1/5 I have explained why we are not taking a legalistic approach to the question of masks and distancing in our worship services, but since people are still asking, here's a digest:

2/5 The biblical prescription for showing love to the brethren puts the priority on _koinonia_ (fellowship and association—community, brotherhood, communion, intimacy, social intercourse), not masks and distance barriers. Rom. 16:16; 2 Cor. 13:12; etc.

3/5 People who want to practice social distancing have ample space on our campus to do so. Many choose not to, and they prefer to gather without masks and distance barriers.

We see it as a Rom. 14 disputable matter.

4/5 It’s uncharitable to accuse fellow believers of not caring whether people die just because (by common agreement) they gather for worship without masks. It's equally uncharitable to scold a Christian who opts for a mask for conscience's sake.

5/5 So we decline to go beyond Scripture and make a rule or enforce a guideline (that isn't consistently enforced by the health dept.) as a condition of worship. "Let each be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5).