Coronavirus fear
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Does it seem as if everyone is angry and hypersensitive these days? According to some experts, the first anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic could be the cause: we’re all tired out.
Oh, we’ve seen terrific acts of kindness and compassion over the past year. Local churches have done a magnificent job of pivoting their ministries to meet the crisis, especially in providing virtual worship and prayer services. Most people have tried their best to support one another through the fear, pain and loss of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nonetheless, writes Katie Way on VICE, we’re experiencing more bad behavior because we’re all at the end of our stress tethers. U.S. deaths from COVID-19 now top 525,000 people, even as more people are vaccinated. Public health strategies for curbing the coronavirus are spotty and politicized. Congress has passed President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, but those benefits are are yet to come to help relieve the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
In short, we simply can’t cope with any more crises, and we’re lashing out at friends and family as a result.
Way interviewed therapist Ashley McHan, who confirmed the hypothesis of our collective pandemic fatigue, heightened by the fact that we’re facing forces we can’t control. Ask any local congregation trying to decide what ministry or mission to pursue, or how to design a budget based on income made uncertain by pandemic fluctuations, and you’ll likely get a resounding “Amen!” to McHan’s diagnosis.
The therapist suggest several coping familiar coping strategies, such as screaming into a pillow, writing and tearing up an angry letter, taking a cold shower or anything else physical that will help burn off the excess adrenaline resulting from pandemic stress. “Match the intensity of the feeling, but choose something that doesn't do harm,” McHan told Way. “When you're in a calm and grounded place, you can then choose how to act, respond, and engage with others.”
Here’s to healthy coping strategies as we move into the second year of COVID-19.
Stories track year of coronavirus
Speaking of the pandemic, the academic journalism website called The Conversation has a nifty package of articles looking at the scientific aspects of coronavirus. It’s a handy collection that documents the bad and the good of a year spent fighting COVID-19 worldwide. Some highlights:
5 strategies to prepare now for the next pandemic
3 medical innovations fueled by COVID-19 that will outlast the pandemic
COVID-19 survivor’s guilt a growing issue as reality of loss settles in
And a story that speaks directly to our overall crankiness about the pandemic:
A year into the pandemic, the coronavirus is messing with our minds as well as our bodies
Overall, The Conversation provides plenty of fact-based accessible journalism that church leaders can use to counteract the waves of misinformation and conspiracy theories making the rounds today. Click here to read the full set of COVID-19 related stories.
Bishops offer devotionals on racial justice
Derek Chauvin’s trial for the killing of George Floyd has brought the issue of racial justice back into the public eye. For Lent, the Council of Bishops has focused a series of video devotionals on the United Methodist Church’s Dismantling Racism campaign. This page on the official website links to all the devotionals, one from each jurisdiction or central conference around the church. The latest is from Bishop Karen Oliveto, resident bishop of the Mountain Sky Area in the Western Jurisdiction. Others published thus far are from Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the Southeastern Jurisdiction; Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling of the Northeastern Jurisdiction; and Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the North Central Jurisdiction. More devotionals will be published through Lent and Holy Week.
Authors to discuss evangelicals’ racism
In addition to the bishops’ devotionals, individual United Methodists may find value in an hour-long webinar online conversation about white evangelicals and racism in America, featuring Anthea Butler, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and PRRI CEO and founder Robert P. Jones. The discussion will feature findings from Butler’s important new book, White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America, and Jones’s book, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. The conversation will be moderated by Michele Margolis, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Pennsylvania. Register here.
Media Mentions as of March 11, 2021
House chaplain criticizes lawmakers in prayer for ‘failing’ to unite around pandemic relief – Religion News Service
Bible teacher Beth Moore’s split with Southern Baptists has some women wondering whether to follow her – The Washington Post *
Bible teacher Beth Moore, splitting with LifeWay, says, 'I am no longer a Southern Baptist' – Religion News Service
As a pastor I pray my flock comes back. As a religion demographer I'm more realistic. – Religion News Service
Survey: Churchgoers say they plan to return to in-person services – Religion News Service
Theologian and former pastor addresses COVID-19 vaccine questions, misconceptions common ... – Religion News Service
Firefighters, faith leaders team up to vaccinate vulnerable – WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
Wrightsville United Methodist Church will hold racial unity workshops – StarNewsOnline.com
* Paid subscription required.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.