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An Epidemic among My People: Index

An Epidemic among My People
Index
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table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. Part I: Religious Groups Confront the Pandemic
    1. 1. Satan and a Virus Won’t Stop Us: The Prosperity Gospel of Coronavirus Response
    2. 2. Are Religious Adherents More Likely to Buy Into COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories?
    3. 3. Religion and Gun Purchasing amid a Pandemic, Civil Unrest, and an Election
    4. 4. Christian Nationalism and the COVID-19 Pandemic
    5. 5. Syndemics during a Pandemic: Racial Inequity, Poverty, and COVID-19
    6. 6. Is the Effect of Religion “Raced” on Pandemic Attitudes and Behaviors?
  10. Part II: Elite Actions and Messaging
    1. 7. Precedent, Performance, and Polarization: The Christian Legal Movement and Religious Freedom Politics during the Coronavirus Pandemic
    2. 8. A Tale of Two Burdens: COVID-19 and the Question of Religious Free Exercise
    3. 9. High Stakes: Christian Right Politics in 2020
    4. 10. Faith, Source Credibility, and Trust in Pandemic Information
  11. Part III: Pandemic Effects on Religious Groups and Individuals
    1. 11. Women as Religious Leaders: The Gendered Politics of Shutting Down
    2. 12. Racialized Responses to COVID-19
    3. 13. In God “Z” Trusts? Generation Z’s Attitudes about Religion and COVID-19
    4. 14. Who’s Allowed in Your Lifeboat? How Religious Identity Altered Life-Saving Priorities in Response to COVID-19
    5. 15. How the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Religious Practices in the United States
    6. 16. Patterns of In-Person Worship Service Attendance during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Importance of Political and Religious Context
  12. Conclusion
  13. Notes
  14. References
  15. Contributors
  16. Index

Index

Abbott, Greg, 5

abortion, 85, 102, 123, 124–125, 135, 230

Affordable Care Act (ACA), 63

African Americans. See Black Americans

agnostics, 201

Agudath Israel Synagogue, 113–114, 120

AIDS, 130

Alito, Samuel, 116, 119

Alliance Defending Freedom, 100, 102–103, 109, 129. See also Christian Legal Movement

American Center for Law and Justice, 103. See also Christian Legal Movement

antichrist, 20

Arizona, 137

Armageddon, 25

Asian Americans, 78–79, 81, 83, 87, 89–90, 93–95, 136, 171–173, 176, 180–181, 185–187, 189–190, 193

atheists, 116, 200–201

attendance. See services, religious

Australians, 39

authoritarianism, 101

baby boomers, 235

Barr, William, 126

Barrett, Amy Coney, 119, 127

Bauer, Gary, 124

beliefs, religious, 13–14, 87. See also prosperity gospel

Beshear, Andy, 103

Bible, 57, 230–231, 241; literal views of, 143, 146, 151–152, 165, 168, 231, 234, 237

Biden, Joe, 80, 107, 125, 137, 242

bike shops, 120

Black Americans, 42, 43, 45, 46, 64, 78–82, 83, 87, 89–90, 93–95, 119, 136, 244; differential effects of COVID-19 on, 69, 171 (see also COVID-19, racial disparities of); enslavement of, 73–74; police treatment of, 47, 49, 52, 75; religious affiliation of, 185–187; religious service attendance of, 77, 166–167, 175–177, 217, 219, 221, 224, 228; segregation of, 71, 75, 172; strength of faith and, 180–181, 189–190, 192–195, 212; trust in science and, 179–180 (see also trust in science/scientists). See also racism

Black church, 76–77, 82, 83–84, 136, 172–173, 187, 240; variability within, 86. See also Church of God in Christ

Black Lives Matter (BLM), 42, 122–123, 127, 131, 134–136, 139, 242, 244; public opinion on, 131

bleach, 76

born-again Christians. See evangelicals

British, 39

Brown, Khari, 95

Buddhists, 33, 187, 200

Bush, George, 127

California, 61, 103, 109, 117, 129

Calvary Chapel v. Sisolak (2020), 118

Canadians, 39, 212

Catholics, 37–38, 84, 104, 113–115, 118, 124, 148–149, 151, 153, 186–187, 200–201, 207, 213, 217, 219, 221, 228

Centers for Disease Control, 58, 73, 74, 104, 141, 149, 152

China, 6, 32, 64, 66, 124

Christian Coalition, 122

Christian legal movement (CLM), 100–104, 108–110, 120, 129; composition of, 102

Christian nationalism, 43–44, 45, 52, 53, 55, 58–60, 62–67, 101; and authority, 57; defined, 55–56; measures of, 56; and racial differences in effect, 65–66; and racism, 64–65, 242; and science, 57, 60, 241

Christian Right, 122–127, 130–139. See also Christian Legal Movement, and specific organizations

Christianity Today, 123

Church of God in Christ (COGIC), 3, 86

Civil Rights Movement, 77, 124

clergy, 3, 17, 77–81, 83–84, 103, 122, 129, 141, 159–160, 228, 232, 234, 240, 243; address of the coronavirus, 88–90, 92–96, 122; encouragement for members to attend in person, 88, 90–91, 95; misperception of, 88; representative role of, 86

collective action, 15, 16, 27, 77; problems, 1, 13, 60

collectivism, 44, 52

Collins, Francis, 3

confirmation bias, 31

congregations (religious), 2, 87–88, 116–118; burden felt by COVID-19 restrictions, 111–121; closure/openness of, 2, 5, 17, 42, 43, 77, 90–91, 104, 138; as essential, 116–118, 128–129, 133; mitigation strategies of, 3, 85, 103, 109, 138; offering remote worship by, 91, 114; partnerships of with public health providers, 85; racial distribution in, 85; reliance on, 16; reopening of, 2, 17; social distancing in, 6, 84, 90; social service provision of, 85. See also services, religious

Congress, 207

conservative Christians. See evangelicals

conspiracy beliefs, 6, 23, 28, 30–31, 241; determinants of adopting, 29–33; health effects of believing, 40, 76; religious effects on, 28, 30–31, 35–39; role of elites in promoting, 5, 32–33, 76; survey measurement of, 33. See also QAnon

conspiracy theories. See conspiracy beliefs

contraception, 75, 125

cooperation, 1, 4

Copeland, Kenneth, 14

Coronavirus. See COVID-19

Cotton, Tom, 132

COVID-19: as “Chinese Flu,” 5, 28–29, 64–66, 76, 83, 127, 135 (see also conspiracy beliefs); concern with, 15, 50, 52–53, 77–78, 109, 225; death toll of, xi, 1, 54, 239; disease, description of, 1; hysteria over, 19, 20, 23, 178–179, 230, 232, 235, 236; misinformation about, 28, 32–33, 54, 55, 109, 140, 174 (see also conspiracy beliefs); partisan concentration of, 1, 229; perceptions of cases, 141, 147, 153; personal behaviors regarding, 58–59, 127, 130; precautions regarding, 54, 55, 58–59; racial disparities and, 64–65, 69–72, 81, 83, 94; rates of, 2, 5, 13, 32, 54; regional concentration of, 1, 54; stimulus package for, 128; threat from, 16, 20, 22–23, 47, 86–87, 95, 114, 178, 229–230; vaccines for (see vaccines); variants of, 4; waves of, 1, 17, 32

creationism, 57

crime, 46, 47

culture wars, 54, 99, 100–101, 103, 109, 121

Cuomo, Andrew, 110

Davis, Kim, 102

Democratic Party, 17, 26, 47, 55, 122, 128, 173, 201–202, 230, 231, 235, 236

denominations, religious, xi

devil, 13, 16, 20, 25, 42

disability, 244

discrimination, 5, 72, 101, 110, 115–120, 124, 126, 129

disgust, 101

distrust. See trust

Dobson, James, 124

dogmatism, 34

Dolben Act, 73

Dollar, Creflo, 14

Easter, 226, 233

economy, 62

end times, 21, 25, 27

establishment clause, 112, 120. See also First Amendment, religious freedom

ethnoreligious, xi

eugenics, 75

Europe, 239

evangelicals, 15, 35, 43, 44, 47, 50, 52, 114, 116, 118, 179; measurement of, 33, 49; media usage, 142, 147; religious service attendance, 217, 221, 224, 175–176; resistance to government health orders, 43, 99, 101; and sources of pandemic information trust, 141, 149, 151; strength of faith and, 193; support for Trump, 33, 143; theology/beliefs of, 15, 87; and the Trump Administration, 36, 203

Evangelical Advisory Board, 132

Evers, Tony, 61

evil, 14, 16, 20, 25–26, 31

exclusive values, 24–25

faith healing, 15, 24, 30. See also prosperity gospel

faith, 243; strength of, 180, 188–189, 192–193, 194. See also religiosity

Faith and Freedom Coalition (FFC), 122–124, 127, 128, 130, 133–138

Falwell, Jerry, Jr., 124

Family Research Council (FRC), 122–131, 134–138

Fauci, Dr. Anthony, 140

Fea, John, 124

Federalist Society, 116, 126

Firearm Industry Trade Association, 42

First Amendment, 41, 42, 100–101, 109–110, 112, 128, 229; weaponizing of, 101. See also establishment clause, free exercise clause, religious freedom

First Liberty, 100, 103, 110. See also Christian Legal Movement

Florida, 220

Floyd, George, 9, 42, 46, 47, 130–131, 135. See also Black Lives Matter, protests

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 32

Fox News, 34, 38, 99, 140, 147, 153–154, 226, 229, 231

Freedom Sunday, 129, 137

free exercise clause, 112–115, 117–120. See also religious freedom

fundamentalism, 45

funerals, 3

Galli, Mark, 123

gender, 50, 163, 185, 193, 232; and leadership, 160, 169

Generation X, 232, 235, 236

Generation Z, 235

Georgia, 127, 133, 136

Gohmert, Louie, 137

Google Trends, 47–48

Gorsuch, Neil, 109, 116, 118–120

government health orders, 15, 17, 20, 42, 46, 55, 58, 61–62, 76, 81, 84, 99, 100, 109, 111, 116–117, 123, 126, 128–129, 133, 219–220, 225, 226, 240; attitudes about, 55, 60, 63, 67, 105–106; defiance of, 21, 23–24, 25–26, 42, 43, 84, 88, 92–95, 100, 102–106, 109, 111–112, 117, 129–130, 240. See also Christian Legal Movement

Graham, Franklin, 61, 124, 132, 202

guns, 230; background checks for purchasing, 45; ownership of, 48, 205; policy, 47, 56; purchasing of, 41, 43–53; sales of, 41; shops, 41

Hawley, Josh, 137

health, 71–72, 74; maternal, 72, 74–75; social determinants of, 70–72

health care: access to, 5, 69, 72–75, 83; utilization of, 73–74, 76

health orders. See government health orders

Hibbs, Jack, 137–138

Hice, Jody, 137

Hindu Americans, 33, 187, 200

Hispanic Americans. See Latina/o/x Americans

houses of worship. See congregations

housing, 71

Huckabee, Mike, 60, 124

hunting, 44

Hyde Amendment, 125

hydroxychloroquine, 32, 76

ideology, political, 193, 205

immigrants/immigration, 5, 56, 65–66

Inazu, John, 109

incautious behaviors. See COVID-19, personal behaviors regarding; COVID-19, precautions regarding

independents, 194

individualism, 15, 26, 44, 52

influenza pandemic, xi

Institutional Review Boards, 74

insurrection (Jan. 6, 2021). See January 6th

Insurrection Act, 132

Israel, 124

Italy, 213

Jackson, Jesse, 77

Jakes, T. D., 14

January 6th (2021), 137–138, 242

Jeffress, Robert, 124, 132

Jewish Americans, 3, 33, 113–115, 119, 151, 155, 186, 200, 228

Jim Crow Laws, 74

Johnson, Mike, 137

Johnson Amendment, 125

Kavanaugh, Brett, 116, 119, 120, 127

Kentucky, 102, 103

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 244

Kirk, Charlie, 64, 132

Krugman, Paul, 110

Lacks, Henrietta, 75

Land, Richard, 124

Latina/o/x Americans, 70, 78–79, 81–82, 83–84, 87, 89–95, 136, 171, 176–177, 180–181, 185–187, 189–190, 192–195

leadership, 161–162, 164, 169

Lewis, John, 77

LGBTQ+ Americans, 120, 188

libertarianism, 61, 63

Liberty Counsel, 100, 102. See also Christian Legal Movement

Liberty University, 64

lockdowns. See government health orders, stay at home orders

Loeffler, Kelly, 137

MacArthur, John, 55, 61, 103, 109

magical thinking, 28, 30–32; and the prosperity gospel, 30. See also faith healing

Maine, 129, 141

Mainline Protestants, 44, 147, 151, 186, 217, 219, 221, 228, 234

Manichean thinking, 31–32, 34, 36–39. See also evil, dogmatism

March for Life, 125

mask mandate, 17, 55, 60, 117. See also government health orders

mask wearing, 3, 225, 239

Massachusetts, 70

Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, 126

McConnell, Michael J., 117

Meadows, Mark, 124, 137

media: religiosity and consumption of, 143–144. See also trust, in the media

Medicaid, 75

medical mistrust. See trust, in doctors/health professionals

Medicare, 74

megachurch, 20, 24, 55, 61, 109

Metaxas, Eric, 124

Michigan, 17, 220

Middle Eastern Americans, 193

Millennials, 184, 186–188

Minnesota, 129

Mississippi, 129

mistrust. See trust

Moore, Johnnie, 132

Mormons/Latter-day Saints, 151, 187, 200

Multiracial Americans, 193

Murphy, Greg, 127

Muslim Americans, 33, 101, 108, 151, 155, 187, 199–200, 206–208, 242

National Research Act, 74

Native/Indigenous Americans, 171, 193

natural disasters, 212

Neuhaus, Richard J., 240

Nevada, 103, 109, 114, 118, 120

New York, 41, 109, 118, 120, 210–211, 242

New Zealand, 212

9/11, 46, 199, 210–211, 213, 243

non-Christians, xi. See also Buddhists, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu Americans, and nones

nones, 33, 37, 149, 151, 185–186, 217, 228, 243

nonreligious. See nones

Norplant, 75

Norquist, Samah, 126

North Carolina, 75

NRA (National Rifle Association), 41

Obama, Barack, 46, 127

Obergefel v. Hodges (2015), 102, 126

Ohio, 2, 15, 17

Oklahoma, 220

Oregon, 102

Orthodox Christians, 187

Ossof, Jon, 137

Osteen, Joel, 14, 16, 24

Pacific Islander, 193

pandemic. See COVID-19

partisanship, xi, 19, 22–26, 29, 46, 49, 50, 51, 55, 80, 99, 101–102, 104–110, 127, 131, 147, 149–152, 168, 177, 180, 185, 193, 197, 199, 206, 208, 229, 232, 235–236, 240

Paxton, Ken, 41

Peale, Norman Vincent, 19

Pelosi, Nancy, 128

Pence, Mike, 32, 103

Pennsylvania, 137

pentecostals, 24

Perdue, David, 137

Perkins, Tony, 122, 124, 126, 129, 131, 134–135, 137–139

Planned Parenthood, 75, 128, 129, 134

polarization, 53, 60, 67, 100–101, 103–104, 107–110

political institutions, 162–163

Pompeo, Mike, 124, 126

Pope Francis, 114, 202

prayer, 39, 190, 192–193, 211, 213–219, 227, 243

prejudice, 244

presidential election of 2020, xi, 47, 50–52

prisons, 64–66, 75

prosocial behaviors: religion and, 185, 193, 241

prosperity gospel, 13, 87, 91, 95, 109; beliefs of, 13–15, 31, 91; distribution of, 18–19, 26, 34; effects of, 14–15, 16, 22–25; links to other religious attributes, 19, 25; measurement of, 18; and partisanship, 19, 22–24; and race, 25–26, 91, 240, 244; reach of, 14

Protestants, 44, 114–116, 119. See also evangelicals, Mainline Protestants

protests, xi, 47, 104, 122–123, 131–135; effects on gun purchasing, 43, 45, 46, 50, 51–53. See also Black Lives Matter

PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), xi, xiii, 28–29, 33y, 101, 116

public health orders. See government health orders

Puerto Rico, 75

punitiveness, 45

purity, 5

QAnon, 3

racism, 55, 56, 64–68, 69–73, 83, 135

Reagan, Ronald, 115, 127, 130

Reed, Ralph, 122, 124, 132–133, 136, 137–139

religion, 55; dogmatic, 5; online meetings of (see services, religious); and racial minorities, 6; roles of, 4–5, 6

religiosity, 39, 43, 44, 49, 50, 53, 55, 62, 67; racial differences and, 84–85, 95

religious freedom, 23, 25–26, 61, 99–104, 108–110, 112, 114–119, 123, 124–126, 129, 135, 139, 228–229, 237, 241, 242; and discrimination, 101; jurisprudence concerning, 100, 103, 109–110, 111–119; public opinion on, 101, 104–107, 116, 119. See also services religious

Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA, 1993), 101

religious institutions. See congregations

religious liberty. See religious freedom

religious traditions, 19

Reno, R. R., 15

Republican Party, 17, 19, 26, 47, 55, 60, 104, 122, 154, 161, 173, 201–202

research designs, 7

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (2020), 109, 118

Romney, Mitt, 116

Roy, Chip, 137

rural areas, 44

same-sex marriage, 25, 56, 85, 101

Sanger, Margaret, 75, 134

Satan. See devil

Scalise, Mike, 127

Schindler, Oskar, 124

Schlapp, Matt, 137

science: denial of, 29–30, 230; relationship with religion of, 3, 30

Second Amendment, 41

services, religious, 77, 111, 114, 163; attendance of, 34, 38–39, 59, 62, 77, 88, 90, 91–92, 95, 168, 187, 191, 211, 213–221, 223–225, 242; cancellation of, 165–166, 176, 213; encouragement to attend in person, 88, 90–91, 95; as spreader events, 42, 43, 55, 61; virtual or online, 77, 91, 99, 111, 114, 211, 213–219, 221–224, 244

Shelter-in-place. See stay-at-home orders

Sherbert test, 112–113

silent generation, 235

Sims, J. Marion, 74

slavery, 73–75. See also Black Americans, enslavement of

social distancing, 6, 27, 88, 91–92, 95, 130, 135, 177; defiance of, 16. See also congregations, social distancing in

social justice, 85

social networks, 4, 16, 27

Solid Rock Church, 5

Soros, George, 136

South Dakota, 220

Spell, Tony, 15

spirituality, 213

Staver, Mat, 103

“stay at home” orders, 17, 41, 47, 86, 117–118, 129, 184, 191, 192–194, 202. See also government health orders

Tennessee, 220

Texas, 83

Thanksgiving, 111

Thomas, Clarence, 119

Thomas More Law Center, 100, 103. See also Christian Legal Movement

threat, 5, 46, 53, 101–102, 123, 135, 139; elite communicated, 5

Tocqueville, Alexis de, 4–5, 240

tolerance, 101, 198

transgender, 125

travel ban, 64

Trump, Donald J., 19, 21, 29, 41, 80, 83, 102, 107–108, 110, 123–124, 127, 131–139, 202, 226–227, 234, 243; administration of, 21, 29, 32, 103, 124–125, 129; approval of, 38; COVID-19 diagnosis of, 32, 76; and pandemic information, 33, 34, 58, 60, 64, 83, 104, 130, 140, 149, 208, 242; at St. John’s Church, 42; support for, 60; 2016 election of, 26

Trump, Donald Jr., 104

trust, 76, 81; in clergy, 77–82, 160, 164, 167; in doctors/health/medical professionals, 70, 72–75, 77–82, 106; in government, 2, 21, 29, 34–35, 38, 72, 76, 83, 141, 151–152; in the media, 29, 55, 60, 99, 142, 152; in others, 2, 16, 21, 24–26, 29, 45, 53; in science/scientists, 29, 43, 55, 78–80, 142, 178–179

Tuskegee Study, 73–74

unaffiliated. See nones

unemployment, 184

unrest, civil. See protests

unvaccinated population, 4

U.S. Supreme Court, 242

vaccine(s), 4, 63, 67, 70, 76, 82, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243

values, religious, 14, 24–25, 42

victimization, 46

Virginia, 102, 103, 134

voter fraud, 127, 136

Warnock, Raphael, 77, 137

White, Paula, 16

Wiccan, 187

Wisconsin, 61, 141

work, remote, 71

World Health Organization (WHO), 32

worldviews. See beliefs, religious, and values, religious

Wuhan, China, 6, 32. See also China, conspiracy belief

xenophobia, 63–68

Zoom, 111

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