COVID-19 Pandemic: Information and response

Faraday Churches is here to help you and your church understand the science of COVID-19 and think about how you can process and respond to the impact of the pandemic on all of our lives. We have identified reliable sources of information that can help you learn more and stay up to date. Alongside news and links to more general scientific information and advice, some specifically Christian resources will help you think through the theological issues and continue to worship and grow in faith during this difficult time.

 

News

Vaccine information

Articles: Should Christians Get Vaccinated?

Article: Prof John Wyatt, Coronavirus vaccines and Christian ethics

Article: Ethical distribution? The Global Church’s Mission for the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

Article (pdf): Can we trust the COVID-19 vaccines? 

Video (2.5 min): Church leaders encourage vaccination

Video (2 min): How vaccines work against COVID-19: Science, Simplified

Videos (4 min): How does vaccination work?

Video (6 min): What The COVID Vaccine Does To Your Body

Webinar (recorded): The Evangelical Alliance hosts a number of experts who discuss the ethical issues around the vaccine, with further recommended resources.

Video: The COVID-19 Vaccines: A Conversation with Dr Francis Collins, US NIH Director and Christian

Article: Despite the ethical challenges, most still concede to using old cell lines in life-saving drugs.

How to spot fake science

 

COVID and Creation Care

It is fairly clear that COVID-19 is not a ‘natural disaster’. The most plausible explanation is that a virus from the horseshoe bat found its way into the human population, possibly via another animal. This is not an isolated incident. Transfer of viruses from animals to humans is occurring with increasing frequency. This has political, environmental and theological implications. Christians are called upon to tend and keep creation, as well as caring for each other. But both greed and poverty are causing people to destroy natural habitats, bringing human populations and their livestock into closer contact with other species, and making virus transfer much more likely to happen. Explore a Christian response to this issue with theologian and environmentalist Ruth Valerio and Gideon Heugh.

 

Resources

A Christian Response

Further articles from Faraday Churches on mental health, prayer, suffering and lament, and more

Lecture and articles from The Faraday Institute

Theological resources from Tearfund, including Bible study and prayer

Resources from Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science, Durham (click COVID-19 in the scientific issues menu)

The latest news, information and prayer from the Evangelical Alliance

Revd Dr Roger Abbott & Prof Bob White, What Good is God? Crises, faith and resilience (Lion Hudson), £9.99, 208 pages.

Article: Coronavirus vaccines and Christian ethics

A framework for response: details assessment of challenges and opportunities from the World Council of Churches

Purpose in Pandemics – free video series exploring the purpose of the church during a pandemic. Looks at the science of pandemics and the church’s response to them throughout history.

 

General information

Video: A basic introduction: what the COVID-19 virus is, how it is spread and how to prevent transmission.

Video: What is a virus?

Article: What’s the difference between viruses and bacteria?

Info: The origin of the COVID-19 virus is probably linked to ecosystem degradation.

Article: Not all viruses are harmful: meet the friendly viruses.

Info: NHS advice on treating coronavirus symptoms at home, and self-isolation.

Info: UK government advice and support.

Info: Advice from the WHO, including mythbusters and Q&A, regularly updated, with downloadable infographics.

Light relief: ‘Can you save the world?’ COVID game.

 

Want more detail? Sources of up-to-date and clearly explained science

Regular updates from the COVID symptom study of over 4.3 million people in the UK, by King’s College London.

The Science Media Centre – the sources your journalists are (hopefully) reading.

 

Faraday Churches COVID response resource section

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