The impact of the coronavirus
pandemic during the Christian Holy Week in 2020 brought up the contentious
relationship between church and state in at least the United States. Some of
the American governments banned any in-person worship services even on the
festival of Easter, while other governments merely discouraged such gatherings.
Most churches had already stopped their weekly services, but a few outliers
insisted even on having large gatherings on Easter Sunday. Those clerics tended
to view themselves as defending their faith as if in an epic battle against a
tyrannical state. I contend that such clerics were over-reacting—acting as if
they were fighting a battle in which martyrdom might be required. The sheer
entrenchment was excessive. Next, I provide some background on the Christian
position on government authority, after which I will look at two cases.
The full essay is at "Defying the State as Anti-Christian."
