ministry and to model a life of godliness as I call us all to follow Jesus.
Even though some might say 'stick to your lane', I believe that part of my role is to pastor our church through tricky issues exactly like this. With all this in mind, here are some perspectives I offer to help us take a Christian approach to the question: Should I be vaccinated?
God calls his people to love him and love others (Matt 22:37-40).
Whichever way we approach this issue, love of God and of neighbour (include here family, friends and the wider community) should be our guiding principle. Like all things in the Kingdom of God, it's not all about me! We're to adopt an ‘other-person-centred approach’ with a special eye to the weak and the powerless.
God cares about the truth (John 14:6).
God is the ultimate source of truth and the foundational truth to which all of humanity is subject is that 'Jesus is Lord and saviour'. As well as this ultimate reality, God cares deeply for the truth. All truth is God's truth. Not everything is relative and ‘just a matter of opinion’. We're to have nothing to do with unfounded myths or gossip but be careful to be truthful in what we do and say. (1 Tim 4:7).
Christianity and Science are not at war.
Modern science arose from a Christian worldview - believing that the world was consistent and observable because a God who doesn't change created it and sustains it (Heb 13:8). We should welcome scientific discoveries as part of God's common grace whilst at the same time paying careful attention to his word. We can't all be experts on every issue so thankfully God has blessed the church with god-fearing doctors, scientists and researchers. Why not seek them out and ask them your questions? If you don't know any, I'd be happy to point you in their direction.
Governments have been established by God (Rom 13:1).
This does not mean that everything they do is right or good but the Bible urges followers of Jesus to willingly submit to and pray for earthly authorities as part of our Christian witness. The Roman Empire was almost as wicked as they come and yet the Apostle Paul still called the church to submit, honour and pray for secular rulers. When it comes to COVID restrictions, Christians are free to challenge and question authorities but to do so in a lawful and God-glorifying way.
We cannot completely avoid risk.
We, better than anyone else, know that we live in a world corrupted by sin and rebellion. This means that risk is inherent to life this side of Jesus' return. This means we are forced to assess and calculate risk as we decide how best to love God and our neighbour. That said, we do that with the confidence of knowing that, no matter what happens, God will raise us from the dead to be with Jesus in his eternal kingdom!
God is the sovereign Lord (Matthew 10:29–31).
There is no aspect to our lives which do not fall under his care and concern, he rules over it all and he wants us to glorify him in every area. It also means we should pray - thanking him for medical technology, seeking his wisdom and asking him to heal and restrain the virus through both natural and supernatural means.
The second perspective I have is that of a parent.
I am the father of a child who almost lost their life in circumstances that could have been prevented with vaccination.
When Isaac was undergoing treatment for leukaemia and awaiting a bone marrow transplant he was severely immunocompromised. During this very vulnerable stage of his treatment, he accidentally came in contact with the chickenpox virus.
Isaac was literally minutes away from beginning his bone marrow transplant when the discovery was made and the treatment was immediately halted. Had it been discovered a few minutes later and had the treatment already begun, his life would have been in significant jeopardy.
This life-threatening risk could have been significantly reduced if those he was in contact with had been vaccinated. We do not blame anyone for this situation but it highlighted for us the impact vaccination has on the weak and the vulnerable.
Added to this was the months and months following his treatment where we needed to be extremely cautious to ensure his fragile immune system didn't come in contact with viruses it wasn't prepared to deal with. By God’s grace, Isaac made a full recovery, is healthy and was able to be re-immunised.
Within our wider community, there are thousands of people in vulnerable situations. Many, through no fault of their own, are unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Their best defence is the vaccination of the wider community to slow the spread and to act as a buffer between them and the virus.
As a family who has lived in that precarious twilight zone, we know first-hand how much a difference it makes when the whole community acts as one for the good of the weak and the vulnerable.
So, should you be vaccinated or not against COVID-19 (or anything else for that matter)? That's not for me to say. What I do want to do is to encourage you to speak to your doctor about whether it is right for you and to urge you to make your decision out of love for others rather than yourself.
Grace & peace,
Andrew
P.S. Let's keep the conversation going. If you want to talk more about anything I've written, please send me an email.
P.P.S. If someone makes a decision one way or the other, they will always be welcome amongst us at City on a Hill.
Here are some good and reliable resources for you if you want to go further:
- A Pastor & Doctor writing for The Gospel Coalition with some excellent resources at the end of his article -here.
- Phillip Jensen -here.
- Theologian from Moore Theological College (where I studied) -here.
- Al Mohler -here.
- www.christiansandthevaccine.com