Jonathan Edwards, The Great Awakener Who Lost It All For The Glory of God

Introduction

Jonathan Edwards is one of the most recognized and revered names not only in American history, but also in church history. He was the “greatest theologian and philosopher of British American Puritanism, stimulator of the religious revival known as the “Great Awakening,” and one of the forerunners of the age of Protestant missionary expansion in the 19th century.” He is best known for his writings, as well as his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” However, most people know little else about him. It seems to be the natural assumption that successful people like Jonathan Edwards live a carefree life and ride off into the sunset. When it came to Edwards, nothing could be further from the truth. 

The great works that Edwards is remembered for aren’t his most noble achievements. Many times it is the things that people endure that don’t make the headlines that reveal the most about who they really are. The trials that Edwards went through prove that not only was he a brilliant theologian, but also a man of Godly character. 

Context

There has been much ink devoted to the sermons and works of Jonathan Edwards. Although this paper references those works as a point of contrast, the central focus is on the hardships of Edwards and the Godly character that they reveal. This paper will zero in on Edwards in the valley, as opposed to the mountain top. 

The scope of this paper isn’t a complete biographical sketch of Edward’s life. Rather, it presents a more detailed look at a series of events that took place from October of 1747 until his death in March of 1758, at the age of 54. 

Main Body 

Imagine a sermon so powerful, that the man preaching it is interrupted with “great moaning and crying out throughout the whole house: what Shall I do to be Saved - oh

I am going to Hell - of what shall I do for Christ?”, a sermon so anointed by God that it sparks the Great Awakening and transforms a nation. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" was such a sermon, and Jonathan Edwards the preacher. There was no amplification or special effects, no air conditioning or modern comforts, there was only the preacher reading his pre-written sermon word for word in a monotone voice. 

    Edwards first preached this sermon to his congregation in Northampton, Massachusetts in the year 1741, seemingly to no effect. However, he preached it again in Enfield Connecticut on July 8, 1741, where he could not even finish the sermon because the people's response was so intense. When the sermon was published and sent out, it also had the same reviving effect upon all that read it, and thus became a key factor in the Great Awakening. Ian Murry writes, "As spring passed into summer 1741 no one could well keep track of the number of places which were also witnessing the revival. Churches, which in some cases had been cold and dry at the beginning of the year, were transformed before the end. “It is astonishing,” wrote Edwards, “to see the alteration that there is in some towns, where before there was but little appearance of religion."     

It's impossible to overstate the impact that this “sermon of unparalleled logic and vivacious imagery” had on America. In a day with no cameras, smart phones, social media, or round the clock news channels, this sermon turned America upside down. It's also amazing that almost 280 years later when we do have all of these things, that the sermon is still popular. As of the writing of this paper, there have been almost half a million people that have gone to Youtube in order to hear someone else read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" straight off a page! This sermon has also been downloaded from SermonAudio.com over 250,000 times!  As Edwards was writing this sermon, there is simply no way that he could've had any idea how God would use it. He was perhaps more surprised than anyone at the people's reaction. 

So, what ever happened to this Great Awakener? Surely after preaching the most famous sermon since the time of the Apostles, Edwards would live a life of peace and prosperity, enjoying the favor of both God and man until he rode off into his happily ever after. However, such was not the case. 

Edwards troubles really began in October of 1747 when his would-be Son-in-law, David Brainerd, died of Tuberculosis in Edward’s home. Brainerd had been ill for several months, but had taken a turn for the worst in September. Edward’s daughter, Jerusha, risked her own health in order to care for Brainerd. As a result of her selflessness, she too contracted Tuberculosis and died four months later in February of 1748. Edwards officiated both the funerals of Brainerd and his 17 year old daughter. Edwards loved both of them dearly. He even had them buried side by side, although they were not married. Edwards would also go on to write, The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, in order to honor Brainerd and his mission work with the Delaware Indians. Needless to say that Edwards was devastated by their death. 

 During this time it was also clear that Edward’s church was beginning to turn against him. Just days prior to Jerusha's death, her sister Sally wrote in reference to the relationship between Edwards and the church, "They have never maintained him in any measure." She went on to say that she hoped that Edwards would "leave his people if a convenient opportunity presents itself.". The congregation's attitude toward the Great Awakener simply boggles the mind, especially at a time when he needed them the most. Later that same year, Edwards wrote, "I am the subject of an afflictive dispensation as of late." However, he also stated that God was teaching him, "how to sympathize with the afflicted." 

 By 1750, the tension in the church had reached a boiling point. The last straw was when Edwards attempted to change their open communion policy to the Biblical model of a closed communion that would only allow for those with a credible profession of faith to partake. The church would not hear of it. The male members voted him out by a vote of 230-23. After 23 years of service to this Northampton congregation, the Great Awakener was voted out by a 90% margin.

 He preached his farewell sermon on July 1, 1750. He was compassionate, but as one might expect, he spoke his mind. Any Pastor who has ever experienced church hurt can relate to Edwards having "doubts about whether he had the personal skills to be a pastor." It's also understandable that he was worried about how to care for his family now that he had lost his income. 

 Unfortunately, things only got worse. The church owned the property behind Edwards house, and they had such a disdain for him that they would not even allow him to plant crops in order to feed his family. And although Edwards had some different preaching and pastoring opportunities, many of them were overseas and he didn't feel led to move his family across the ocean. Instead, Edwards chose to move his family into the New England wilderness in order to become a missionary to the Mahican Indians in the same way that Brainerd had years before. 

For several years the Yale Valedictorian taught less than a dozen Indian children at a mission school/church in the frontier town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. His large family was crammed into the small mission house and his salary was barely enough to keep them all fed. Not to mention the constant battle with the mission’s leadership and funding issues. To make matters worse, there was constant tension between the Indians and white settlers. Violence and abductions were not uncommon. 

In the summer of 1754, Edwards fell terribly ill. For over a year he intermittently battled with a combination of extreme fatigue, nausea, fever and weight loss. He finally began to get his strength back in August of 1755. However, George Marsden records a terrifying event that took place on the first Sunday that Edwards was back in the pulpit. This story gives us a glimpse into the circumstances and times in which Edwards and his family lived and ministered. Marsden writes; 

           “On Sunday, September i, the first Sunday Edwards was back in the pulpit after the first round of his illness, the town was suddenly overtaken by terror and panic. Between the meetings, a man came rushing into town to report that he had just come upon a Canadian Indian who was abducting an English child from an outlying home. The Indian, seeing that he was pursued, tomahawked the child and escaped. The horrified Englishman returned to the house to find a servant and an infant dead, while the father and two other children were cowering before another Indian, who promptly fled. An hour later the Indians killed another man on the outskirts of the town.” 

It’s no wonder that even a spiritual giant such as Edwards dealt with bouts of melancholy from time to time. Parker writes, “Edwards had suffered his own mild melancholy, or depressions, over the state of his soul and seemed characteristically to work his way out of them through a rational program of keeping to his religious and working routine.”

Imagine being the famous preacher of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", and having pastored a church of 1,300 people for 23 years. Now, think of losing all of that because the church and the town turned their back on you at your lowest point and now you are living in exile and teaching a handful of Indian children at mission school. As a Pastor, I think that I could handle going from a mission school to a congregation of 1,300. But the other way around, I'm not so sure about that. The Great Awakener in exile, what a humbling thought. Noel Piper brings out the irony of this situation. She writes;

            “There succeeded to that vacant office in the wild woods, one whose name is not only highly honored throughout this land, but better known and more honored abroad, perhaps, than that of any of our countrymen except Washington. As a preacher, a philosopher, and a person of devoted piety he is unsurpassed. . . . But . . . after a most successful ministry of more than 20 years, a controversy had arisen between him and his people, and they had thrust him out from them rudely and almost in disgrace. The subsequent adoption of his views, not only at Northampton but throughout the churches of New England, has abundantly vindicated his position in that lamentable controversy.”

For eight long years the Edwards endured the hardness of mission life on the frontier. Despite poverty, isolation, sickness and the ever present threat of violence, they never wavered. It has well been said that one cannot really know a person until they have been seen in their darkest hour. When Edwards and his family were cut with the knife of despair, they bled Christ and His great salvation. Edwards himself did what he had always done, even during his years in Northampton. He kept preaching, writing and praising God. When he wasn’t at his desk studying (some estimate that he studied for 13 hours per day) he enjoyed walks into the wilderness where he would spend time with God in prayer. 

If the story had ended here in the wilderness of Stockbridge, some might get the idea that Edwards and his family had been abandoned by God. However, God's sovereign hand was at work even in exile. It was during this time of reduced responsibility that Edwards wrote his greatest works. Among other things, he finished Freedom of the Will, and The Nature of True Virtue. In fact, Edwards barely finished the manuscript for The Nature of True Virtue before his death. It had to be published posthumously. These two works are credited with holding off humanism and liberalism in the church for almost 200 years. In this way, these works had an impact of equal importance to "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." God removed his choice servant into the wilderness in order to accomplish His will. 

 In January of 1758, Edwards was called away from exile in order to take the prestigious position of president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton). However, he died unexpectedly just two months later when he had an adverse reaction to the smallpox vaccine. It's almost as if God wanted to put His stamp of approval on Edwards life just before He took him home. Today, Jonathan Edwards is remembered as one of the greatest theologians in history, but it came at a great price. 

The lesson to be learned here is that when Edwards was on top of the religious world, he was in the will of God. And when he was seemingly forgotten in the wilderness, he was in the will of God. The trials that he went through revealed his true Christian character. Edwards wasn’t simply an ivory tower theologian. He was a great Christian man. He was a great example of a Christian husband, father and servant. The eight years that he was a missionary in the wilderness prove that he didn’t feel any kind of Christian service to be beneath him. 

Conclusion

The Christian character and example of the life of Jonathan Edwards presents us with both a great challenge and great hope. The challenge is to always be who we claim to be. Time and trials will reveal the truth. The hope that we find in his testimony is, whether we pastor at a large church, or have a mission work in the jungles of nowhere, God can use us. It's not about talent, it's about placement. God is keeping a record, and our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Remember that revival and salvation are God's business. The first time Edwards preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", nothing happened. We must continue to carry out the great commission, preaching that we are great sinners but that Christ is a great Savior. Remind people that there is a Heaven to gain and a hell to shun. As Edwards said in his famous sermon, "Some make gods of their pleasures; some choose Mammon for their god; some make gods of their own supposed excellencies, or the outward advantages they have above their neighbors: some choose one thing for their god, and others another. But men can be happy in no other God but the God of Israel: he is the only fountain of happiness.”

In closing, I have always been convinced that two of the greatest indicators of a person’s true character are; how they respond to adversity, and how their immediate family responds to them. It is possible for someone to fool many of the people in their life. However, it’s impossible to fool one’s immediate family forever. They know the real person. Being a pastor, I meet a lot of new people. When I am trying to get to know someone I pay a lot of attention to how their spouse and children look at them, and how they respond to them. The vast majority of the time this turns out to be a great indicator of a person’s character. We have seen how Edwards responded to adversity, but what did his family think of him? They were there with him during the ups and downs. They saw him at his best and his worst. Of all the compliments that Edwards received, perhaps there was no greater thing said about him than what his wife Sarah wrote in a letter to their daughter, Lucy, upon his death.  

“My Very Dear Child, What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. Oh that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths. The Lord has done it. He has made me adore His goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and He has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be. Your ever affectionate mother, Sarah Edwards.” 

May we strive to live a life in which our conscience is void of offence toward both God and man. Let us also look to the example of faithful Christian men and women like Jonathan Edwards as an encouragement for us to do the same. 

Edwards, Jonathan, letter to John Eskrine, October 14, 1748, Works, 16: 265. (As Cited by Marsden) 

Edwards, Jonathan, Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God, preached in Enfield Connecticut on July 8, 1741

Edwards, Sarah, a letter to Elihu Spencer, February 10, 1748, (as cited by Marsden) 

Edwards, Sarah, letter to daughter, Lucy, April 3, 1758, (as cited in The Works of Jonathan Edwards,” Banner of Truth, Vol. 1, p.clxxix.

Marsden, George, Jonathan Edwards; A Life, (Yale University Press, 2003)

Medlicott, Alexander Jr. "In the Wake of Mr. Edwards's 'Most Awakening' Sermon", Early American Literature 15.3 (1980/81)

Murray, Iain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1987)

Parker, Gail Thane, "Jonathan Edwards wards and Melancholy," New England Quarterly 41 (June 1968)

Piper, Noel,  A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards, ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004)

Shafer, T.A. "Jonathan Edwards." Encyclopedia Britannica, March 18, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jonathan-Edwards.

Turley, Stephen Richard, 2008. “Awakened to the Holy: ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ in Ritualized Context.” Christianity and Literature 57 (4)

     Imagine a sermon so powerful, that the man preaching it is interrupted with shouts of "Lord forgive me!" and "What must I do to be saved? I don't want to go to hell!", a sermon so anointed by God that it sparks a great awakening and transforms a nation. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" was such a sermon, and Jonathan Edwards the preacher. There was no amplification or special effects, no air conditioning or modern comforts, there was only the preacher reading his pre-written sermon word for word in a monotone voice. 

    Edwards first preached this sermon to his congregation in Northhampton, Massachusetts in the year 1741, seemingly to no effect. However, he preached it again in Enfield Connecticut on July 8, 1741, where he could not even finish the sermon because the people's response was so intense. When the sermon was published and sent out, it also had the same reviving effect upon all that read, and thus became a key factor in the Great Awakening. Ian Murry Write

Is God In Control of Our Death?

     April 27th, 2011 started out like a normal, sunny Spring day across the Southeastern United States. However, this was not a normal day. In fact, this day would go down in history for the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded in the US. As far as ten days prior to the storms, meteorologists locally and abroad had been ranting and raving about numbers that were "off the charts" and a potential "powder keg" of a storm system. By the time that the storms cleared it was obvious that their doomsday prophecy was correct. In total, 216 tornadoes touched down across the deep south, killing 348 people and causing billions in damages. 

    My in-laws lived in the small town of Smithville, Mississippi at the time, just off of highway 25 North. At approximately 4 pm local news sources began warning Smithville residents of a monster tornado that was on the ground and headed straight for the town. My in-laws lived in a single wide trailer, so they made immediate preparations to take shelter next door in the church where my father-in-law (Johnny) is the pastor. 

                                (Smithville, Mississippi Tornado, April 27th, 2011)

    Everyone in the trailer made it into the safety of the church building that was made out of 8-inch concrete block, everyone except for Johnny. He stayed behind for just a few minutes longer in an attempt to grab some of the valuables. All of the sudden he heard a not so distant roar, followed by a loud pop and a loss of power. He hurried out the front door but by the time he reached the porch it was too late. The trailer and the front porch went flying into the air like Autumn leaves on a windy day. He was thrown to the ground next to his Dodge Ram truck. As he lay on the ground doing his best to cover his face, the church was knocked down like a house of cards and his truck was thrown a quarter of a mile away as if was a hot wheels car. 

    The EF-5 beast roared up highway 25 through Smithville travelling at over 60 mph. When it finally exited the town, pretty much all that was left was the vault at the local bank. My in laws had lost everything but the clothes on their back. The church was obliterated, cars destroyed and the trailer vanished as if it never existed. In fact, the next day someone in Pulaski, Tennessee found some of their wedding pictures and other personal belongings in their yard (Pulaski is over 125 miles away from Smithville). However, they miraculously survived, with the worst injury being a broken leg from the church roof falling on my mother-in-law. 

    Two things immediately flood my mind when I think about this event in the life of my in-laws. First, I wonder what the survival rate is for someone who gets hit head on by an EF-5 tornado while out in the open like Johnny did. To stress how incredible this is, I need to briefly mention a side story that took place a few days after the tornado. Johnny was standing in a meal line at the salvation army tent that had been set up. As he was standing in line he overheard some volunteers that had come from out of state talking with one of the SA field nurses. They told her that they were from Michigan, not far from the Canadian border and had never seen the destruction that comes with a tornado of this magnitude. They asked the nurse what someone should do if they are caught in the path of an EF-5 tornado and are unable to get underground. In a matter of fact fashion, the nurse replied, "You need to find a sharpie marker and write your name on your chest so that we can identify whatever is left of your body." It goes without saying that Johnny survived impossible odds.  

                                  (The remains of Victory Baptist church, Smithville, Mississippi)

    The second thing about this event that blows my mind is when Johnny's outcome is compared with that of his immediate neighbors. Sadly, his neighbors to the immediate South and East were all killed instantly. The amazing thing is that they had done everything right and stilled died. They had taken shelter in a small room in the center of their red brick homes just like the experts recommend.  

    The only immediate neighbors to survive were just to the north. They were two teenage girls, sisters who were at home alone because their parents were at work. Just like Johnny, they had also made some major mistakes when it comes to tornado survival 101. They had hunkered down in the southwest corner of the house, which is typically the direction that a tornado will come from. The entire house was ripped to the foundation, except for the one small section of corner that they were in. After seeing the destruction for myself, I never would have given anyone in that house a chance of survival. I spoke with their father a couple of days after the storm and he pointed to the small 4x4 section of corner that was left and told me that's where his daughters survived with only a few minor scratches. Had I not heard the story out of his own mouth I would have never believed it. 

    So what are we to do with this information? Those that did everything right perished, while those that did everything wrong survived without hardly a scratch. Are we to conclude that it was mere chance that Johnny and the girls survived these absolutely impossible odds, because I can assure the reader that the military could have dropped a MOAB on Smithville and not done any more damage than that EF-5 tornado did on that day. Is it safe to assume that Johnny and the girls are just better people and deserved to live more than the neighbors that died? Absolutely not, according to Scripture we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). It's also clear that "there is none righteous, no not one." (Romans 3:10). Our best works are literally a stench in the nostrils of God. The truth is that we all deserve hell and anything north of that is nothing but grace and mercy. 

                       (An Arial view of the Smithville tornado damage, courtesy of the AP)

    So, if this scenario can't be marked up to chance or merit, then what can we conclude? The answer can be summed up in two words, God's timing. To validate this conclusion we must go to the Scriptures, for we must never measure Scripture by our life experiences, we must measure our experiences by the Scripture. Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment." The key word in this verse is "appointed", as in an appointed time. Someone might say that this appointment applies simply to death in general for every person and not an appointed time, but when we compare Scripture with Scripture we find that this answer doesn't hold up. In reference to man, Job 14:5 says, "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass." God has determined the number of man's days. He has also appointed bounds that man cannot pass. Even in Job's own life, he was spared because God commanded Satan that he could not take his life. Think about how many times that God spared men and women from deserved death; Adam & Eve, Cain, Lot and his daughters, Balaam on his donkey, the list could go on and on. One also needs to look no further than the Apostle's and their horrible deaths to see that many times God does not spare even His choice servants. Our death is ultimately up to God and His timing. 

    At first glance, this might seem a little uncomfortable. However, when given some thought it is a source of great comfort. For not only is God in control of the time of our death, He is in control of the means of our death. There is no tragedy that God couldn't stop, nor any evil that He could not prevent. This is not an excuse to be ignorant and tempt God, but it is of immense comfort because it takes all of the pressure off of us. It means that when tragedy strikes our family, no matter what form it may come, that we don't have to beat ourselves up with the "what if's and "if only's". There are health nuts that die young of a heart attack and obese people who live a long life. There are some smokers who never get cancer, and others who've never touched a cigarette who do. There are babies who die in the womb and murderers who die old. There are people who do everything right in a tornado and perish, while others do everything wrong and still live unscathed. 

    The unanswered question remains, "why"? I would never sit in the place of God and attempt to answer that question. I simply don't know why some die tragically or suffer long while others do not. The comforting thing is that we will not stay in this world one second more, nor leave this world one second sooner than God has planned for us to. Even if we can't see the purpose for tragedy in this life, it will all someone how bring God glory in eternity. We just haven't seen the other side of the curtain yet. In this way there is no such thing as purposeless suffering or meaningless tragedy. God is sovereign and we can trust Him. 

    The most import thing is that we be ready for death. That can only be possible if you repent and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust His finished work on the cross for sin. For the child of God, death is nothing but an escort home. Would you call on Him today? "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 

 

"Stonewall" Jackson and Covid-19

     Imagine being an 18 year old Southern boy in the summer of 1861. Tensions between the North and South have been mounting for months as the two sides prepare to go to war. To a young man wanting to prove his manhood and fight for his cause, the thought of war almost sounds exciting. However, on July 21, 1861 all of those fantasies would vanish at Manassas, Virginia. 

    The Confederates would look up to see over 35,000 Union troops marching their way, shaking the very ground with every step. As the shots began to fly, soldiers began to fall in death all around. The Union soldiers were now within a stones throw, and as they were about to charge, panic began to spread among these green confederate soldiers. They were just about to run for the hills and give up their flank when they looked up to see a man on horseback just sitting there as if he were enjoying a nice Spring day when everything is coming into bloom. Who is this man? Does he realize that certain death is staring him in the face? To their shock, they realized that it is their commanding officer, Thomas Jackson. 

    History tells of how Thomas Jackson's bravery so emboldened his men that not only did they not retreat, but actually charged the enemy and won a major victory at this First Battle of Bull Run. This is where Jackson earned his famous nickname of "Stonewall". General Bee is credited with saying, "There he sits like a stone wall." 

    So, where did Jackson get so much courage from? How could he sit there on horseback and not even flinch as shots whizzed past his head? The answer is simple, Jackson was a firm believer in the sovereignty of God. He had the mindset that the power of life and death is in the hand of the Lord. As the famous evangelist George Whitefield said, "man is immortal till his work is done (though God alone defines the work), and get on with what you know to be God’s task for you here and now.” Jackson, in one of his most famous quotes said, "My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me." (Stonewall Jackson's speech to Captain John D. Imboden (July 24, 1861) as quoted in John Selby "Stonewall Jackson As Military Commander" (p. 25), 1968.) 

    Jackson was eventually killed in the war. However, his death was the result of complications due to friendly fire. The enemy never did kill General "Stonewall" Jackson. Listen to the peaceful description of Jackson's deathbed demeanor , "Presently a smile of ineffable sweetness spread itself over his pale face, and he said quietly, and with an expression, as if of relief, 'Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.' (McGuire, Dr. Hunter. "Death of Stonewall Jackson". Southern Historical Society Papers 14 (1886). P 162-163.)  Biographer, Robert Lewis Dabney also stated, "It was the fear of God which made him so fearless of all else." Dabney, Robert L. "True Courage: A Memorial Sermon for General Thomas J. "Stone-wall Jackson" 

    Fast forward to 2020. We find ourselves facing another danger known as Covid-19. Is it serious, yes. Has is killed people, yes. Although now that the numbers are out, we know that the death rate is almost nil for everyone except the elderly and the immune compromised. Yet, the Christian response as a whole seems to be one of crippling fear, as so many are buying in to this "lockdown mentality". The question is, what are we so afraid of? Even if the death rate were much higher, are we really that afraid of Heaven? As if God isn't in control of how and when we leave this world. Can you imagine dying of Covid and hearing God say, "well, I wished you had locked yourself in your room so you wouldn't have gotten Covid. I had so much more that I wanted you to do." 

    The worst part of all is that the Christian community seems to have bought into the idea that masks and lockdowns are "loving your neighbor". But is it really? People are dying alone at hospitals, businesses are going under, people can't pay their bills because their livelihood has been taken away, people are forced to demean their humanity with social distancing and masks, many churches have stopped meeting, Christian volunteers can no longer minister in prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters, etc. At what point do we say enough is enough? 

    Could it be that many Christians are afraid of what the world will think about them if they aren't compliant? It's never been the job of the church to get the world to like us. Does anyone think that when this is all over that the world will like us because we chose to wear paper masks and shut down our churches? As John MacArthur said, "It's not the church's job to keep people from getting the flu, it's the church's job to keep people out of hell." 

    History never remembers those who simply go along to get along. History remembers those with courage and integrity. People are scared and looking for answers. They need to see a courageous love in us. We need some "Stonewalls" in our day who won't panic simply because we are told that we should. At some point we must decide that relationships are worth the risks. My family and I have all had the virus, I can promise you that it was no fun. But even before I got the virus, I didn't expect or want anyone to social distance from me, or to wear a mask around me (for my sake anyway). Yes, take steps to protect the most vulnerable. For everyone else, the most loving thing that we can do is get back to living life. If we stop living for fear of losing life, then we have already lost it.