[Desk Column] The Church Must Set an Example First

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] Following Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Sarang Jeil Church, and the missionary organization InterCP, a large-scale COVID-19 cluster infection has occurred even at unauthorized educational facilities operated by IM Mission. The third wave of COVID-19, which had momentarily slowed down, is now threatening various aspects of our daily lives again, including hospitals, workplaces, gaming centers, and sports facilities, following the IM Mission cluster infections. Ultimately, the government announced on the 31st of last month that "the social distancing level and quarantine standards will be extended as they are for two weeks until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday."

As Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, the world's largest single church, recently stated, there have been no confirmed cases within large churches. However, there is no excuse for some churches that do not follow quarantine guidelines and are being criticized. Churches, which should set an example, are failing to do so.

As the COVID-19 situation prolongs, trust in Korean churches has significantly declined. According to the "General Public Evaluation Survey on Government COVID-19 Quarantine Measures" released on the 29th of last month by the pastoral data research institute, 21% of respondents said they "trust very much or somewhat" in Korean churches. In contrast, 76% responded that they "do not trust much or at all," showing a large gap. Among Protestants, 70% expressed trust, but among non-Protestants, only 9% did, showing a stark difference.

According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 21st of last month regarding sources of COVID-19 infections, 11% of confirmed cases originated from churches. However, when the pastoral data research institute asked survey participants what percentage of COVID-19 cases they thought were church-related infections, the average response was about 44% of total infections. This indicates that the public perceives church-related infections as exaggerated, which can be interpreted as a deep mistrust toward churches.

How did it come to this? During the COVID-19 crisis, the Protestant community, unlike the Catholic or Buddhist communities, failed to respond swiftly under a unified guideline. Moreover, some religious figures such as Jeon Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church exhibited irrational behavior, and some churches even insisted on holding in-person gatherings. They cite Article 20 of the Constitution, which states "All citizens shall enjoy freedom of religion." However, the private interest of "freedom of religion and the principle of fairness" cannot be considered superior to the public interest of "concerns over a massive COVID-19 outbreak."

According to the "Survey Report on Establishing a New Ecosystem and Future Strategy for the Korean Church in the COVID-19 Era" released by the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Hapdong) on the 18th of last month, among 600 surveyed pastors (senior and assistant pastors), 55.4% predicted that the number of church members would decrease after the end of COVID-19. The most common expected decrease rate was 20-30%, at 37.0%.

If COVID-19 continues to spread through churches at this critical juncture, and if churches do not practice love for neighbors and respect for life while neighbors are engulfed in COVID-19 fear, it is an act that fails to distinguish the essence of faith from collective self-centeredness. A church that ignores the safety of neighbors and insists only on its own form of faith is not a community that follows the biblical teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself." Trust can only be restored when the church first sets an example of love for life.