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.