Catastrophic Pandemics
Written by JD Bauman
Why focus on this problem?
Imagine a disease as deadly as ebola but as common as the flu. Could such an awful virus have ever existed?
The answer, history tells, is yes.
The black death killed one-third of all Europeans alive at the time.
The 1918 flu claimed more lives than everyone who died on the battlefields of World War I.
These were some of the worst catastrophes in history. But future pandemics could be even worse now that gain-of-function research and DNA sequencing technology allow malicious actors to “play God” and engineer even worse diseases.
In these dark times, Christians working in biosecurity can bring hope, healing, and light. We know that God is the ultimate healer. And He calls Christians, past, present, and future, to witness to Him by healing others, including those at risk of a catastrophic pandemic.
Professor Andrew Pollard is the scientist behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been administered over 1 billion times worldwide. His Christian faith and the prayers of people all over the world have grounded and inspired him.
Our overall view
Sometimes recommended
We think some of our readers should work on and/or donate to this issue.
What is our recommendation based on?
Biblical themes:
There are over 200 bible verses expressing healing and concern for the sick (e.g. Proverbs 14:31, Psalm 147:3, Jeremiah 30:17)
Christ is frequently portrayed as a healer (e.g. Matt 12:25, Matt 14:26, Luke 4:40, Acts 10:38, Mark 6:5)
The eschaton has no sadness nor death (e.g. Isaiah 65:17-20 Rev 21:4)
Christian tradition:
There is a rich history of Christian institutions caring for and healing the sick.
Many exemplary Christians took care of the sick.
Strong secular evidence:
This problem area is a focus of the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, a research institute for understanding potentially catastrophic risks to the longer-term future.
What are common theological arguments against it being pressing?
Some argue that pandemics are intentionally allowed or even caused by God to allow Him to accomplish sovereign purposes, even as part of the end times.
Some believe that Jesus is coming back in the next few decades. One implication of a neartermist eschatology might be that long-term harms from disasters like pandemics are less important relative to immediate harms from spiritual and physical poverty.
Top ways to make an impact
Work at an agency or think tank doing biosecurity research and policy recommendations.
Pursue one of these paths for a career in biosecurity policy.
Enter the bureaucracy. By working at FDA or CDC during a pandemic, you could help review key drug or vaccine applications or help roll out timely public health recommendations.
Develop testing, therapeutics, and other technologies and platforms that could be used to quickly test, vaccinate, and treat in the case of a large-scale outbreak. More on this here.
