While I typically share matters of faith in these columns, I felt it remiss not to address the last time I wrote for the Courier-Herald (“What does your faith exempt you from”, published in print Sept. 22). I had written a brief column sharing my Biblical views on vaccines, masks, and religious exemptions. Along with it being in the paper, I posted a photo of the column on Facebook. Doing so had become my habit because friends and family who do not live in Enumclaw enjoy reading what I write in the paper. I had anticipated this column would stay in my small world, but this column literarily went around the world. Within a day, people had shared my column on my Facebook page over 35,000 times. I suddenly became inundated with more emails and phone calls than one could reasonably manage. The influx was overwhelming. At the height, I was receiving an email roughly every 30 seconds. Today, even though the column was published nearly six months ago, I still receive weekly emails regrading the column.

The responses I received varied greatly. This feedback was to be expected. I had taken a stance that I fully knew would conflict some and comfort others. (By the way, that is what the Gospel does!) Many who responded disagreed with my entire stance and premise. While the messages were tolerable for a while, quickly, the emails and phone calls turned to anger as I had never witnessed before. I was shocked at the character and personal attacks people felt compelled to write me, often doing so in Jesus’ name.

What made the situation untenable was when the nastiness, vitriol, and veiled threats were no longer targeted only at me but also at my family. I knew there was hate in our world, but never had the ire of so many been directed squarely at my family and me for speaking what I still believe to be a true and faithful witness of the Gospel. Those few weeks following the column were the scariest and most unnerving times of my entire life.

Although the anger and hate were intense, the deep sense of appreciation and gratitude I heard was far more significant. The emails, letters, and phones I received were encouraging and heartbreaking. I heard from those just wanting to share how much they loved what I had written and to “Keep up the good work.” I also heard the heartbreaking stories of people who had struggled with how their churches had dismissed the pandemic and neglected Jesus’ command to love your neighbor. I also heard from countless people who had left the church years ago due to various matters, including spiritual abuse and a lack of care for all of God’s people. In their heartbreak about the church, I heard a chorus of hopeful whispers that just perhaps God was still faithful and good. That just perhaps the promises of Jesus were true and for them!

I received message after message from people who were so thankful for a voice that they called faithful and rational. I heard from doctors and nurses, Christians and non-Christians, friends and strangers. This little column resonated with people in a humbling and confounding way. I kept asking myself, “Was no one else saying this? I can’t be the only one!” I came to find out it struck such a chord with so many because they were feeling and thinking similarly but had been unable to pinpoint and express their thoughts. I will be forever humbled God used these few words to touch the hearts of so many.

I have been asked if I regret writing the column, that if I could take it back, would I? As a good Lutheran, I will quote Martin Luther, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and reason, my conscience is bound to the Word of God. I cannot, and I will not recant anything, for going against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen. Here I stand. I can do no other.”

Though that time immediately following the column was tumultuous, I refuse to allow that time to be defined by the hate and anger of others. Instead, that time of my life will be defined by God’s all-encompassing love poured out through my family, friends, church, community, and strangers. To paraphrase what a friend shared with me, “While hate is loud, love lasts longer.”