There’s one very important thing missing in The Discourse about how churches are doing Easter right now: the problem isn’t just the people who defy stay at home orders to go to church.

The problem is the entire evangelical system that has taught them from the beginning that being physically in a specific building on Sunday is the most important thing. Thousands of people truly believing that they’re going to hell if they miss church.

Sure, be angry at the people who are going to go & then get other people sick. But be angrier at the institution that tells them that keeping their neighbors safe means endangering their own souls.

Be angrier at the institution that preaches “love thy neighbor” & then in the same breath “as long as it doesn’t inconvenience you too much or get in the way of you still doing exactly what we tell you”

Be angrier at the men in power who are willing to risk the lives of whole communities for that Easter coin. (Gee, this story sounds familiar.)

Yes, I would love to break social distancing to shake every churchgoing person by the shoulders tomorrow & ask them what the hell they were thinking. But I also want to hold them & tell them that there is a better way that might even be a little closer to Jesus.