'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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.