(ChurchLeaders) As the United States heads into its third wave of coronavirus case spikes, caution seems to be less of a priority as the public’s patience wears thin. Frustration at lingering government-directed restrictions is playing out in churches as well. Along with the alarming rates of infection we’re witnessing, the number of Americans who think churches should defy shut down orders is on the rise as well.
“The number who want their congregation to defy potential state orders to close due to the coronavirus has grown – 56 percent did not want their congregation to defy such an order in March, but that shrunk to 39 percent by October,” write the authors of a study titled “Church Defiance to COVID-19 Restrictions is Growing”. Paul A. Djupe and Ryan P. Burge continue, “From a different angle, support for the government asking congregations to stop meeting in person slipped from March to October, going from 66 to 56 percent.”