The city, in its explanation, used the example of a movie theater. “They said a movie theater complex has thousands of people that pass through it during the day, but no more than 500 are gathering in various venues at one time,” Jeffress explained. This was the church’s green light. (Movie theaters in Dallas have since been closed.)
Jeffress told me the church also warned that anyone with symptoms and anybody over 60, with any underlying health issue “should really think seriously about not coming, and worshiping with us online.” He said there were a record 166,000 people watching livestreams of the services.
I asked Jeffress if he was worried about an outbreak of the virus at his church—where the membership is disproportionately older.
He thought about it for a moment.
“We made the best decision we could make at that point in time,” he said. “This is a very real threat that we need to take seriously. But the Bible has a great balance between faith and practicality.”
He quoted St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind.” In other words, he said, “God doesn’t want us to be paralyzed with panic, but at the same time he expects us to exercise a sound mind in what we do.”
At the end of last Sunday’s sermon, Jeffress told the congregation he was uncertain about what the church would do over the next week. He announced that they would cancel evening service and weekday gatherings. But whether to meet the following Sunday—this Sunday—was still being evaluated.
Early this week, the city of Dallas closed down bars and restaurants, except for to-go orders, and told theaters to close. On Monday, Trump suggested keeping gatherings to 10 people or fewer. Soon the virus was detected in all 50 states, and the number of positive tests and deaths looked like they were mirroring the early growth in Italy, where they’re now seeing more than 600 coronavirus deaths a day.
All of these factors played a role in the church’s deliberations. By the time I talked to Jeffress on Thursday, he said he had made its decision for Sunday.
“This will be the first time in the 152-year history of First Baptist Church of Dallas that we will not meet,” he told me.
Sunday, he will stand on stage alone in the sanctuary, with a minimal camera and light crew. He’ll preach to an audience he cannot see and cannot hear. If people are moved by what he says, he won’t know it, at least not immediately. That’s the church’s policy going forward: no plans to resume live services. This is the new normal.
“It’s very eerie,” he told me. “But I think we have a responsibility not only for the safety of our members, but for the citizens of Dallas to do our part in trying to keep our city safe.”
Source: politico.com
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