One of the most widely used Bible websites in the world is the Bible Gateway. It gets millions of hits per month and serves as a tremendous barometer for the spiritual condition of people from around the globe. Around the first week of December, the team at Bible Gateway tabulates data on search times and Bible verses read during that year and publishes those results. ChristianityToday usually uses that report to write a story summarizing the last year in Bible reading and searching.
In 2020, the most read Bible verse was Isaiah 41:10, which reads:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
This makes perfect sense given that the entire globe was ravaged by COVID-19 throughout 2020 and millions of people lost their lives with tens of millions more falling ill. Everyone was a bit fearful at one point or another during those early days.
The Bible Gateway data from 2021 paints an ever-evolving picture of how Christians are thinking about COVID-19 and the vaccines that have rolled out over the last year. Their data indicates that the fastest growing search term in 2021 was for the word “sorcery.” In a similar vein, YouVersion’s data for Bible searches over the last year consistently included “mark of the beast” in the Top 30 most searched terms. The best way to explain the rise in queries around these topics is that people are searching for answers around the vaccine and if it is related to the End Times. More than just an issue of health, for many this has become an issue of eternal life—no small issue for a person of faith.
What Does The Bible Say About Vaccines?
All of this points to a simple fact - Christians all over the world are looking to their faith, and the Bible, to help them understand how to navigate these very difficult decisions. They are asking themselves if they should get vaccinated, when they should receive the vaccine, and which one is the most appropriate for a Christian to take. On top of that, many are thinking about whether they should defy company mandates over the vaccine and if they should remove their children from school if they are not vaccinated.
What Does My Pastor Say?
Data from the Pew Research Center released in October of 2020 tells us that many evangelical pastors are remaining silent on issues related to the vaccine. Among evangelicals, 21% said that their pastor had encouraged them to get vaccinated, while 4% said that their pastor had discouraged them from getting the shot. The vast majority of evangelicals (73%) said that they had never heard their pastor speak about the vaccine either way. For mainline protestants, 42% of pastors spoke in favor, just 1% opposed, while 54% were silent. Those numbers are very similar for Catholic priests as well.
However, when it comes to credible sources to trust related to the vaccine, respondents gave very high marks to members of their clergy at 61% with the only other highest source being physicians at 84%. Pastors were seen as significantly more trustworthy than elected officials and the news media. And this may be the reason so many pastors are silent on the issue because there’s strong evidence that if pastors speak on this issue, their congregations will listen.
The data reveals a few clear trends: First, people are searching for faith-based guidance on vaccines. Secondly, despite being a trusted source, many pastors are not providing further guidance or ways to think about the issue. But, finally, pastors would be trusted if they did speak on vaccines.
So, knowing that many congregations are incredibly divided on this topic, what is a pastor to do? Sermons may or may not be the best way to provide guidance. There may be other ways to create a safe, exploratory environment such as a Bible study that discusses issues related to medicine and theology, or opening an invitation for members of your church to email you and give you a phone call so that you can discuss the matter privately.
As ministry leaders seek to remain a relevant voice in the lives of their congregation, they must be willing to provide prayerful guidance even when the topic is contentious at a world-stage level. People are searching for answers - how can you, as a leader, provide a safe way for people to explore?