There’s a lot in the news right now. Economic difficulties are evident from the most recent jobs report. Violence has broken out again in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. And huge controversy surrounds the upcoming Olympic games in both Tokyo and Beijing. These headlines are grabbing a lot of the attention. What we probably didn’t hear about was a seemingly benign event that happened a few days ago in Rio de Janeiro. This city in Brazil, former host of the Olympics in 2016, is also famous for its “Christ the Redeemer” statue perched high on a peak overlooking the city. It has been both a religious and cultural symbol throughout the world since it’s construction in 1931.

But on Sunday, May 16 the statue was transformed into a new symbol. The following report by Reuters sums up the event with astonishing brevity:

The message ”Vaccine saves, United for vaccines,” was projected on to the statue in an event promoted by the Unidos Pela Vacina (United by the Vaccine) movement in alliance with the Cristo Redentor Sanctuary and the Ogilvy Brazil advertising agency, to create awareness on the importance of immunization. The movement Unidos Pela Vacina aims to draw the attention of Brazilians and the world on the importance of immunization. More than 4,000 people have joined the movement and its 85,000 volunteers are working to eliminate obstacles and make vaccination reach every corner of Brazil as quickly as possible.

I was first turned on to this by conversative commentator and podcaster Michael Knowles. Now, I am fully aware that Knowles is a Roman Catholic. That means there are immense theological issues he and I would have on a number of different doctrines, and I believe these issues are determinative for salvation and sanctification. There, disclaimer accomplished. But no matter the distinctions between our doctrinal beliefs, there’s no question that both he and I see the transformation of this famous statue in much the same way.

The report in Reuters was a statement of fact, a brief blurb of data on the noble quest to raise awareness for the importance of immunizations. Let me make something absolutely clear: this is anything but benign and this particular report, with its brief reporting of the event, is in fact a tacit approval of the larger transformation that is taking place at a worldwide scale, but particularly in the United States.

It’s no coincidence that the slogan “Vaccine saves” was slathered across a statue entitled “Christ the Redeemer.” If you think it is, then you’re either hopelessly naïve or obstinately ignorant. Even the slogan itself appropriates the oft-quoted phrase “Jesus saves.”

Let’s be clear about what the real issue is. The issue is not that the “Christ the Redeemer” statue was defaced. I have no particular draw towards this statue. As a whole, I’m not a great proponent of Jesus statues and paintings, although I stop short of condemning them as blasphemous as some Christians have gotten in the habit of doing. If you have a painting of Jesus (one particularly famous one comes to mind which I’ve seen hanging on the walls in the homes of not a few godly Christian families), don’t freak out. This isn’t an exposé.

Quite the opposite, in fact, I see the “Christ the Redeemer” statue in some ways as a symbol of the repressive theology of the Roman Catholic church and its message of salvation that does not save. This, of course, is due to the high prevalence as well as cultural and political influence that Roman Catholicism has in Brazil and much of South America. If I had my druthers (there’s a word I don’t use very much), there wouldn’t be a “Christ the Redeemer” statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro. “Faith comes from hearing,” the apostle Paul wrote, “and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). A statue of Jesus perched high on a hill overlooking a city notorious for its sexual licentiousness is not a means of engendering faith. It just makes the city culturally Christian, and nothing more.

Nevertheless, the statue still carries religious symbolism, and that symbolism has for the past 90 years been that “Jesus saves.” But what was splayed across the statue this past Sunday was not just a symbol. It was words—clear words with a clear message. And therein is the real issue. What occurred on the “Christ the Redeemer” statue was a very calculated transformation of a Christian message into the message of a new religious gospel: “Vaccine saves.” Faith does come by hearing, and these words were speaking a very clear message.

Now, lest we think that this new religion, born out of the pandemic, is a religion of medical science, let me remind you that the religion of science has been around for centuries. The Enlightenment of the 16^th and 17^th centuries birthed the Age of Reason and with it a complete rejection of the religious as a necessary component of human life. All of life’s questions could be answered and all of life’s problems could be fixed through scientific accomplishment and human reasoning. It was this materialist philosophy that gave rise to the ultimate religion of science known as Evolutionary Theory, which gave an explanation for all of life by purely naturalistic means. (Need I say that this same religion of science also gave way to two world wars and the atom bomb and ushered into the world a new philosophy of thought known as postmodernism. But that’s all.)

So no, this new religion is not one of science. Rather, this new religion is a religion of fear. As the satirist JP Spears has put it,

“Have you accepted Fear into your life? Fear is our Savior. Have you thought about giving your life to Fear? With worshipping fear, it’s not so much about where you’re going to go after you die, it’s more about being acutely aware that you could die in any moment. The spirit of Fear is omnipresent—it’s everywhere! You could take a look at anything in your life and, if you’re a believer, you’ll find something to be afraid of.”

Now, I don’t endorse Spear’s satirical productions, but this one really hits the nail on the head of today’s culture. Our entire culture over the past year has been preaching the message of fear. And for the most part, people have given their lives to it, and they’ve obediently followed its most important commandments which Spears, in his over-the-top way puts it:

• “Thou shalt not be happy”
• “Thou shalt not think for thyself”
• “Thou shalt not have any other gods”
• “Thou shalt not have free will”
• “Thou shall be obedient” 

It’s funny, but it’s also extremely sobering because it’s true. The pandemic has become a very effective weapon in the hands of Satan to bind millions of people into fearing something they cannot escape—death. It’s not that people should be cavalier about their health or foolishly treat life as if it’s not a sacred gift from God. This virus has killed people, and no one should minimize that. But in the hands of Satan, a virus has become a means of training the world to avoid the inevitable, and in doing so, to obey our officials with unflinching loyalty and to view each other as a potential enemy out to harm us. Yes, we’ve been told that we must not only fear a virus, but that we must fear each other.

The conditioning has been set. The world has been hypersensitized to the potentiality of death. And now the message of the “gospel” has been unfurled, supplanting the old message of “Jesus saves” with the new message of “Vaccine saves.” And it’s not that there isn’t a sliver of truth behind the message. The vaccine really is, from a human perspective, a marvel of modern medicine, and from a divine perspective, an expression of common grace. Don’t take my words as a challenge to that premise.

But the message projected on the “Christ the Redeemer” statue is that there’s a new redeemer in town, and it will save you from the enemy of death. But as Michael Knowles pointed out, and which I can’t add anything else to: “100% of people who get the Coronavirus vaccine die.”

Which brings us to the issue for Christians, because this has tremendous worldview implications for us to consider, and there’s a number of them. First, it’s important that as believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t give into this fear. When the unbelieving world looks at us, it should be clear that we have a hope and a confidence that is fundamentally different. For some, that kind of life will be attractive. For others, it will be enraging, because people want you to be afraid with them. The apostle Peter told his readers, who were suffering under the persecutions of Emperor Nero, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:13–15). In other words, the dynamic contrast of a life lived without fear and with hope and confidence will lead to opportunities for gospel witness. Be ready. 

Second, believers need to recognize the overwhelming power that fear can have in the life of a person, especially one who doesn’t know Christ. In fact, worry is probably one of the most pervasive issues in human experience. It can range from the anxiety of everyday pressures to paralyzing fears of the unknown and what could possibly befall us. What’s interesting is that over the past year, we’ve seen fear move from an outlying topic of counseling to something we actually should do. The world has been told over the past year that we should be afraid. Fear will actually save you. 

It shouldn’t surprise us. The human heart is given to worry. It seeks out fear like someone thirsting for water. Even though fear doesn’t offer hope, and we don’t consciously desire it, our hearts seek it out. Fear, anxiety, worry—they bind people in ways we don’t often fully recognize.

Thus, it’s easy to make fun of a fear culture. We’re easily entertained by satires like JP Spears. But as Christians, we have to recognize the debilitating nature of fear and how it snuffs out hope. It causes people to look for hope anywhere they can find it, which provides a myriad of opportunities for Satan to provide a “gospel” that will allay fear. Thus enters the COVID-19 vaccine. There’s hope there, for sure. But it’s a temporal hope. Yet it’s being proffered as more, and so it draws the sinful heart into a desperation and reliance on what man can never give which is hope despite death. The fear of the pandemic is a fear of death, and the vaccine makes us believe. Believe in what? No death? Well, when we put it that way, it sounds pretty silly. But we sure are distracted from death by the message “Vaccine saves,” and that distracts us from considering the implications of death and what comes after. If Satan can scare the world about death and then raise up a solution to that imminent threat, he can convince people that the problem is solved and they don’t have to think about death anymore.

In contrast, consider Solomon’s words of wisdom on death:

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” (Eccl. 7:1–2)

What Solomon is saying is that if you want to gain the best perspective you can have on this life, visit a funeral. It’s in the “house of mourning” that you’ll be reminded of what comes to every man. It’s another way of saying what Moses wrote when he said,

“For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90: 9–12)

So what does this mean for Christians. It means we need to show compassion more than ever before. And it also means that we have to recognize when we ourselves succumb to the dominating and seductive power of fear.

Third, we have to wield the stewardship of hope that has been given to us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are a million-and-one ways to divert the lost from the true gospel by offering them everything they want to hear in another message. In times of want, the prosperity gospel gives people hope for plenty when they don’t have much. In times of injustice, the social gospel gives people a way to feel right with God by helping people and meeting their needs. And in times of pandemic, the vaccine gospel gives people a way of feeling like they don’t have to worry about the imminent power of death over them. This makes it all the more paramount that the true gospel—the gospel of hope which overcomes even the greatest of enemies which is death (1 Cor. 15:54–55)—be heralded. Believers need to keep the reality of death in the forefront of people’s minds before they’re numbed by the anesthesia of the false vaccine gospel. The clearest message to be shouted from the mountaintops shouldn’t be, “Vaccine saves,” but rather, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27).

That may be downer news. But it’s the only proper preparation for the good news that comes next.