Engaging Religious Leaders in Public Health Policy

Last month, the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff arrested evangelical pastor Rodney Howard-Browne for defying the county’s “stay-at-home” order.  In order to limit the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, Hillsborough County Public Health Department banned large assemblies and activities to “essential services,” a list that did not include religious services.  In spite of the order, Howard-Browne continued to hold services at his mega-church outside of Tampa until the Sheriff stepped in and charged the pastor with two misdemeanors. That story illustrates the tension between science-backed public health orders and issues of faith.  Perhaps, however, there is a more productive way — where government agencies and religious leaders can work together for the common good.  Katherine Marshall is a Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and is the Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.