The Uptown theater in downtown Napa remains closed to the public on May 8, 2020. Today, businesses in Napa County were permitted to reopen for curbside pickup. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
In summary
I do not want to give up the training I have started at my church because this is a major consideration in “getting back to normal.”
By Larry Cox
No way can society give up these activities just because they might make some people sick. No way do I want to give up the training I have started at my church. This is a major consideration in “getting back to normal” and deserves more attention.
Justin Hughes has a point, but he leaves something out of his analysis: Some churches offer training for their parishioners. I’m not talking about church schools for children. I’m talking about training programs for adult parishioners.
In my church training programs are done in classrooms. We learn to do spiritual counseling. This often involves direct contact with another person.
My local church has had to close its doors, not because it is a church, but because it is designed to deliver training that it currently cannot deliver while following social distancing guidelines.
In this case, we are more similar to universities than we are to what some people think of as churches. I know my church is not unique in this regard.
This commentary moves the discussion over into the field of education and educational institutions. Some subjects can be taught remotely. But performing arts, athletics, emergency response, counseling and various therapies require people to practice together in close proximity.
No way can society give up these activities just because they might make some people sick. No way do I want to give up the training I have started at my church. This is a major consideration in “getting back to normal” and deserves more attention.
Under COVID-19 guidelines, what about churches with training programs?
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In summary
I do not want to give up the training I have started at my church because this is a major consideration in “getting back to normal.”
By Larry Cox
No way can society give up these activities just because they might make some people sick. No way do I want to give up the training I have started at my church. This is a major consideration in “getting back to normal” and deserves more attention.
Re “Churches, cinemas and the politics of COVID-19“; Commentary, June 12, 2020
Justin Hughes has a point, but he leaves something out of his analysis: Some churches offer training for their parishioners. I’m not talking about church schools for children. I’m talking about training programs for adult parishioners.
In my church training programs are done in classrooms. We learn to do spiritual counseling. This often involves direct contact with another person.
My local church has had to close its doors, not because it is a church, but because it is designed to deliver training that it currently cannot deliver while following social distancing guidelines.
In this case, we are more similar to universities than we are to what some people think of as churches. I know my church is not unique in this regard.
This commentary moves the discussion over into the field of education and educational institutions. Some subjects can be taught remotely. But performing arts, athletics, emergency response, counseling and various therapies require people to practice together in close proximity.
No way can society give up these activities just because they might make some people sick. No way do I want to give up the training I have started at my church. This is a major consideration in “getting back to normal” and deserves more attention.
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