In Dec. 2019, in Wuhan China, a new disease was identified\nthat attacks the lungs making breathing very difficult. Within 3 months, it had\nspread to 180 countries with approximately 250,000 cases. COVID-19 (Corona Virus\nDisease 2019) currently has a death rate of 3-4%. But we can expect these\nfigures to drop as more cases of those who recovered are included. In 2014,\nWest Africa saw Ebola with a death rate of 40%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 15 March 2020, President Ramaphosa declared that South\nAfrica was in a state of emergency. Then on 23 March, a lockdown was imposed\nwhereby all traffic was reduced to the necessities such as hospitals,\ngroceries, and police. As of 25 March, there are 709 confirmed cases and not\nyet any fatalities. Beginning Friday, 27 March until 17 April, the entire\ncountry is banned from most travel, work, and public gatherings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The infections grow exponentially pictured as a line sharply\nturning upward. After the virus begins to weaken, the infections cease to increase\nand then decline. When this action is shown on paper, it looks like a bell\ncurve. Governments around the world are taking measures in order to \u201cflatten\nthe curve.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This virus provides a platform from which to inspect a\nChristian worldview. How should Christians respond? If you had read from\nGenesis to Revelation 50 times, how would you respond? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christians live by the great principles of their faith\nespecially during a crisis. So, here are some wrong responses followed by a\nlist of eight Biblical principles that ought to guide us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three unbiblical responses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will be safe in Jesus\u2019 name.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This may also be heard as: \u201cMy faith is in God, so I am\nprotected.\u201d Or, \u201cGod told me He would keep me safe.\u201d Or worst of all, \u201cI bind\nyou, Satan, and all your viruses!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a very common response from people who think of themselves as Christian, but it is a silly blend of positive thinking and spirit worship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt does not matter. There\u2019s nothing to be concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of this writing, 19,000 have died who had this virus. They have stepped into eternity with no hope of returning or changing the destiny to which they are now trapped. Families have lost loved ones and breadwinners and mothers. Even more so than other flu epidemics, it is specially contagious. There is a great risk that it could reach poorer areas where water, hygiene, and close living could spread the disease quickly to people without resources for medical care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis could kill off whole towns and villages!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The death rate is especially pronounced for those over 60. For example, the average age of those who died in Italy is 79<\/a>. The great majority of those who are younger without previous health problems are coming through the virus in a few weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. History reveals many plagues that have taken great numbers of people. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n History is filled with numerous stories of plague, famine,\nand tragedy. We are all tempted to think that our problem at the moment is the\nworst ever. What person over 70 has not said or thought, \u201cThe young people\nthese days are terrible?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n COVID 19 is a serious threat, but there are an infinite number of gradations of seriousness which we may apply to any threat. History supplies the long term perspective to help us battle disease on one side and to keep our fears and our response in check on the other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We might be tempted to overreact as if this was the first\ntime or the worst time. The majority of those who have passed away had\npre-existing conditions and were over 60 years old. But historically, far more\npeople died in the previous plagues of history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even in recent history there are terrible physical tragedies. In 2017, 3,561 people died per day from TB.<\/a> Yet this is not a worldwide concern. Influenza kills many thousands per day, but governments are not shutting down their countries. Each day, 3,287 people die from road accidents<\/a> around the world. This last number is particularly remarkable because we could solve this problem by reducing the speed limit to 30 k\u2019s per hour (19 mph), and yet there is no global travel on this road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n