National Council of Churches works to overcome vaccine hesitancy

 In order to assist church and faith leaders discuss the importance of vaccinations in the fight against COVID, the National Council of Churches has produced a fact sheet titled A Christian Approach to Vaccine Hesitancy  The fact sheet also provides “a scriptural basis for a compassionate response to vaccine hesitancy and provides responses to Biblical misinformation around vaccination.”
 
When announcing the release of the fact sheet, the Council cited research showing that church and faith leaders can successfully encourage people to get vaccinated. The fact sheet states that some religious Americans have indicated that certain religious approaches made them more likely to get vaccinated. They have responded favorably to these situations:

- A religious leader encouraged them to get the vaccine. 

- A member of a local religious community they trust addressed their concerns about the vaccine or got the vaccine.

- A healthcare professional from a local religious community they trust addressed their concerns about the vaccine.

- A local religious community they trust held a forum to discuss the safety of the vaccine, challenged misinformation about the vaccines that they have been reading online, created informational materials that answer common questions about the vaccine, or provided assistance in getting an appointment to get the vaccine. 

- They could get the vaccine at a nearby religious congregation. 
 
The fact sheet also includes a section titled “Scriptural Basis for a Compassionate Response.” It notes that some people have tried to distort Christianity’s sacred texts to justify discouraging people from taking the vaccine, and, instead, provides texts that “amplify the importance of how taking a safe and proven vaccine that can save lives is not only an act of faith, it is also a moral choice and the right thing to do.”
 
Another section deals with responding to biblical misinformation.
 
The document also includes communications advice and other resources. It is available here.

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