So
I just made it onto NPR's "The National Conversation" tonight. 5/27/20.
Not my best sound byte, but I'm grateful they even wanted to talk to
me.
You can hear it here, starting at 30:53.
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My emails with NPR
Hi Mia,
Thanks for your message! I am going to try to call you now, but if for some reason we don't connect, here are my thoughts. (I express myself much better when I write than when I speak.)
I also want to thank you and your colleagues at NPR for "The National Conversation." It has been the single most helpful resource for me as we have moved through this pandemic, not only providing us with information but a sense of community and hope.
May God protect and provide for you all.
Sincerely,
Beth Bilynskyj
2961 Timberline
Eugene, OR 97405
(541)744-9343
__________________
How has my religious experience has changed?
1) I have become even more aware of the Bible's teaching about relationships, and what it means to be the church.
a) The church is not a building. It is the Body of Christ, those who participate in Him and so relate to God, other people, and creation. Therefore, the church never closed, so talking about "reopening" it makes no sense. We are united through the Holy Spirit.
b) It's become harder for me to understand how my brothers and sisters in Christ can think and act in ways that put themselves before the good of others. This has led to some intense conversations on social media, where I point out that Scripture nowhere talks about the rights of individuals. Instead, it talks constantly about the common good, sacrifice and preferring others in love. Paul warns us not to use our freedom to seek our own good at the expense of others, but to serve one another, and seek the good of everyone.
2) I miss physically worshiping together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I especially miss singing in the choir, but it's not worth risking the lives of my neighbors to do so.
Insofar as we Christians believe in Christ's incarnation, in person worship is important. However, I agree with Frances Collins, head of the NIH, when he says that as Christians "we have to have as our No. 1 priority that we are going to care for the sick and the vulnerable. I cannot see, therefore, that it's justifiable to bring large numbers of people together even in the name of worship, because of the risk it carries."
What we do to the least of these--the elderly, the physically vulnerable, the young, those who are suffering economically--we do to Christ. I do not honor Him when my worship threatens or harms my neighbors.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 10:59 AM 05/26/2020, you wrote:
You can hear it here,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My emails with NPR
Hi Mia,
Thanks for your message! I am going to try to call you now, but if for some reason we don't connect, here are my thoughts. (I express myself much better when I write than when I speak.)
I also want to thank you and your colleagues at NPR for "The National Conversation." It has been the single most helpful resource for me as we have moved through this pandemic, not only providing us with information but a sense of community and hope.
May God protect and provide for you all.
Sincerely,
Beth Bilynskyj
2961 Timberline
Eugene, OR 97405
(541)744-9343
__________________
How has my religious experience has changed?
1) I have become even more aware of the Bible's teaching about relationships, and what it means to be the church.
a) The church is not a building. It is the Body of Christ, those who participate in Him and so relate to God, other people, and creation. Therefore, the church never closed, so talking about "reopening" it makes no sense. We are united through the Holy Spirit.
b) It's become harder for me to understand how my brothers and sisters in Christ can think and act in ways that put themselves before the good of others. This has led to some intense conversations on social media, where I point out that Scripture nowhere talks about the rights of individuals. Instead, it talks constantly about the common good, sacrifice and preferring others in love. Paul warns us not to use our freedom to seek our own good at the expense of others, but to serve one another, and seek the good of everyone.
2) I miss physically worshiping together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I especially miss singing in the choir, but it's not worth risking the lives of my neighbors to do so.
Insofar as we Christians believe in Christ's incarnation, in person worship is important. However, I agree with Frances Collins, head of the NIH, when he says that as Christians "we have to have as our No. 1 priority that we are going to care for the sick and the vulnerable. I cannot see, therefore, that it's justifiable to bring large numbers of people together even in the name of worship, because of the risk it carries."
What we do to the least of these--the elderly, the physically vulnerable, the young, those who are suffering economically--we do to Christ. I do not honor Him when my worship threatens or harms my neighbors.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 10:59 AM 05/26/2020, you wrote:
Hi Beth,
I hope you're doing well. My name is Mia Venkat, I am a producer for NPR's The National Conversation. I received your pandemic question, and although I'm not sure if we will be able to answer it on our show I wanted to ask if you were willing to chat with me about how your religious experience has changed because of the pandemic. We're going to have a segment on our show tomorrow about people's experiences practicing their faith in this time, community, and any questions they might have for the religious leaders. If you have a chance, please give me a call at 571-271-8988. I've included your question/experience that you submitted:
I miss singing in our church choir, but I understand that singing is as dangerous as coughing or sneezing. If we wore masks, and practiced social distancing, would our choir be able to safely resume singing?
I miss being able to worship and sing together at church. But having lost my brother in St. Louis to C-19 in early April, I am not willing to risk my life, or anyone else's, by resisting our governor's decisions. My support of her has caused friction with some friends in other churches. Though we are all Christians, sometimes it seems like we have different gospels. Theirs is modernist, exalting individualism and "liberty," whereas premodernists like me see relationships as essential for personhood, and so have a keen sense of the common good. Alasdair MacIntyre speaks of insommensurability. It is becoming harder and harder to find the places where our perspectives and values overlap.
| Mia Venkat | All Things Considered | 202.513.3120 | 1111 North Capitol, NE, Washington, DC 20002
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