Items
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Evangelicalism
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2020-06-03
The Survival of an LGBTQ+ Community in the Bible Belt During the Age of Covid-19
Deep in the Ozark Mountains lies the small resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This community relies heavily on tourism, shopping, and the many natural spas erupting from within the Ozarks. This community is also home to a thriving LGBTQ+ community in the heart of the Conservative Bible Belt. As Covid quickly enveloped Arkansas and restrictions were placed on activity, Eureka Springs and the LGBTQ+ crowd suffered. While there is a strong Queer population in Eureka Springs, the area is home to a strong evangelical crowd. This article details how the LGBTQ+ community took greeter precautions to protect against Covid, while the Evangelical crowd largely disregarded the pandemic entirely. Covid truly resurfaced a tremendous divide amongst the population of Eureka Springs which had, for the most part, been stable. The nature of pandemic regulations and the adherence or neglect of these regulations spilled over into the greater conflict between Evangelicals and the LGBTQ+ community, an occurrence that would otherwise be non-existent without the presence of Covid-19. This article highlights that while Covid seems to have the primary grip over our lives at the moment, we must be conscious of the impact Covid can have on other areas of life, deep-seeded conflict, and the general safety of vulnerable groups. -
2020-04-06
Evangelical missionaries, COVID-19, and the rationalizing of infection
Excerpt from the article: "One talking point that commonly arises in evangelical subculture is that “there is no safer place to be than in the center of God’s will.” If God needs you not to have coronavirus, in other words, you won’t get it; and why would God want people to get coronavirus in church after all? Following the same principle, if God wants you to preach to uncontacted peoples, God will make a way. You don’t need to worry about diseases; if the people you’re trying to convert die, that will turn out to have been God’s will."