Spirit and truth: Reckoning with the crises of Covid‐19 for the Church

Abstract

The Covid‐19 pandemic forces North American churches to reckon with long‐standing crises and questions surrounding online community, access to worship, decline in membership, the struggle of small congregations, and the reality of our global communion. This article describes a response grounded in faith defined as confidence in our liberation from pride and despair through Jesus Christ. There is need for clarity of doctrine and spiritual courage to fulfill the church's twofold mission to sustain and grow the body of Christ; both these tasks require courage to approach and speak from the Gospel in ever‐new contexts and ages.

Safety and Reverence: How Roman Catholic Liturgy can Respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Unlike certain other denominations, "virtual communion" (e.g. Evener, 2020) is not a solution for Catholics, even though there is a practice of Spiritual Communion. The considerations below agree with the general recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020b, c) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020a) but are adapted specifically for the Roman Catholic liturgical tradition.…”

Safety and Reverence: How Roman Catholic Liturgy Can Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Unlike certain other denominations, “virtual communion” (e.g. Evener, 2020 ) is not a solution for Catholics, even though there is a practice of Spiritual Communion. The considerations below agree with the general recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020b , c ) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020a ) but are adapted specifically for the Roman Catholic liturgical tradition.…”