In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they reflect on the four years that have passed since the U.S. declared a national emergency in response to COVID. The pandemic upended our lives and our world, and four years later its effects are still being felt.
Episode Links
Julie Bosman wrote an article in the New York Times titled, “Four Years On, Covid Has Reshaped Life for Many Americans.” While some found joy in things like home schooling, working from home and the slower pace of life we were all forced into, others are still mourning the loss of loved ones or still harboring feelings of anger toward the divisiveness the pandemic left in its wake.
The pandemic had a profound effect on the church as well. Two years into the pandemic Dr. White wrote a blog titled “Add Pastors to the Great Resignation,” following the departure of many pastors who felt they could not win no matter what decision they made for their church: masks or no masks, pro-vaccines or anti-vaccines, open or closed to in-person services, etc. He wrote another blog titled, “Five Ways the Pandemic Is Saving the Church,” noting how beneficial it has been for the church to be forced to go outside of its four walls and move online - a place where younger generations are easier to reach.
In Dr. White's book Meet Generation Z, he wrote about how this generation is the first to grow up in a truly post-Christian world. A Gallup poll found that 56% of Americans “seldom” or “never” attend a religious service. And an article in the Wall Street Journal noted how Gen Z became increasingly disillusioned as a result of the pandemic. Therefore, the church must respond by reaching these digital natives where they are - online. This was the heart of Dr. White's book Hybrid Church, which you can find HERE.
For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.
