YOU CAN'T BE BOTH CHRISTIAN AND TRUMPIST:

One unfortunate side-effect of this global pandemic is racism. Rather than something like this bringing the world together to unite against a common enemy, it is easy to make some people the scapegoat; in this case, people of Asian descent.

True, the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, but the virus is not a discriminator of persons. Anyone could have it and anyone can transmit it. There have been documented cases (even captured on video and photos) of people spraying Febreeze on Asians in a New York subway to "disinfect" them; people posting memes (this even happened at my university) on social media of people making disgusted faces at Asians when they sneeze or cough; people avoiding Asian-owned businesses or restaurants; Dutch students wearing Chinese clothes and conical hats and pulling up the corners of their eyes, posing for a Instagram photo with a sign that read "Corona Time"; and the hashtag #kungflu trending; among many others.

"But for many people, having someone specific to blame, or an action specific to do, helps them make sense of this world or give them a sense of control, even if the fear is unwarranted or irrational.  [...]

Third, recognize the humanity of everyone.

Asians are just as scared of coronavirus as everyone else, just as many Muslims are fleeing the terrorism of ISIS. And Asians, like other people, need to be respected. We often hear of just the "big three"--blacks, women, and LGBTQ--and too often it feels like those get the most press while other groups don't get nearly the amount of representation or defenders. In fact, groups which do not historically stand up for themselves are needing more recognition. Everyone is made in the imago Dei.

Finally, learn history: all this is not new.

Remember the "yellow peril" meme in the late 1800's, which charged Asians of being unsanitary and spreading disease (or SARS in 2003)? We've seen this thing before. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes," said Spanish philosopher George Santayana. Racism does not protect anyone from disease, but does perpetuate disinformation. This not only harms People of Color, it actually can spread the disease further by focusing on the wrong thing.

We as Christians can do better. We are commanded to do better. 1 John 4:20 says, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."

God help us--as we need his perspective in this world to minister to people not just physically and spiritually, but also emotionally and socially.

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