An Indian Christian doctor sees COVID-19’s silver linings
/A refreshing look at how the Church should be
While so many Western Christians battle over pandemic politics (not to mention too much of anything else deemed ‘political’), an unlikely blueprint for how the church should be is emerging in, of all places, India.
According to the president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Johnrose Austin Jayalal, the pandemic has stirred the church to action.
The Christian doctor has observed churches supporting members suffering from poverty, church hospitals serving the community at large, and fellow Christian physicians volunteering to serve in some of the places hardest hit by the coronavirus.
“I am able to see, even amid persecution, even amid difficulties, even amid the control by the government, even among the restrictions we face in openly proclaiming the message of love, by various means and ways, Christianity is growing,” he said in a recent interview with Morgan Lee of Christianity Today.
While in western countries those of lower socioeconomic status have borne the brunt of the disease, the opposite has been happening in India. The mortality rate has in fact been less among the poor and underprivileged.
Image: Illustration by Mallory Rentsch / Source Images: Yawar Nazir / Stringer / Getty Images
“People here have already been exposed to various kinds of other diseases, and their immunity was built up,” Dr. Jayalal explained.
Even during lock-downs, the doctor senses growth within Christians as individuals and within the Church as a whole.
“I personally think that during this time, people have prayed and worshiped more than ever,” he explained.
The good doctor had a great answer when asked about the idea that to ‘be a serious Christian, you need to be a pastor or a minister or work in a church.’
“The opportunity in front of every Christian is splendid,” he replied. “It is not solely the responsibility of the pastor; it is that every Christian who is born again and who has experienced the love and affection of God Almighty will respond to the calling to go and preach the good news of love.”
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A version of this article first appeared on ChristianityToday.com on March 30, 2021. Used by permission of Christianity Today, Carol Stream, IL 60188
