Based on interviews with leaders of 26 Christian churches, this paper examines the different responses that religious leaders took when discussing COVID-19 with their congregations and making health safety decisions. Boniuk Institute researcher Brenton Kalinowski highlights three ways in which leaders framed their approach to conversations and decisions:
- by explaining their COVID-19 responses in terms of science and medicine;
- by emphasizing the compatibility of science and religion and that following the science is the proper Christian response;
- by framing COVID-19 responses as being outside the bounds of biblical knowledge.
Kalinowski also discusses the pressures that motivated these specific responses, such as preferences of members and the fear of being perceived as taking a political stance.
While previous studies have considered the adaptations made by religious organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper examines the different pressures and motivations that shaped the responses leaders took to address health safety concerns. While this work has clear implications for understanding the decision-making process or religious organizations during COVID-19, it also provides a better understanding of how organizations respond to politically contentious scientific and medical issues more broadly.