People of faith have long believed that tribulation can serve some sort of good. In the age of coronavirus, that good could be a new spiritual revival, in which people turn to religion for comfort and peace during a time of uncertainty.
Those in the United States who are already religious have said that the coronavirus pandemic has deepened their faiths, even though churches have been unable to meet and in-person fellowship has been limited. Many scholars predict that this trend will ebb outward and affect those who might not currently consider themselves religious too.
“This pandemic is making everyone acutely aware of the fragility of life,” Greg Sterling, the dean of Yale Divinity School, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We all know attendance had been falling in churches before, but people are spiritual, and I think the need to connect to God may be greater after this is over.”
Is it any wonder why? The coronavirus has forced us to confront the one thing many spend their entire lives avoiding: life’s fragility. And then, there are the many human costs that have accompanied COVID-19: an economic collapse, social and physical losses, and dozens of new regulations that seem bent on keeping us apart. In other words, the outlets many people might look to for relief and comfort simply are no longer an option. So, they’re turning to God.
Religious leaders across the country have confirmed that interest and involvement in services have increased despite the regulations keeping houses of worship from opening. Rev. Rachel Cornwell, the senior pastor of Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Maryland, said virtual attendance and engagement in midweek classes have been higher during the shutdown than it was before the coronavirus.
“People were saying things like, ‘I’m engaged in church more now than I was,'” Cornwell told U.S. News & World Report. “They said it felt more intimate because ministers are speaking from their homes or doing meditations from various places. People feel like they’re being let into their lives.”
The question now is whether that rise in interest will become a long-term commitment. That is, after all, what faith is all about.
