Pandemic VS Endemic

Breaking news: We have been in the midst of a worldwide pandemic for more than two years now! (Duh!) This is the first worldwide pandemic that we have experienced in our lifetimes. This is fortunate, but I would have appreciated another 30 or so years before it happened (let the kids and grandkids deal with it).

Some experts are cautiously predicting that the pandemic is almost over. They say the best case scenario to hope for is for the COVID virus to become endemic. Pandemic, endemic, what is the difference?

Pandemic is defined as a disease that is, “prevalent in a country or the world.” A disease that is endemic is one that is regularly found in the population, (like colds or the flu). In other words, the COVID virus will always be around, but we are getting a handle on it.

How about a spiritual application? In our world is faith a pandemic or is it endemic? Well, true faith is certainly not prevalent in the world today — would it were so. It is more accurate to consider it endemic in society. It is always there, it is around, but it doesn’t particularly effect the majority of society.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were able to [turn] the world upside down” (cf. Acts 17:6)? That’s what the Thessalonians accused Paul of doing. Our expressions of faith and efforts to preach the gospel should have an unsettling effect on our society. Are you doing your part to “spread” the faith of our Lord to “infect” those you meet day to day?

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Author: Stan Cox

Minister, West Side church of Christ since August of 1989 ........ Editor of Watchman Magazine (1999-2018 Archives available online @ http://watchmanmag.com) ........ Writer, The Patternists: https://www.facebook.com/ThePatternists