I hate to have to write this, but it appears to be necessary. Why are believers reluctant to wear masks? A friend of mine in a very small church said that when they started to meet again, half were strongly in favor of wearing the mask (per state order), and the other half were strongly opposed.

I believe it’s a very simple “care about the other person” issue. The New Testament is filled with counsel along those lines. For example,

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15.1, 2, ESV)

There’s a fellow in our church that has a weakened immune system and was wearing a mask and giving fist bumps long before COVID. By any definition, he is “weaker.” June just talked with a “strong” believer this week: “I believe in Psalm 91.” Look it up – it’s the protection Psalm. “He will deliver you from the deadly pestilence,” is in there. June responded, “I’m a huge fan of Psalm 91; I pray it every time I fly. But I’m also a nurse…”

The obligation of the “strong” believer in God’s protection is to wear a mask to honor the weaker believer – after all, the purpose of the mask in these COVID times is not to protect yourself as much as to protect the other person.

I’m pleased that some pastors aren’t afraid to say the same thing. My friend John Ed Mathison of Montgomery, AL, the state whose motto is, “We dare defend our rights,” wrote about masks, and here’s some of what he said:

One issue is about wearing masks. I will wear one at appropriate times to communicate that I care about other people…One of the best ways to help contain the spread of COVID-19 is for everybody to try to help take care of each other. We are better together! Whether something is mandated, suggested, or proposed, I need to seriously consider participating. If it’s going to save the life of one person or keep one person from contracting the coronavirus, it’s worth any kind of inconvenience on my part…If we try to curtail COVID-19 by practicing “I, Me, Mine,” our society will fall apart and the virus will continue to spread. The best decisions are based on The Golden Rule: “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” (Matthew 7:12 MSG) – John Ed Mathison, August 12, 2020.

A local pastor in Colorado Springs, whom I don’t know, has been preaching a series of COVID-related sermons. David Ramsey, writing in the Colorado Springs Gazette, said this about Pastor Ed White of Eastside Church of Christ:

Early in the summer, [Pastor White] examined the question, “To Mask or Not to Mask.” White dislikes wearing a mask, which causes his glasses to fog and leaves him looking, borrowing his word, “goofy.” Yet he believes a Christian should wear a mask in public as a statement of care to fellow woman and man. David Ramsey, Gazette

Again, scripture is clear:

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [or of mask-wearing or not mask-wearing!] but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14.13 – 17, ESV)