feature section | responding to covid-19
::
christianunion.org
The community played a key role in stopping transmission of Ebola, and, in the United States, the community practicing social distancing has definitely flattened the curve [with Covid-19]. We are doing better than those terrible projections, the worst projections, and I think it is because of that social distancing. One of the biggest lessons with Ebola was that you have to work together with the comHow does a medical munity and with healthcare, doctor end up teaching and we need to support each a class on C.S. Lewis at other and go out of our way to Brown University? do more than our fair share. I absolutely love this course. Unfortunately, in the middle of It has been a total blast. We have difficulty, the devil loves to three sections going with about cause division, hatred, and an65 students. I consider it a litger, [especially] in communities tle bit of a miracle, a little bit where there is suffering and of the work of the Holy Spirit, people are focusing on blame that we could have a course like and hate. There is a spiritual this at Brown. It is amazing. aspect. It is not just all political Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica I remember thinking, and social. Spiritual warfare is At Brown University, Dr. Flanigan teaches a popular seminar on the “Wouldn’t it be great if students real, and we have to look toworks of CS Lewis. at Brown could read The Space wards Christ, and not give in Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis?” That to [division]. Some people resuffering. As the curve is being flattened, series strikes me as quite the antidote for ally give in to it and all they want to do is we now need to walk our way backwards. our modern secular humanism. I wondered talk about recrimination and blame and if it was possible. I got some advice from anger, and stoke the fires of hate. a faculty member [about submitting an How has the pandemic impacted application for a course]. I did, and they students at Brown, especially Do you think we are doing a accepted it. Christian students? good job in the United States, On my first day walking to the first We are social beings. We love to be with of containing the coronavirus? class, I thought to myself, “What am I each other, and we love to share our space I think we are. The curve has been flatdoing? I don’t know who’s going to want with each other, and we love to pray with tened in so many places. Look at New York, to take it, and I don’t know how this is each other. We know that Jesus asked us by far and away, the epicenter. It was absogoing to go.” I walked into the class—and to pray with each other. It is hard to do lutely hammered, just terrible how the virus the typical seminar is maxed out at 18 to that by Zoom. You can, and that is good, just swept in with massive community 20 students—and there were about 28 but our hearts are nurtured when we are transmission. And the projected death toll students, some sitting on the floor. I said, with each other and we share our friendship was so much lower than it could have been. “This is shocking. If you think it is shockwith each other, and share that friendship They have flattened the curve and have ing that I want to teach a course on C.S. in our faith. turned the corner. It is a beautiful thing. Lewis, it’s even much more shocking that This is a hard, challenging time. Now Flattening the curve does not mean we
battle for the soul of the subject. Junior Devil is “delirious with joy” over the start of the war. Screwtape tells him not to get carried away, that there are times when war may be a great thing because fear and anxiety can play into their roles. [But Screwtape says] it works the other way, too, in that the Enemy [the Enemy being God] can, all of a sudden, take somebody who has never During the pandemic, considered that the Enemy [God] there have been several Credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel might be real, available to him, social media posts and The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University and calling him—he can realize articles that quoted C.S. that is the case—and they will Lewis in regards to his have lost their subject forever. writings about life during World little the war is featured. Screwtape is Screwtape tells Junior Devil, that War II and the threat of an tempting his subjects during World War although the world’s drama is real and atomic bomb. What do you think II. He is in London, the blitz is going on, present, not to lose sight of the fact that it Lewis would say to us today? there are all sorts of disaster and calamity, is not the real battle. | cu When you read The Screwtape Letters, and yet it is a very small part of The Screwone of the things that is interesting is how tape Letters. Of course, the real battle is the you all are here and interested in taking this course.” The students really love talking about C.S. Lewis and faith, and their questions about faith. The students lead the discussions. That is what this is all about. It is not about C.S. Lewis; it’s about giving them the opportunity to talk about faith.
::
christian union
where there are great challenges, there are also great opportunities. So the Holy Spirit will be present in ways that we do not know. There is terrible suffering with this, but God will take something like a great calamity and work in ways that we do not anticipate or know. We are a people of hope, and this, too, will pass. We need to support each other through it, and really be closer to our Lord in that way, [We need to] realize our Lord is present. Even in great suffering, our Lord is always present.
2020
12
are going to stop the virus from spreading. Our social distancing, our mitigation, is to flatten the curve so that everybody does not get infected at once. Community transmission will still occur. So it is just to slow it down, not to stop it. This virus is here, it is going to come back, and it is going to come back according to its timing, not ours. It’s a new reality, so we need to adapt and we need to change…but there will still be significant difficulties and pain and
spring
the magazine
What can we learn from the Ebola crisis about containing viruses?
13
