'It's a very, very difficult line to walk': Theology professor urges more places of worship to talk about COVID-19 vaccinations
With New Brunswick's fourth wave of COVID-19 putting a focus on places of worship, a professor of theology is disappointed more churches haven't led proactive discussions about vaccines and vaccinations.
David Deane, a professor at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, says segments of the community who don't trust the state or authority, are less likely to be vaccinated. Deane says this can include members of the religious community, but certainly not all.
"Churchgoers, on the whole, are more likely to be vaccinated than non-churchgoers," says Deane. "More middle-class Christians are vaccinated than the population at large, so the church is the place where these two diverse communities come into contact."
While some congregations have questioned and discouraged vaccines behind closed doors, Deane says it's a topic that should be addressed openly in the church.
"It really should be a place, I think, for building trust and maybe overcoming these obstacles that people have to being vaccinated," he says. "I don't think churches, by and large, are doing that. I don't really see many churches around that have hosted these types of conversations."
One exception would be a church in Quispamsis, N.B., which hosted a public podcast on the topic of vaccines and vaccinations this week. Kings Church Pastor Brent Ingersoll was joined by two physicians (who are members of the congregation) on the podcast.
"We're a large church and we've got folks that are still wrestling through whether or not they want to get vaccinated and they don't know what information to trust," says Ingersoll. "We're not trying to villainize anyone. It's not pro-vax or anti-vax, although both the physicians and myself on the podcast are all vaccinated."
Dean says the Kings Church should be commended for taking a step most other places of worship haven't.
"I think it's a brave thing to do, I think it's a positive thing to do," he says. "These conversations need to be happening within communities, between people who trust each other, between people who love each another.
Deane says public health officials can only do so much, adding religious leaders may be the only people to connect with some vaccine skeptics.
"It's a very, very difficult line to walk. But I think churches need to take the lead on that because we as a society are failing miserably to bring the people who are out in the cold, in from the cold."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.