COVID, Masks, and the Church: Can We Still Get Along?

Other than civil rights, election cycles, world wars, and a couple of marriages, I have seen little quite as divisive as COVID. The worldwide focus on this unseen enemy has wreaked havoc on most areas of our lives. Unfortunately, the church is not immune. Our membership in the Body of Christ is forged by one common thread: belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Beyond that, we carry into the Church a variety of personalities, preferences, and politics. Our common thread allows us to overlook those differences and unite as one body called out of the world. This bond allows us to experience unity as we endure theological debates, leadership changes, and building programs.

COVID, however, is testing that bond. It was not too bad at the beginning. While we preferred not to close our buildings, we were able to adjust, because, as we’ve heard a nauseating number of times, “We’re all in this together.” As restrictions began to ease and we gingerly crept out of hibernation, the extent to which we should “open” sparked rumblings of discontent. Maybe we should keep people home; maybe we should social distance; maybe we should let people make their own decisions. As always, we generally extended grace to each other, realizing that this was new territory for all of us.

Then came the masks.

At first, masks were unnecessary. Then they were a good idea. Eventually, private businesses began to mandate them. Finally, in many areas, the government required them. And that’s when it blew up.

Although the mask issue divides people, it should not be an issue in the church. But it is, and I believe there are two reasons for this. First, many misunderstand why others hold a different opinion, and second, both sides have common sense and even “spiritual” reasons that have formed their opinions. Because of these differences, many folks exhibit righteous anger whenever confronting someone with another opinion.

So, who is right? The answer to that question is not the point of this article. My goal is rather to help each side better understand the other side so we can at least say, “I may not agree with you, but you’re still my brother and I’ll try to accommodate you the best I can.”

Let’s begin with the “I think everyone should wear masks” group. If you are in this group, you wear a mask because you want to protect yourself, you want to protect others, or both. Or, you’re just plain ugly, but that’s another matter.

While there is a great deal of debate about the effectiveness of masks, I think everyone agrees that if a person is in a high-risk category, he or she should wear one. The real battle commences when the “mask people” assert that everyone should wear a mask because it protects other people. That is the “spiritual” argument, and it comes from a selfless heart. They are willing to give up their comfort and freedom if it keeps someone else from getting sick.

Then we have the “I will never wear a mask” people. For them, it’s an issue of personal liberty, granted by God. They see mask mandates as one step on the path to Nazi-style tyranny, leading next to compulsory vaccination and ultimately culminating in extermination camps and death chambers. They generally do not believe the information spouted by media outlets: that COVID numbers are rising and that masks stop the spread. They point to some medical authorities who claim that masks do not help, and take into account both the official and anecdotal reports of the unreliability of COVID tests. It’s not that they are selfish; they genuinely deem the response to COVID to be unnecessarily exaggerated.

So, how are we supposed to respond to each other?

This is what the “no mask” people need to understand about the “mask” people: their motive is care for others. They are not necessarily falling in line with some global conspiracy to subjugate all of humanity—they simply want to be part of   solution. They genuinely believe that a facecovering will keep them from spreading the virus to other people and cannot understand why their brothers and sisters in Christ do not see it the same way.

This is what the “mask” people need to understand about the “no mask” people: they are not selfish. Arguing with them about their lack of care for others is fruitless.  I think most would gladly wear a facecovering if they really believed it would help. However, they simply do not believe in the effectiveness of masks. For them, it’s like driving a car: they’re not going to quit just because there is a small chance that a wheel might fall off causing a fatal wreck. They accept that people who venture out into public accept a certain level of risk. The risk, in terms of COVID, is so insignificant that it generally does not require widespread mask mandates.

Ultimately, this is not an issue that should divide Christians. For most, it has nothing to do with fear or selfishness. It has everything to do with one’s take on the severity of the COVID virus, and no amount of arguing is going to change that. So let’s offer each other some grace and understanding. If you refuse to wear a mask, consider the feelings of others and give them a wide berth in the grocery store. If you think everyone should wear a mask, understand that others have reasons for not wearing one. This is not an issue of character or spiritual maturity, so let’s not elevate it to that status.