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.
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.