Playing God: Pandemic Brings Moral Dilemmas to US Hospitals

Two Christian bioethicists on life or death issues that American doctors may soon face.

Medical professionals across the US are preparing COVID-19 units in a suspenseful quiet, while others in places like New York are already overwhelmed with patients. The city has ordered hospitals to increase capacity by 50 percent, and they are looking at ways to use temporary facilities, including a recently arrived Navy hospital ship, hastily built field hospitals, and even hotels.

In the midst of all this, doctors and nurses are preparing to face agonizing ethical decisions as their Italian counterparts have already in recent weeks. According to some estimates, the number of projected coronavirus patients needing ventilation in the US could reach anywhere between 1.4 and 31 patients per available ventilator.

There are three main ethical concerns that medical professionals are now facing, according to the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity: protecting the vulnerable by not overwhelming health care systems, allocating insufficient medical supplies, and keeping medical workers safe who lack the proper protective equipment against the virus. The questions are very real: Who should receive medical care when there aren’t enough resources to go around?

Two ethicists aiding US medical workers with these dilemmas are Carol L. Powers, a lawyer and the co-founder and chair of the Community Ethics Committee out of Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics in Boston; and David Stevens, a physician and CEO emeritus of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations in Bristol, Tennessee who spent 11 years on the front lines of the HIV/AIDS and malaria epidemics in Africa.

CT spoke to Powers and Stevens about how Christians should approach issues of life or death.

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A Year of Suffering and Soul-Searching in Sutherland Springs

How does a God-fearing, gun-friendly church recover from a horrific mass shooting? Long after the camera crews departed, a Texas journalist stuck around to find out.

Frank Pomeroy, pastor at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, was away for the weekend when he received a text message alerting him that a gunman had just attacked the church during Sunday worship. Among the dead was his own daughter, Annabelle.

“By noon,” as Texas journalist Joe Holley writes in his new book recounting the massacre and its aftermath, “Frank was in his truck barreling down I-35, every mile a rolling kaleidoscope of memories … [He] began to separate out the feelings of pain and desperation that threatened him from the practical steps he knew he had to take in the next few hours, the next several days.”

Holley, columnist for the Houston Chronicle and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his columns on Texas gun culture, was at a book signing when he learned about the shooting. Driving home afterwards, he heard all the terrible details on the radio: “A Baptist church. Multiple deaths. Sutherland Springs.”

Soon enough, a clearer picture of the carnage—and an outline of the trials to come—was emerging: “Twenty-five friends and loved ones had lost their lives … A pastor who knew and cared about those broken people needed to preach their funerals. Twenty of their friends and loved ones were in area hospitals, some still fighting for their lives; they needed visiting and their families needed consoling.”

When Holley saw the exit for I-35 he began driving toward the small town. He would spend the next year of his life there, remaining long after most reporters had left. The resulting book, Sutherland Springs: God, Guns, and Hope in a Texas Town, paints a picture of tragedy, despair, faith, and resilience. But Holley also shows the systemic …

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Descobri na Itália o Poder de Três Tipos de Oração

Salmos de lamento pareciam exagerados antes do COVID-19. Mas, em meio a 10.700 mortes, minha igreja em quarentena em Roma se identifica mais do que nunca com Davi.

[READ IN ENGLISH] [LEGGI IN ITALIANO]

A pandemia do COVID-19 mudou a maneira como os cristãos italianos oram e vivem sua fé, numa nação que chora a morte de mais de 10.700 pessoas – o maior número de mortes no mundo – entre 97.600 casos confirmados, perdendo apenas para os Estados Unidos [em 29 de março].

Durante a quarentena não podemos mais nos reunir aos domingos ou mesmo socialmente em pequenos grupos. Viagens e casamentos foram suspensos, assim como a maioria dos estabelecimentos comerciais. Se alguém for pego fora de casa sem um motivo contundente, estará sujeito a uma multa pesada.

Mas esta temporada de afastamento nos ajudou a descobrir três facetas da oração que nós facilmente negligenciamos em tempos de abundância.

1) Orações de Lamento

Salmos de lamento pareciam exagerados há um mês atrás. Por exemplo, a queixa de Asafe de que Deus fez seu povo “beber copos de lágrimas” poderia parecer um pouco exagerada; O clamor de Davi a Deus perguntando “até quando esconderás de mim o teu rosto?” era uma realidade distante.

Mas, à medida que as nações lutam para conter uma pandemia que causa medo e ansiedade, o lamento parece ser bastante apropriado para todos nós. Em março de 2020, o Salmo 44 parece perfeito:

Desperta, Senhor! Por que dormes?
Levanta-te! Não nos rejeites para sempre.
Por que escondes o teu rosto e esqueces
o nosso sofrimento e a nossa aflição?
Fomos humilhados até o pó;
nossos corpos se apegam ao chão.
Levanta-te! Socorre-nos!
Resgata-nos por causa …

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In Italia, Ho Riscoperto la Potenza di Tre Tipi di Preghiera

Prima del COVID-19 i Salmi di lamento sembravano come eccessivi. Ma con ormai 10,000 morti la mia chiesa a Roma, chiusa dal blocco totale, vive più che mai gli stessi lamenti di Davide.

[READ IN ENGLISH]

La pandemia del COVID-19 ha cambiato il modo in cui i cristiani italiani pregano e vivono la loro fede, in una nazione che è sconvolta dai più di 10,000 morti — il numero più alto al mondo — e dai più di 92,400 casi confermati (seconda solo dopo gli Stati Uniti).

Durante questo periodo di isolamento non è più possibile riunirci la domenica o nei gruppi settimanali. Uscite, viaggi e matrimoni sono sospesi, così come la maggior parte delle attività. Se si viene trovati fuori casa senza una valida ragione si rischia una multa pesante.

Ma questa stagione di esilio ci ha aiutato a scoprire tre aspetti della preghiera che spesso trascuriamo in momenti di abbondanza.

1) Preghiere di Lamento

Fino a un mese fa i salmi di lamento sembravano spesso come un’esagerazione. Per esempio, la protesta di Asaf che Dio aveva “dato da bere lacrime in abbondanza” al suo popolo poteva sembrare eccessivamente drammatica; il grido di Davide a Dio “Fino a quando nasconderai il tuo volto?” sembrava un sentimento lontano.

Ma mentre l’umanità sta lottando per contenere una pandemia che genera paura e ansietà, il lamento sembra avere una nuova rilevanza per ognuno di noi. A marzo del 2020, il Salmo 44 sembra risuonare perfetto:

Risvegliati! Perché dormi, Signore?
Destati, non respingerci per sempre!
Perché nascondi il tuo volto
e ignori la nostra afflizione e la nostra oppressione?

Poiché l’anima nostra è abbattuta nella polvere;
il nostro corpo giace per terra.
Ergiti in nostro aiuto,
liberaci nella tua bontà.

Pochi cristiani occidentali hanno vissuto povertà, ingiustizia …

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In Italy, I’ve Rediscovered the Power of Three Types of Prayer

Psalms of lament felt hyperbolic before COVID-19. But amid 8,100 deaths, my locked-down church in Rome resonates with David more than ever.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how Italian Christians pray and live their faith, amid a nation reeling from more than 8,100 deaths—the highest tally in the world—among 80,500 confirmed cases (third only to China and the United States).

During lockdown, we can no longer gather on Sundays or in home groups. Social gatherings, travel, and weddings are suspended, as are most businesses. If someone is caught outside their home without a valid reason, there can be a heavy fine.

But this season of exile has helped us discover three facets of prayer we often neglect in times of abundance.

1) Prayers of Lament

Psalms of lament often felt hyperbolic a month ago. For example, Asaph’s complaint that God has made his people “drink tears by the bowlful” could seem overdramatic; David’s cry to God of “How long will you hide your face from me?” was a distant feeling.

But as humanity struggles to contain a fear- and anxiety-provoking pandemic, lament feels newly relevant to all of us. In March 2020, Psalm 44 now sounds pitch perfect:

Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?

We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.

Few Western Christians have experienced poverty, injustice, or persecution. Consequently, our worship usually reflects the moods of resourceful individuals in times of prosperity and peace: composed and mainstream. We do suffer individually; however, seldom is our corporate worship fueled by protest and mourning before God.

Lament is suffering turned into prayer. It’s the worship of people who feel out of …

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The Pandemic in Prison

You can’t lock it up without letting it loose.

The advice to slow and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus is by now familiar: Practice social distancing. Don’t congregate in large groups. And always, always wash your hands.

But what if you live with another person—or two or three—in a 6-by-8 foot cell, and you eat every meal in a cafeteria that seats dozens, and you have no soap?

That’s the situation facing around 1.5 million people in state and federal prisons in America and another 700,000 in local jails. As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, detention facilities risk becoming “superspreader” sites, rapidly overloading inmates’ medical resources. The United States has the largest prison population and highest known incarceration rate in the world, and incarcerated people are uniquely at risk in this pandemic.

As Christians, we are called to their aid. Jesus listed “proclaim[ing] freedom for the prisoners” among the Spirit’s purposes for his ministry (Luke 4:14-21), and he described care for those in prison as an identifying mark of his followers, connecting those imprisoned to himself (Matthew 25:31-46). Scripture is replete with stories of the wrongfully detained—Joseph, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and Christ, for a night—yet it never makes innocence a condition of our call to care. Rather, as in Hebrews 13:1-3, we are simply exhorted to “remember those in prison as if [we] were together with them in prison,” to treat them as we would hope to be treated were we, but for the grace of God, in their place.

Polling commissioned by Prison Fellowship finds Christians—and especially evangelicals—are more likely than most Americans to want “safe and humane” detention conditions. …

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Hospital Restrictions Bar Chaplains from Ministering Bedside

At a time when patients and staff are desperate for hope, many spiritual leaders must offer their solace from a distance.

As medical facilities restrict visitors and ration protective gear amid the coronavirus pandemic, more hospital chaplains have been forced to do their job at a distance, while ministering to an onslaught of weary patients, families, and health care staff.

“Due to supply shortages of masks, this means that isolation rooms may involve phone calls, notes, letters, a wave through the door rather than (a chaplain being) inside the room,” said Heidi Greider, manager of spiritual care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Though individual institutions ultimately determine their own policies, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention play a factor. CDC guidance issued in February urged facilities to limit visitors, and as the outbreak has worsened, hospitals with COVID-19 patients have continued to tighten restrictions, including on chaplains.

Tim Kinnersley, lead chaplain at Northside Hospital Cherokee in Canton, Georgia, just got word this week that his hospital put a hold on all in-person chaplain visits to reduce the number of potential carriers coming in and out of the facility.

His case is not an anomaly. Another chaplain recalled how over two weeks her hospital went from allowing any guests to only permitting visits in end-of-life situations. In some cases, even medical staff are limited to one or two per room when the patient is known to be infected.

As the pandemic spread, CT heard reports of chaplains losing access to facilities—hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and prisons—across the country, including in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida, Texas, and Kansas.

COVID-19 represents an unprecedented burden on the health care system and patients themselves, often isolated from …

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To Cancel or Not to Cancel: That Is the Question

A statement from the leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals and Christianity Today.

A Critical Question

To cancel or not to cancel? That is the Shakespearean question confronting churches today. It is not a question of mere expediency. The gathered worship service is central to the church’s identity, and therefore, cancellation seems to trample on more than tradition. It can feel like a threat to the church’s existence.

Government officials, medical experts, and civic leaders have all asked citizens to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus by practicing physical distancing. According to leading experts, churches are one of the top places of community spread. Why? Christians shake hands, embrace one another, and kiss cheeks. Some are liturgically directed to drink from a common cup; others pass the peace with a warm touch. Our bodies do naturally what our souls do supernaturally. We connect. And we do so intergenerationally.

What are churches to do?

Our mandate as Christians to obey governing authorities (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–17) is a good reason for churches to cancel worship services. But there are other Biblical principles that help us embrace this difficult decision.

Canceling in-person worship services is not the same as canceling worship. Christians should never stop worshiping, because God is worthy of all our praise. Those in the persecuted church have long worshiped God without buildings, because they know that church is not primarily a place but a people. And technology now gives us unprecedented options. This does not mean, of course, that place is unimportant. God himself authorized the building of a temple that would serve as a place where his name would dwell. Even with that decree, however, at the dedication of the temple, Solomon humbly acknowledged that God cannot …

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The Motherly Love of a Wrathful God

Our perceptions of an angry, Old Testament deity are distorted.

I did not always feel a certain loathing for this phrase. The church tradition in which I grew up emerged from the frontier revivals. One of the marks of good revival preachers lay in their skill of placing sinners in the hands of an angry God, often “the God of the Old Testament,” and then transferring them into the gracious and loving hands of “the God of the New Testament” revealed in Christ Jesus. This strong contrast was basic to my understanding of God throughout my youth.

Only in college and in pursuing work on a master’s degree in the Old Testament did I come to see that this contrast was a false construction at more than one level. In his posthumous collection Letters from the Earth, the theological provocateur Mark Twain hit the nail on the head when he observed that the God of the New Testament, who apparently invented hell, must be “a thousand billion times crueler than he ever was in the Old Testament.” Or how about G.K. Chesterton’s observation in The Everlasting Man that it’s difficult to mesh Jesus’ love and pity for Jerusalem with his dropping Bethsaida lower in the pit than Sodom?

But it was not just that Jesus was much harsher than the Sunday school flannelgraphs let on. On the other side, “the God of the Old Testament” proved more loving, gracious, forgiving, and compassionate than I had heard from the teachers and preachers of my youth.

God of Motherly Compassion

If we do not read the Old Testament, we miss a lot of good stuff, and not only the drinking, sex, and violence. We miss important theological material, words reflecting on the person and character of “the God of the Old Testament.” Our God.

One of the most important …

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Churches Reconsider Drive-In Worship

Faced with COVID-19 quarantines and new rules for social distancing, some pastors are serious about reviving the 1950s fad.

Drive-in church seemed like a joke. And then, in a moment, it didn’t anymore.

The idea was a novelty in the 1950s, promoted as the church of the future. But it’s time didn’t come, and never came, and then it was gone, and the whole thing seemed silly. There were still a few drive-in churches around, of course, but they were curiosities, fading roadside attractions, dingy and decaying outside of town, monuments to bygone Americana.

Nik Baumgart, the pastor of an Assemblies of God congregation in a suburb of Seattle, certainly never dreamed of having a drive-in church. He had thought of a lot of ways to reach people, grow his church, and meet the spiritual needs of his congregation, and honestly the idea of a drive-in church never came up.

But then the staff of The Grove Church in Marysville, Washington was having a meeting to try and figure out what to do in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, the church would have about 1,200 people gather in the sanctuary on a Sunday, but health officials were discouraging any groups over 50. There was talk of “social distancing,” requiring healthy but possibly infectious people to stay at least six feet away from each other, reducing human contact to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

But how do you have church with people more than six feet away from each other? A lot of groups were moving everything online. Was that what they should do?

Jon Rich, the administrative pastor, thought of something funny. “Maybe we should look into drive-in church,” he said, and the staff all laughed.

There was a beat. Then Baumgart said the sentence again: “Maybe we should look into drive-in church,” he said. It wasn’t funny this time. It was …

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