Mightier than the Sword and COVID-19
We all know the old saying that the pen is mightier than the sword, which is a way of saying that written words spread abroad can do more to harm one's foe than the weapons of war. This was certainly true, to take one salient example, of the Reformation. In that case, the advent of the printing press worked wonderfully to help spread the influence of the theology of the Reformers in 16th century Germany. There had been similar reform movements that did not fare nearly as well. One thinks of the earlier reformers like John Wycliffe and Jan Hus, whose desires for reform did not meet with nearly the kind of success as that which began with Martin Luther's posting of the 95 theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg.
It goes without saying that God knew the time for a reformation, and that it was his word that did the work, as Luther famously said. God's grace was what dictated the successes of the Reformation in the 16th century, without a doubt.
Yet historians are also quick to credit the successes of Luther, to a large degree, to Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press, just in time for Luther's work. The printing press was like gasoline to a new fire. God used this means to do his work in Germany, and to spread it to all the world.
And today too, we recognize the value of the printed word, and in many more ways than on paper. In addition to the hard-copy publication of our message, we now have the internet, the podcast, cyberspace. In a similar way as the Reformation, though on a much smaller scale, Gottesdienst has been the recipient of blessed innovations in communication in the 21st century. When the internet took off, Gottesdienst was able to enjoy great increases in subscribers; and today, in very recent years, with the advent of the blogosphere and podcasts, Gottesdienst has also benefited in ways we didn't conceive of even a decade ago. We believe, in fact, that we might be on the cusp of even greater opportunities to make strides in the near future. Who knows?
Yet today, an equally unexpected twist has been applied: the world is suddenly awash in Coronavirus news, and stay-at-home orders, and the closure of businesses and the inability of churches to carry on as they used to. We hope and pray this is short-lived, but we do not know--nobody really knows--the future.
Yet we do know the word of God, that it is certainly mightier than the sword, as the writer to the Hebrews has said: "sharper than any two-edged sword." God himself will in his own time accomplish the defense of his church, and the renewed congregation of his holy assembly, and the preaching of the Gospel when and where it pleases him.
And we also know that Gottesdienst has been dedicated to the business of promoting the use of the word of God in worship, where it is most at home. The word of God was meant to be preached, to be heard, to be confessed, to be sung. And these are the things that happen in church. And the word does its own work. The word will prevail against all its foes, and yes, even against COVID-19.
And that is why we routinely ask you, dear reader, to join in the effort. Are you a subscriber to the print journal? If so, thank you! If not, you can become one here. And in any case could you join the support effort? We depend largely on donations to keep the fires burning, and, as heirs of Johannes Gutenberg, to keep the presses printing. We even offer gifts from our online store to those who donate $50 or more, and lifetime subscriptions to donors of $200 or more, and 1000 additional thanks and gratitude to donors of $1000 or more! So please help! Donate here. And thanks just for reading this!
Sincerely,
Burnell F. Eckardt Jr., PhD
Editor-in-chief