Hamilton Strategies clients are responding to the global COVID-19 concern from a faith, financial, peace and prayer perspective
American Family Association’s Joseph Parker Offers Reminder of Psalm 91—Protection in Life’s Storms:
In a perilous world filled with diseases such as the coronavirus (COVID–19), many are very fearful. Inner cities and many other communities are simply dangerous places to be, with drug and human trafficking, muggings, murders, physical and sexual abuse, etc. Where can people go to be safe?
American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) Director of Outreach & Intercession the Rev. Joseph Parker, who also serves as an American Family Radio (AFR, www.afr.net) host, shared hope from Psalm 91.
“Sometimes we wonder if we can be safe and secure anywhere,” Parker wrote. “Is there any way to be protected from the dangers and perils we see all around us? Actually, God, in His Word did provide us with a powerful weapon for divine protection. This weapon is found in His Word in the book of Psalms, particularly Psalm 91.”
Read more here.
The American Pastors Network Coronavirus Statement:
“All people are making choices in times like these,” “Do we look to God or government? Do we respond with peace or panic? How do we address the matter of balancing the need to always be prepared—a biblical principle—and then not trusting in that preparation. So many people today are totally unprepared for any blip in their lives, including this one, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We must trust in God always, whether in times of plenty or times of peril. We hope APN can help people understand the balance of preparing for a temporarily altered lifestyle as a prudent ‘heeding of a warning’ without being equated to not ‘walking by faith.’”
Dan Celia: Critical Times Ahead for Global Economy
“Make no mistake about it, we will be in a full-fledged global recession in just a matter of weeks,” Celia said, “and the United States will not be excluded from this recession. We obviously can’t be in a technical recession at least until the end of June, since a recession is defined as back-to-back negative GDP quarters. But we will be in a financial and emotional recession with or without the technicals. The question is, how long will it last?
“One of the things I am most concerned about in the financial sector, and which I’ve written about for many months and more recently emphasized on air, is that we are watching our big five banks take huge hits,” he added. “But my main concern, of course, is not just the big banks but the shadow banking system. Remember, so much of the financial system seems to have moved, expanded and grown in the derivative markets, credit default swaps, insurance company annuities and other so-called financial products. The only way I believe we can head this off, or at least get ahead of it, will be through policy. I’m talking about federal government policy, stimulus and policies coming out of the Federal Reserve.”
Celia noted that last night the Federal Reserve dramatically changed the repo rates, or overnight lending, by adding much more liquidity.
“But more needs to be done besides cutting rates—that will do nothing,” Celia said. “President Trump has submitted his thoughts about stimulating the economy. I think the payroll tax holiday was an extremely good proposal, but, of course, partisan politics will likely allow us to go into deep recession or depression before any kind of stimulus policies will be allowed to come out of the Trump administration, which is a shame. Many are saying that American politicians must put their differences aside and come together. These are people living in the Twilight Zone of politics from 40 years ago. It’s not going to happen. And if it doesn’t happen, we’ll begin to see liquidity issues that will be extremely harmful to an already falling market.
“Short-term economic conditions have hurt the markets,” he added, “and what we don’t want to see—and I suspect it might be too late—is the market circling around to create more issues for the economy and then, again, the economy impacts the markets further. This is a vicious cycle, and we should want to do everything we can to avoid it. But do politicians in Washington want to avoid it too?
“Having said all that, this is not a time to panic,” Celia concluded. “We cannot sell if we are long-term investors. We cannot afford to panic. There will be major buying opportunities either in a month or six months. I would expect to see another 5% to 10% downturn today, and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon unless there is a major announcement about a coronavirus vaccine being available in the next few weeks. Again, financially, this is not a time to panic, and we could be facing a buying opportunity the likes of which few of us have seen in our lifetime, but I do believe we are some weeks away from that.”
Fellowship of Christian Athletes Issues Statement on Coronavirus, as Sporting Events Worldwide Are Cancelled or Postponed
“As the world strives together to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, we at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are praying for those who have been affected by this terrible virus and for those in leadership at all levels who are making difficult decisions for the safety of coaches, athletes, parents and fans,” said FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson. “We also sympathize with the heartbreak that coaches and athletes are experiencing due to the cancellation of their seasons, and pray they will be shown understanding and grace. Despite everything happening in our world, we rest on the hope and peace that only Jesus Christ can provide. John 14:27 reminds us that, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (NIV).”
NACFC Leader Mark Minnella: Christ’s Peace Surpasses Uncertainty
“The work of biblically responsible investment advisors is grounded in helping people realize the fullness of Christ, here and now and forever, in and through their finances, and in any stage of the economic landscape,” Minnella said. “God’s purpose for His children’s finances, stated in His Word, including investing, are continuously researched and shared and are the whole of what the NACFC is about. We must not be distracted by temporal swings of money and possessions but stay focused on glorifying God in all we do, including the stewardship of His resources. And most importantly, we must allow His peace to surpass any uncertainty of this world.”
Dr. Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary: Christians and the Pandemic
“The Coronavirus pandemic is changing all of our daily lives in manifold and unexpected ways. How should Christians respond?
“First, we should not respond with a spirit of fear. Psalm 46:1-2 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble; therefore we will not fear.” And then in Psalm 91, we are told, ‘For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
“Now, this should give us a sense of peace. It should help us to understand that we are under the watch-care of our mighty and loving God. However, we should not allow that to tempt us to presume upon God by ignoring the precautions and the advice of medical experts.
“This is exactly what the devil tempted Jesus with in the wilderness. He quoted those very verses from Psalm 91. He took Him up to the pinnacle of the temple, and he said to Him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down. For it is written, ‘He shall give his angels charge concerning thee.’”
“Jesus responded by quoting the Scripture correctly and saying, “It is written again, ‘Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.’” And so we are presuming upon God, tempting God, when we ignore rational precautions and take reasonable care. It’s not a lack of faith. It is using the brains and the sense that God gave us to protect ourselves and then relying upon Him above and beyond that.
“Let’s do as Jesus did, quoting Scripture to refute erroneous interpretations like the one that the devil tried Him with in the wilderness. Let’s all pray that God will deliver us from this plague, that God will give us the strength and the courage and the wisdom to help those who are afflicted and to come out of this in a way that will shed credit and light upon the faith we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Samaritan Ministries Coronavirus Statement:
“Samaritan Ministries is monitoring the coronavirus situation and its impact on our more than 270,000 individual members (82,000-plus households). When there are symptoms of and treatment related to COVID-19, medical bills are shareable among our members just as any other illness or injury would be shareable according to the Samaritan Guidelines. Members also have the option to contribute extra gifts toward the Member Assistance Fund and do so often. Worldwide, over 1 million people are members of health care sharing ministries, which are not insurance. Samaritan members share about $30 million each month in medical expenses and have shared over $1.8 billion since our founding 25 years ago, while providing emotional and spiritual support to fellow members.”
Save the Persecuted Christians Addresses Worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic:
“Situations such as these create an opportunity for persecutors to exploit the crisis at hand and operate with a greater sense of impunity, which is why it is imperative for each of us to also continue our prayers for those who are at risk of anti-Christian violence,” said Dede Laugesen, executive director of Save the Persecuted Christians. “Yesterday’s National Day of Prayer gave each of us an opportunity to come together in the midst of the seeming chaos and believe our God is greater than any outbreak. Although it is often easy to get swept up in the mass frenzy, we encourage you to remember that through prayer and faith we, as followers of Christ, can overcome every obstacle.
“There is no difficulty too great for God to overcome if His people cry out to Him and believe in His almighty power and ability. In Isaiah 43, God tells us that we are never alone and that He will always get us to the other side of any barrier. ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.’—Isaiah 43:2 (KJV).
“Save the Persecuted Christians will remain diligent in being a voice to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly in times such as these.”
Timothy Plan Coronavirus Statement:
During the London bombings in 1940, the British people rallied behind the slogan, “Keep calm and carry on.” That’s an excellent call for us as well.
With a viral pandemic, the stock market bucking like a bronco and the media hyping anything that enhances doom and gloom, it’s hard to concentrate on much else.
But those of us who put our faith in our Heavenly Father have special reason not to despair.
Youth For Christ Coronavirus Statement:
“The current situation surrounding the coronavirus will allow Youth For Christ new opportunities and ways to serve kids, their parents, giving partners, our staff, as well as others who do not yet know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“YFC is committed to being ambassadors of peace, trust, confidence, security and most importantly, hope. We know in Whom we put our hope. For a watching world, we want to encourage. For all of us already involved with YFC, we want to be equipped to be a part of the solution during this time. Every aspect of YFC ministry will continue, and we remain secure in the Lord and his everlasting peace—on mission and always about the message of Jesus.
“YFC will always be here for kids, ages 11-19. And to do so in this critical time, we recognize there are a range of impacts affecting our ability to minister. Our theme during this season is replace, not cancel. Our response is innovation in the ways we reach youth, through technology and other means. Together, we are creating resources that will address a range of impacts. Likewise, be assured that we are all thinking through the impact on our development activities. Together we are exploring innovative ways we can continue to raise funds, such as leveraging digital solutions to continue reaching our giving partners.
“YFC not only seeks to lead youth to Jesus Christ, but to keep them safe as we connect and engage. We know and trust that God will use our circumstances for good and that He has given us the wisdom to navigate these times. May we be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)”
