In the Gospel of Luke, the Bible tells us about a paralyzed man who sought to see Jesus but couldn’t get to him because of the crowds. His friends found a way, by cutting a hole in the roof and letting him down on his bed by ropes, so that he could find healing. Similarly, in this time of the coronavirus pandemic, evangelical Christians should join with other Americans in holding the ropes for those who are in danger of serious illness or death. That includes urging people to get vaccinated.

Both of us in recent weeks have hosted webinars with our friend and fellow Christian Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, answering every possible question we could imagine regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. We did so because we know that, according to surveys, roughly a quarter of the public are reluctant to be vaccinated. Many of the reasons given are fear of possible side effects, lack of trust in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, or concerns about the newness of the vaccines.

Read the full article at The Washington Post.

Russell Moore

Russell Moore is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission — the moral and public policy entity — of the Southern Baptist Convention. Moore served as provost and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also taught theology and ethics. He is the author of several books. Moore earned a B.S. in political science and history from the University of Southern Mississippi, an M.Div. in biblical studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Walter Kim

Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as a campus chaplain at Yale University. He preaches, writes and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day. He regularly teaches in conferences and classrooms; addresses faith concerns with elected officials and public institutions; and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief and consults with a wide range of organizations. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.