Elephant Room

Do you feel at times ill-equipped to engage controversial ethical and theological questions? Do you struggle with the strong contrasting views of others? If this describes you then join Pastor Will and Pastor Josh in the Elephant Room. Our topic of discussion in this next session is "Engaging Civil Disobedience Through a Biblical Lens." We will meet downtown Phoenix at Kahvi Coffee Saturday, June 3rd. The start time will be 8 am. Please sign-up on our website so we can have an accurate headcount for our meeting, as we look forward to seeing you there!

Assignment: The year is 2026, and it's been a year since a new pandemic started because of a domestic outbreak of a new virus. A new vaccine has been created and mandated for every US citizen to take. The mandate states that if a person is not vaccinated, they cannot gather at any public place such as concerts, restaurants, gyms, and church. The mandate also states that if an establishment, business, or church knowingly allows patrons to gather without checking vaccination status; the government will close down the building. This mandate has caused a rift to happen at your church. More than half of the congregants are hesitant or refuse to take the vaccine but feel the government shouldn't prevent the church from gathering together. You are part of a leadership team that has the pleasant opportunity to decide how to move forward. Be prepared to give the reasons for your decision to either submit to the government mandate or oppose it. As you prepare by reading scripture, commentary, and other resources: please consider and answer the following within your conclusion.

• How will your decision affect the unity of the church?
• How does your decision impact the church's witness to the world?
• How could your decision influence future generations positively and negatively?