A Pilgrim Watching the Fallout from Coronavirus

In terms of the grander scale, I have very little fear of Coronavirus. Besides as a Christian I know that if my number is up (so to speak), then I trust in Providence and am at peace knowing that my death or suffering was in God's time and glorifies Him.

There is of course a duality in such questions. In the normative course of life in a fallen world we live seventy years or so and thus foolish actions can lead to one dying 'before their time' as it were... however I am dubious as to whether Boris Johnson in employing the phrase was quoting Scripture or just expressing euphemistic nonsense. On the other hand in terms of Providence, let's be clear, no one dies 'before their time' but rather at the very hour appointed unto them. Besides can someone who dies of sickness in their eighties be said to have died 'before their time'?

While I am concerned with the suffering of the sick I am far more concerned about the sweeping changes that are taking place across the spectrum of society. This may very well be the 9/11-like moment I and others have long feared would push society and government into the next phase.

This pandemic will pass but the effects of it will not. This is going to have repercussions that play out for many long years. Just as we're still dealing with the fallout from 11 September 2001, we will (I think) in future look back at this as something of a watershed moment if not a critical dividing line.

In the short term I (like many) am a little concerned about the economic effect. And yet it is what it is. Everyone will be dealing with it and for some it will take a very long time to catch up on bills and the effects of lost wages. Some will suffer more than others, some will receive aid and relief, others of us will not. For my part I'm worried about a cancellation of work, a tentatively full schedule wiped clean by people's fears and investment loss. For as much as I loathe the US system and Wall Street I too in many ways am dependent upon it. Such is life in the industrial era. Those that have endured huge losses will suddenly not feel like spending money and hiring me to work for them. Contrary to the assertions that all work 'builds the Kingdom', the truth is my work is largely frivolous, serving the covetous, fickle and decadent desires of the consumer class and their empty quest to find meaning in status, material goods and grand living.

But I also know God is in control and if my work evaporates and we live (truly) hand to mouth, then it is to His glory and ultimately to my good.

What I'm worried about in human terms is the fact that these events will result in new legislation, the further degradation of society and an escalation in the polarity and hostility at work as these events are and will continue to be politicised.

While my wife and I were in the store on Saturday picking up groceries and thinking ahead, I (like everyone else) was disturbed to see what was happening. Apart from the toilet paper, hand sanitizer and cleaning products being wiped out, there was a run on beans, rice, pasta, flour and many canned goods. We weren't expecting that. People are clearly afraid but watching the frenzy, the whole thing has taken on a life of its own. The truth is you need to fear running out of toilet paper and other goods not because of the virus but because of the social panic. I'm more afraid of it and its consequences than I am the disease. That's how it was on the eve of 2000. I was ambivalent with regard to the threat of Y2K in terms of technology. I certainly never bought into the words of the ever unreliable and deceived Gary North but what concerned me was the reaction to it and the potential repercussions. These things take on a life all their own.

There's no doubt one of the great villains at work at the moment is social media. I know it's playing a tremendous role in fomenting the panic and it might actually be worse on a local level where small towns have their own series of chat pages. The rumours run out of control. On one level these sites have proven to be highly destructive in terms of society and that was something one could say well before these events and yet the technology's effect in a situation like this is palpable, on a far grander scale and worthy of condemnation. Of course the media in general is also playing its part.

Will the government move to control the news and social media platforms in the wake of this? It just might and a lot of people would applaud it for doing so... and yet is that a good thing in the grand scheme of things? I hate social media but I also hate the idea that the government would restrict speech.

While I don't agree with the Trump-hatted chaps in the store who were going on about how this is a 'dry run' for some future government power grab which will involve taking their guns... yes, there were some pretty stunning conversations taking place in the aisles... the truth is that there are those who use such crises as an opportunity to push through desired legislation and grab power. The ignorant Trump supporters without understanding the why and how speak a modicum of truth, a truth that's import is utterly lost when washed through their Trumpian nativist spectacles. These events do set a precedent. Just as I was disturbed by what happened in Boston during the manhunt for the Marathon Bombers in 2013, or the introduction of Full Body Scanning in the wake of airplane bombing scares in the years after 9/11, the debates surrounding the government's controversial actions are effectively over and the practice of law enforcement with regard to scanning and SWAT-paramilitary style tactics is now normative. In fact most of the public seems to support these types of government actions and policies.

Of course we in the West largely ignored and were unaffected by SARS, Zika and some of the other epidemics and outbreaks of recent years. Everyone will pay more attention now, if anything because of the fear of fear, the apprehension regarding a pending social collapse. Can you even imagine what the next Coronavirus-type event will be like? With some justification people will begin to panic in fear of another panic.

What will the US government do in response to this? Perhaps in some respects it's hopeful that the White House is currently inhabited by a sociopathic buffoon whose only response is to seek a way to reinvigorate the stock market and financially exploit events. But privatised government, while ideal to some is just another means of exploitation.

No one knows what's going to happen next. No one saw this coming and it's unlike anything we've ever seen before. On one level I'm not worried and since I have little to lose in terms of worldly goods and assets, I'm not too worried about the future. I trust in the will of God.

But on another level I am worried in terms of what evil people will do in response to these events and how they will manipulate them to their own ends.

While my wife and I were out shopping... getting groceries a few days earlier than we normally would... someone else I know well was at work... a lumber yard and building supply place owned by a local Evangelical. The store stocks ammunition and it was flying off the shelves. We also understood that not only were they selling it, many coming in to the store were talking about stockpiling the stuff. I suppose such thoughts would have occurred to me as a lost person but I can honestly say that not once yesterday was I thinking about guns or the need to arm myself. Praise God for sanctification. I was once a right-wing militarist gun fanatic and wholly given over to covetousness and vengeance but God saved me and has (in this respect) so transformed me that such thoughts no longer even cross my mind. Would that I had such success when it came to wrestling with some of my other sins!

And yet I am afraid that's not the response of many Evangelicals and professed Christians. For them nothing is more godly than to 'pack heat' and prepare to gun down anyone who might show up at their door looking for toilet paper or a can of food. Apparently they are prepared to gun people down, to kill and murder in order to defend their little kingdoms and empires, their gold bars, four-wheelers and fishing boats, their big screen televisions and their other toys. I am sorry to report it in such a fashion but that seems to be the prevalent attitude that I encounter around these parts. It makes me sick. And I'm talking about the Christians I encounter, the people who certainly ought to know better.

Am I concerned about the response of the government? I am but I'm also very concerned about how the Church will respond and how the wolves who lead the sundry Evangelical movements will manipulate these events to their political ends.

Let us pray for wisdom. Let us pray for our brethren around the world. Let us pray for 'the city', whatever Babylonian exile we happen to live in. I pray not because the city is righteous or good or because it represents the Kingdom, but rather for peace and a stable environment in which we can continue to live our lives and labour for the Kingdom that is eternal where no virus or evil is to be found.

And yet we also know that judgment is due and God's Judgment is righteous.

The story is far from over and even after the infections stop, the story hasn't ended but merely moved on to the next chapter.