Global Pan(dem)ic & a Sound Faith (Part 3): A 5-Day Security CheckExemplo

Security assumes survival—a basic human need. You and I have physically survived until now, or we wouldn’t be communicating. But physical survival does not guarantee security. The onslaught of a dangerous infectious agent threatens our physical health. It also undermines economic and psychological safety.

“Shelter-in-place” mandates have restricted activity in many cities. Economic upheaval eerily looms over us. The international supply chain is threatened, and government relief bills fail to restore confidence in financial markets. Our anxiety levels have soared, affecting our mental health. No one expected our seemingly stable world to be overturned so quickly and easily.

Longevity is not guaranteed. A novel virus has shown us that. This invisible enemy brings a realization of eventual mortality. All of us will die sooner or later.

The current situation confirms that politics and economics may provide some guidance for survival, but they cannot serve as our final security. They can give us options, but not directions for life. They can give us some freedom, but not hope for this life or the next. When we stand at disaster’s edge, any step forward with politics, economics or religion as the source of our security will be a suicidal misstep.

Maybe we should move backward instead and slow everything down to a stop. As we already have in some ways. Tomorrow we will pause to consider ways in which historical Trinitarian Christianity guarantees real security for the believer.