Fomites & Faith: A Distinction Without a Difference (Through Eyes of Faith?)

A POLITICIAN WHO ALWAYS ASKS FOR DONATIONS TELLS A PREACHER TO STOP TAKING UP COLLECTIONS BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC AND SCIENCE?

First observation, derived from the discipline of economics: in pandemic, for many, discretionary income, that quantum of financial resources above that which is required for subsistence, has been reduced. Politicians know this, but the operative definition of a politician is to get on a ballot, ask for votes and ask for money. A person of faith now has reduced discretionary income, may not even be coming to worship in person, and, if he or she does, the pastor is not taking up a collection, but he or she is guaranteed to get an email from their favorite politician to remind them of a critical and approaching deadline to meet his or her target for the quarter. Test: who is gonna collect that discretionary income?

Second observation: The overwhelming majority of my adult life was spent as an atheist, in part, because, by nature, I tend to be more analytical, and focus upon evidence-based decisions, and have a lot of math nerd and science geek acquaintances. In intelligence, we have a term, "need to know", and, if you are a Bible thumping believer, you need to know in a pandemic that the scientists telling you to jump through hoops, as an operative guiding rule, proceed from the basic presumption that you are woefully ignorant, and will resist that predisposition even in the face of clear and convincing evidence, just based upon your acceptance of faith. And, most math and science types enjoy collecting evidence to validate their conclusions, and you closed your church to avoid death from a less than five percent infectious pathogen, and then chose, voluntarily, to refrain from collecting offerings.

Third observation: Growing up in the black church, we had an offertory plea that said to give not of necessity, nor grudgingly, but as the Spirit of God moves in your heart, so let every man give. And, on one of my last visits to Harlem, while waiting in the lobby to visit the pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church, I happened to spot what appeared to be an ATM machine. Now, most folks arriving at church, especially black church, tend to be rushed and often late; and if you actually believe they are gonna stop at the ATM in church to have money for the offering, you ain't really black. And, I was waiting to see the pastor for such a long time, watching folks just walk by the ATM machine, I decided to think about hitting brunch, and decided to make a withdrawal, when I discovered that the machine was actually a deposit box to permit folks to give money to the church, as the Spirit of God moved in their hearts. And, if you believe that church folks, heading out of church and passing an ATM machine, while they are more concerned about not being late for their brunch reservation, or missing the ball game, you obviously don't know that church folks are a mess.