Many people are not following science and not adhering to important medical advice during the COVID-19 because some leaders encourage mistrust for the sake of their political careers. We see those followers on the news and in our own community – they're not wearing masks, not social distancing, and gathering in large, contagious groups. This is where we are in America. Science and reason are under attack.
During the coronavirus pandemic, these leaders have focused on defending a macho image of the American president, and they have put their nations at risk in two ways. Peter Glick PhD, Henry Merritt Wriston Professor in the Social Sciences at Lawrence University and a Senior Scientist with the Neuroleadership Institute, explains …
“First, the words and actions of public figures influence their followers through a phenomenon known as social modeling ... In the U.S., Trump's tweets have encouraged resistance to stay-at-home orders. When leaders fail to endorse safety precautions or actively mock them, fewer people take those precautions.
“The second way, indicated by my research with Jennifer Berdahl and Natalya Alonso, is that when leaders endorse hypermasculine norms, poor decisions and organizational dysfunction follow. In research with nearly 2,000 participants, we validated something called the masculinity contest culture scale, which asks subjects to agree or disagree with certain norms that assess whether organizational cultures reward toxic male behavior.”
(Peter Glick. “Why Some Male Leaders Won’t Follow COVID-19 Safety Protocol.” Scientific American. August 01, 2020.)
Trump's obvious resistance to science and his continuous encouragement for people to break away is evident in a partisan divide.
Pew Research found more Democrats (43%) than Republicans (27%) have “a great deal” of confidence in scientists – a difference of 16 percentage points. The gap between the two parties on this issue (including independents who identify with each party, respectively) was 11 percentage points in 2016 and has remained at least that large since.
There are also clear political divisions over the role of scientific experts in policy matters, with Democrats more likely to want experts involved and to trust their judgment. Most Democrats (73%) believe scientists should take an active role in scientific policy debates. By contrast, a majority of Republicans (56%) say scientists should focus on establishing sound scientific facts and stay out of such policy debates.
(Cary Funk, et al. “Trust and Mistrust in Americans’ Views of Scientific Experts.” Pew Research Center. August 03, 2019.
"It's a combination of leadership on the one hand, but even sometimes, when the leadership calls out for people to obey certain types of guidelines, they don't do it ... that is very frustrating. And that's the reason why we're seeing the burst of infections that we're seeing right now in our country.”
– Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984
Dr. John Ioannidis, the C.F. Rehnborg Chair in Disease Prevention at Stanford University, says …
“Even the word ‘science’ has been politicized. It’s very sad. In the current environment, scientific conclusions are used to shame, smear, and 'cancel' the opposite view. I think it’s very unfortunate to use science as a silencer of dissent … The average citizen is filtering COVID-19 debates through their belief systems, media sources, and political ideology, which can leave science at a disadvantage in the public square.”
(Christa Case Bryant and Story Hinckley. “In a polarized world, what does ‘follow the science’ mean?” Christian Science Monitor. August 12, 2020.)
Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian at Rice University, reported …
“Donald Trump is the most anti-science and anti-environment president we’ve ever had. The president’s actions have eroded one of the United States’s most enviable assets: the government’s deep scientific expertise, built over decades. It’s extraordinarily crazy and reckless.”
(Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer. “Trump’s Response to Virus Reflects a Long Disregard for Science.” The New York Times. October 07, 2020.)
In this uncertain and perilous time, it is all the more important to rely on the best scientific advice. Amid some churches’ ongoing defiance of state pandemic safety rules, a group of prominent evangelicals has signed on to a statement affirming their belief in science and calling on Christians to follow the advice of public health experts.
“A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times” expresses concern for the “politicization of science in the public square when so many lives are at stake.” Signers pledge to wear masks, get vaccinated and correct misinformation and conspiracy theories.
To date, the statement has been signed by over 7,000 Christians; among them are theologians N.T. Wright and Richard Mouw, and the presidents of several seminaries, including Mark Labberton of Fuller Theological Seminary and Michael Le Roy of Calvin University. Signatories also include Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and Lisa Sharon Harper, a popular writer and activist.
Here is a part of “A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times” ...
“We, the undersigned, join together as Christians who uphold the authority of God’s Word and see science as a tool to understand God’s world. We call on all Christians to follow the advice of public health experts and support scientists doing crucial biomedical research on COVID-19.
“We are deeply concerned about the polarization and politicization of science in the public square when so many lives are at stake. The word 'science' has become a weapon in the culture wars. Scientists are vilified and their findings ignored, while conspiracy theories go viral. Sadly, Christians seem just as susceptible to these trends. Thoughtful Christians may disagree on public policy in response to the coronavirus, but none of us should ignore clear scientific evidence.
“It is appropriate for Christians to be skeptical of claims made by scientists who speak outside their area of expertise. We firmly reject claims that science has somehow shown God does not exist or faith is mere superstition. Such claims go beyond what science is capable of investigating. We lament the times when science and medicine have been misused to perpetrate atrocities like the racist Tuskegee experiments. But Christians should listen to scientists and doctors when they speak in their area of expertise, especially when millions of lives are at stake.
“The Bible teaches that our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14). Thus, those doing biomedical research—whether they are Christians or not—are studying the very handiwork of God. Scientists are discovering truths about the virus, our bodies, treatments, and vaccines. As Christians, we know that all truth, including scientific truth, is ultimately from God.
“God can do miracles of healing, but God also uses doctors and scientists to bring healing. Before Jonas Salk discovered his vaccine, polio killed 350,000 people a year, most of them children. Christians in the biomedical sciences, like Dr. Francis Collins, see their work as continuing the healing ministry of Jesus (Matthew 15:30). Pursuing medical treatment is not a sign of weak faith in God, but a grateful acceptance of God’s gifts.”
Sign the petition and put your prayer into action at https://statement.biologos.org/. I did. God knows we need stronger commitment to science during this pandemic. Like it or not, we are at a political crossroads that requires all of us to make a decision: Will we support efforts of health officials to stop the spread of COVID-19 or will we follow blind resistance and continue to endanger the lives of our loved ones and all others?
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