Evangelical umbrella group Affinity has offered a Christian perspective on the news that a new Covid vaccine may be ‘90% effective’.
Director Graham Nicholls (pictured) wrote on the group’s blog: ‘The knowledge and ability to develop vaccines is a God-given gift to the scientific community. As people made in His image, we have all received various skills and capabilities from God. It is part of our dignity as human beings that we have received a commission from Him to rule over the created world in ways the animals could never dream of …
‘So it is a particular mercy, and a cause of thankfulness for the answer to many prayers, that there does seem now to be a vaccine for Covid-19. But we would be wrong to celebrate the achievements of scientists and forget the God who gave us such abilities in the first place.
‘Because we recognise that God often works to heal through the “normal” means of medicine it is worth noting that vaccination is a well-established field of science from which we have all benefited in the modern era. We will also need to take into account theological or ethical questions about the source of vaccines. Some have also raised fears about compulsory vaccination of whole populations against their will. Nevertheless despite these justifiable concerns, we should make sure that we do not refuse a good gift from God.’
