Introduction
It comes to pass from time to time that we must address the movements and voices that intrude the church and threaten to pervert its truth. As the slogans are seen and heard more and more in our communities it is time to address those messages that appear in all ways to be a faithful utterance but could at the same time be used to rather skew and distort the truth of God by false pretenses and assumptions of the neighbor unbecoming a Christian. Therefore let us examine the dangerous element of the "faith over fear" (or "faith not fear" or whatever other variation it manifests itself in) slogan and the presumptuous and false dichotomy it presents.
What is Right and What is Wrong
We must pause and first recognize what is good about this slogan that makes it so utterly appealing. To begin with, it calls for people in fearful times to turn to faith. This is a fundamentally good message and one God has often spoken to his people in the phrase "Do not be afraid". The overwhelming use of that biblical phrase and the obvious good in calling people to faith makes it appear to be a noble and Christian thing to proclaim. Yet there is a false dichotomy that is often implied that you must be afraid or faithful, not both. This is demonstrably false, not the least of which by the fact that God repeatedly tells people of faith "do not be afraid". But it also has been viciously used by those who, like the Pharisee who stands before God by gloating that he is not like that tax collector (Luke 18:11-12) seeks to make it out that she or he has done the faithful things while the other has not. This rhetoric has dangerously appeared in our day in relation to the corona virus crisis and in-person worship.
Let our word be to those who have been taunted with this slogan: the pharisee will find no justification before God by decrying you. But you who from far off still dares to cry "Lord have mercy on me a sinner" will find the sweet comfort of the Gospel wherever you are (Luke 18:13-14). To those who champion this phrase beware from the parable, those who exalt themselves will be humbled! Let us look closer at how false it is to assume that only in-person worship is the faithful response and online worship is the "fearful" or antithetical to faith. Let us also examine closer that implied claim that concludes that an act that includes fear is automatically faithless as well.
Before going further we can graciously acknowledge two things: the first is that some have taken this banner up not considering this implication or meaning to demean others (though we should not fail to note that such intention does not always diminish the effect). Some we can imagine would use the phrase more to explain what has motivated them into certain actions than to make a judgment of others. Yet there are equally those who have heard them and perverted that purpose to not merely explain their resolve but to condemn the resolve of those who have differed. We should note this distinction of the two as we challenge this claim. And while this post shall be firm in our reply we must still be gentle personally with those who use it, especially keeping in mind our inability to always rightly perceive the intentions of any specific individual. Think the best of your brother or sister, after all, to us who have in faith chosen a different path that is what we ask them to do of us. And our Lord Jesus Christ has established this rule as one we would live by (Matthew 7:12). Also, this does not mean the faith over fear message has nothing to share to us who are not worshiping in person or are utilizing safe-guards they chastise. Being reminded to keep faith first is important, as is not being over-consumed in fear. But this treatise must address the way it has been used by those who puff themselves up over their sisters and brothers. It must address those who have felt the sting of shame from it and are looking for someone to raise high the message of faith among those who opt for safer ministries in this time. This writing is to give voice in our holy church to those actions of countless faithful Christians who are constantly being told they are not choosing faith and to say it on terms of common sense and scripture that those who choose to use this slogan against them be challenged to reply in more than a catch-phrase.
Fear is not Always Bad
Let us first strike a hole in the heart of the shame. The use of the word fear in contrast to faith is to not only invoke the "do not be afraid" as an over-simplified justification (we will address that error soon enough) but to make one easily feel less for their decision. No one wants to be afraid. We champion bravery. But tell me first does bravery involve no fear? Tell me that faith means never being afraid (again I say, why then are faithful people constantly afraid in scriptures)? Does wisdom involve no fear?
All this is plainly stated in the negative. Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Wisdom begins with "fear of the Lord" (Proverbs 1:7). "Fear of the Lord" is in fact an Old Testament phrase for faith. Why should we fear God? Because there is a healthy form of fear. And it is good for our faith to have a healthy fear of God (there is such a thing as an unhealthy fear of God, I would argue this could be seen in the early spiritual life of Luther) that we truly stand in awe of God and respect the Law and heed its warning and condemnation (which drives us to the Gospel). Healthy fear in life causes one to make wise decisions that safeguard us (or those around us) and a lack of it leads to reckless behavior. Thus many of our common sense decisions in life are driven in part by fear, and we acknowledge such as good. It is not a fear-no fear dichotomy that is presented in this slogan. It is rather a question of how much fear is healthy before it becomes unhealthy. No doubt those who banter on about faith over fear usually in some respect believe the safeguards others are doing are over-the-top. Yet instead of honest dialogue they retreat to unChristian characterizations.
When someone gets sick they take medicine. When there is no medicine/vaccine, the medical community tells us the best way to combat the virus is to prevent its spread. Adopting methods to do so then ought not be dismissed out of hand. When a cancer survivor has tests every six months at the request of her doctor we do not say "you're being overly fearful" even if there is no physical indication her cancer has returned. We instead recognize that she is more at-risk for cancer to return and therefore her caution to try to catch it early knowing that grants her the best possible chance of success makes the action reasonable, even if we might roll our eyes at a perfectly healthy individual feeling the need to get a test every 6 months. We recognize the difference. When this virus poses a different risk of infecting others, and when many of the people who attend church are the most at-risk for a severe battle with the virus, safe-guards or even full on virtual worship should not be decried as "fearful" in a manner that suggests people taking extra precautions in this special instance is somehow unreasonable to expect. This is not just a common flu, something experts have said over and over from the beginning. Treating it differently is reasonable.
The church has made the error in the past of associating any form of "fear" or precaution with a lack of faith. It was not that long ago that many of our churches denounced life insurance as a failure to trust in God to take care of your loved ones and living in fear of what will happen to them when you die. Now all the bodies I know of that made that stance do not anymore, recognizing that one could want to take steps to look after their loved ones and be concerned about what happens when you die and still be faithful. Yet those who avoid gatherings to look after their elderly loved ones are now accused of fear and told to just have faith and return to church gatherings as though their concern is unwarranted and an afront to faith.
Let us then also here note that a lack of fear can lead us not to faith but rather temptation. Assuming one should be reckless (and to be clear, not everyone who uses faith over fear wants no safe-guards, but some recklessly do) in the name of "faith" is to test the Lord. This was the very temptation that Satan placed before Christ when he brought him to the pinnacle of the temple and told him to throw himself down for God's word said that he would use his angels to protect you (Luke 4:9-12). Let us not then assume that fear alone leads one to act faithlessly, but acknowledge that a lack of it can do the same. This again destroys the foolish dichotomy of one or the other, faith or fear.
A Word On "Do Not Be Afraid"
Since there is no doubt that one of the first responses to objections of "faith over fear" is the vast number of times God says "Do not be afraid". To this we simply reply that in these circumstances we will typically see that God is either a) seeking to comfort his people (as at his transfiguration, Matthew 17:7), or b) calling them to a faithful act that fear is preventing (as when he tells you to not fear those who can destroy the body only but to fear him who can destroy the body and soul that one not deny him before others, Matthew 10:28, 32-33). The opponents will no doubt raise the latter as precisely the point. But then we reply: demonstrate that God is stating our worship in this time must be in-person or without precautions like distancing or masks. If one declares that these are unfaithful, they ought prove it. For our part we will note that most of these same individuals likely did not disparage those Christians who were shut-ins and worshiped on radio or tv. In times of the plague whole towns would vacate to attempt to stave off the spread. That is, the closing of churches or the use of alternative means of worship when necessity demands it have been deemed in the past acceptable. Even most of the churches and people who take up this call were at some point during the corona virus pandemic not in-person for worship. And many, while not utilizing as many precautions as others are using safe-guards like safe-distancing.
Be not afraid when used in this way must be able to demonstrate that fear is keeping one from being faithful. Otherwise they ought consider a slogan that better emphasizes the comforting element of the phrase, as we could all certainly be reminded of that. Since we have demonstrated that not all fear is akin to faithlessness it requires a greater demonstration that God would not approve of the church ministering in the manner it is during this time (either by distance worship or using various safe-guards). And such a demonstration will be forced to demonstrate how it has been acceptable to do such when circumstances have demanded it in the past but not now when our world is struggling to control a virus that not only kills, but makes many incredibly sick, and can leave chronic issues and permanent organ damage.
Fear is Not the Only Reason Churches Are Making These Decisions
As we have demonstrated that not all fear is antithetical to faith we ought also take note that those who make decisions to create safer worship environments (including virtual ones) can and often are being motivated by reasons other than simply fear. We might remember the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh who settled east of the Jordan (Joshua 22). Believing that one day those who lived in the boundaries of Canaan would not recognize them as fellow Israelites and declare they have no portion with the LORD, they built an altar to the LORD on their side of the river. It was not to sacrifice upon, but as a testament to their faithfulness. When the people to the west of the Jordan rose up against them in outrage assuming wrongly that they were abandoning the faith, they used it to call to them as a sign of faithfulness and the high priests were forced to conclude "Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery" (v31) and the people upon learning that they had misunderstood the intentions of their kin blessed the LORD and spoke no more words of hostility (v33). May those who have misunderstood us do the same, for it is faith also that can open one up to the possibility of alternative worship. It is the promise of God's abiding presence in transient times that causes us to dare to trust that we may find him still (Genesis 28:15-17). It is the assurance that Christ is with us in our ministries of proclamation (Matthew 28:19-20) that tells us the ministries we deem less to still be vital and Spirit-filled (1 Corinthians 12:4-25).
Love of neighbor, the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40), apart from which the greatest commandment cannot be obeyed (1 John 4:21) asks us to consider the needs of others. Any church that makes decisions out of the well-being of the people it ministers to is keeping in the spirit of this command. We can demonstrate this by comparing the early church's concern for the economically vulnerable (Acts 6:1-4, Romans 15:25-26, 1 Timothy 5:16) to a concern in our day for the bodily vulnerable. Many congregations are made up largely of those who fall into high-risk categories. The church, even in its commitment to proclamation should see to their needs (see again the Acts reading above). Therefore efforts to safe-guard them in the midst of their proclamation are quite fitting. What is more is we are taught by Christ to see service done to the "least of these my brothers and sisters" as done to him (Matthew 25:40). Committees and individuals who are making these decisions are often noting these individuals or their own vulnerable family members. Should we call that fear? A colleague tells me how the church made the conscious decision to remain virtual, because forwarding the spread of the virus in their small community would negatively impact the already struggling small businesses around them. They looked after the community's needs while still worshiping God. Was that faithless? Was that fearful? Seems instead that they put their fears aside to tend to the worries and wants of others.
On Perfect Love
This would be a good time to address another passage, namely from the first epistle of John, "There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear...whoever fears has not reached perfection in love" (1 John 4:18). While one may bend it to say "Aha! See, fear is cast out and has no place here." We reply that the context is very clearly one of fear of judgment from God, for it's fuller passage reads "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in the world. There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." What is more is this perfect love that does not fear punishment is a love of God (and from God) manifested in our love towards our neighbor: "We love because he first loved us. Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love a God whom they cannot see" (1 John 4:19-20). Thus this passage tells us to not fear judgment when we act in such love for our neighbor, but rather to know that just as much as our love of God can only flow from God's love for us, so our love of God must also flow into our neighbor. Christian love can be demonstrated in no greater way. Shall we then call activity done on our neighbor's behalf fear? No! We shall call it the perfecting of our love through faith in Jesus Christ.
Fear Can Lead Churches to Be In-Person
The grave error of assuming that any choice to safe-guard worship (and especially to be virtual) is an act of fear is equally matched by the fundamental error of assuming that any decision to worship in person is out of faith or done fearlessly. Instead the only thing that may have shifted is what one is afraid of or how one intends to cope with that fear. The economic hardship nation-wide quarantines brought upon churches for example can cause one to brush past other fears out of the greater fear of closing the church. Similarly, churches that are worried of losing disconnected members or who have pressure from influential members and are accompanied with threats of leaving the church will open up for fear of shrinking member bases. In times of great fear people often lean back into their routines or habits as a coping mechanism. That is, opening up is a striving for normalcy precisely because one is afraid!
Stepping out can increase our fear and even lead to doubt and negatively impact our faith. Consider Peter who stepped out of the boat to walk on the water. His fear did not subside from that action, instead he (according to Christ) doubted and when returning to the boat was chastised for being of little faith. Additionally, those who remained behind were glorifying Christ as the Son of God (Matthew 14:22-33). While we ought not take this example too far, we can certainly see within it an antithesis to what is widely assumed by the faith not fear banner for churches to open their doors with abandon.
Now again we must pause and cautiously warn that we ought not assume these are the only or primary reasons people are calling for unrestricted worship. Nor should we make the equally false dichotomy that if fear was a motivating factor in their decision they are the faithless ones. Rather we should merely use it to recognize how wrong the presumptuous dichotomy of faith or fear truly is. We should not however think so much less of those who make these decisions as people of faith, especially where we are not privy to more specific information regarding the circumstances of their decision. We should realize that the political voices and the rapidly changing science leads to some to reject things even as they try to work things out in faith. We should be charitable towards one another, lest we bear false witness against them. May those who read this treatise not abuse it against their neighbor but use it when they are abused or to open their eyes to the folly of their abuse.
What Matters is the Proclamation of the Gospel
At the heart of this all is a commission to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). There the Spirit works faith (Romans 10:17, John 14:26). There is Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:11-16) and there we are to be found (John 8:31). On him and his message depends the very existence of the church (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). That is to say, what ought be asked in regards to the faithfulness of churches or individual Christians is their fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet somehow we have made it about what voices of caution (or lack of caution) we are listening to in regards to our civic responsibility.
All of us ought to take the position of Paul who informs the Philippians regarding his ministry during imprisonment. While he is constrained to prison, he notes that he is still there able to do fruitful ministry among the guards (Philippians 1:13). Meanwhile, others begin preaching outside the prison (v14) and not all with the same or even honorable intentions (v15, 17). Yet none of these differences phase Paul in regards to how we are to regard the ministry. Instead he says, "What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice" (Philippians 1:18). If some find themselves contained, others not; if some are doing ministry in a manner you suspect is by fear while you are not; if some are doing worship virtually while others are not "what does it matter?" For our answer ought be, "Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way...and in that I rejoice." Mission focused Christians in this time will ask how are people being reached with the comforts of the Gospel more than anything else. They will see in those who are doing what they are not another means by which the Gospel is being proclaimed.
Diaspora Worship is Biblical
Finally, we will address specifically the practice of virtual worship. After all, we recognize especially in things like holy communion the shortcomings of this form of ministry. Is there a case for having such a worship?
To begin with we would note the development of the synagogue, which Jesus regularly worshiped and taught in (Luke 4:15-16). The synagogue offered an opportunity for regular hearing of the Torah. The Magdala Stone shows us how it was used as a means to harken people's faith to the Jerusalem Temple which because of its great distance would not be regularly worshiped in by Galilean Jews. While the sacrifices and major festivals were reserved still for the Jerusalem Temple (much like those of us who are reserving practices of Holy Communion for a return to in-person worship), the synagogue was an otherwise accepted alternative. Perhaps more important is its roots. They arose during the Babylonian Exile, when the Temple was in ruins and the people were not allowed to return to Jerusalem. It was in these circumstances that the synagogue became a part of Jewish religious culture, and for a time it was then the place of worship. Not only does Jesus partake uncritically in the practice, but the LORD told the people to settle during their exile and from there call upon his name and search for him and know that God would find them (Jeremiah 29:4-14).
We might also note the early church, as Christians were being expelled from synagogues (John 9:22) formed homes into places of worship (Romans 16:5). Indeed the Spirit descended on the disciples on Pentecost at a home (Acts 2:1-4) and upon God-fearing Gentiles during a sermon preached in the home of Cornelius (Acts 10:22, 44). The church has therefore not only also adapted in the time of need, but found the adaptation to not be wanting of God's gracious working.
If these examples show us something of adapting due to circumstances, we must also say something about expressing the Gospel in isolation of one another. Here now the Word itself shows us something specifically of the grace of Jesus being shared in separation. Paul corresponds to numerous churches through the means of writing, never hesitating to share the grace and peace of God (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:2). These words are not merely common salutation as we hold them to be sacred scriptures (2 Peter 3:14-16) that convey the Word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21). John on Patmos was not told that he was fearful and faithless for abiding by his exile instead of sneaking off to share his vision. Instead he was told to "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches" (Revelation 1:11). It was not only in the face of changing worship circumstances that God chose to abide but also in distant sharing of the Gospel.
Let Those who Disagree Put Away Their Pride
You will not justify yourselves by holding your great and puffed up faith over our scared little mustard seed of a faith. Even the prophet Elijah who bantered on about his great zeal for the LORD was greatly mistaken if he thought it would let him remain at Mt Horeb (1 Kings 19:14-18). Those who exalt themselves will be humbled (Luke 14:11), but he gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The message is simple, we ought not boast of our faith as some game of king of the mountain upon which we declare ourselves king. In Christ such are toppled (Luke 1:50-52) while those who are poor in spirit and meek find themselves receiving the kingdom and inheriting the earth (Matthew 5:3, 5). As we have counseled those who agree with us or join in our practices not to look down upon you or make false assumptions of your reasoning, so we now counsel you to do the same. This treatise is to make clear that such dichotomies do not serve God's church, therefore let us do away with them. You need not agree that the best practice is for the churches to use certain safe-guards or remain virtual in order to put away the divisive and demeaning language of faith over fear. Let us all take a spirit of humility that regards our own pursuits of God, even the ones named and defended here, as folly save for God's gracious coming unto us. Let us empty ourselves of religious ambition and not regard ourselves more than others (Philippians 2:3). Let us go to what faith is truly about: how God comes to us in Jesus Christ. Let us hold fast to what is good and call one another to faith, but let us put aside the wasteful talk that has politicized our worship, as if siding for in-person or virtual worship is any true measure of faith. Let us instead ask ourselves to be sure to keep faith in those decisions and indeed every one. Let us instead ask ourselves to keep preaching the Gospel in every way. In a time where the church is struggling over the coronavirus to limit conflict, let us seek the better way (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:7). Let us avoid judgment lest we ourselves be judged (Luke 7:37-38).
