Poll: Church services during a pandemic

[Josh]

As every family in church is believed to have had, or has COVID now, we are pretty much doing church as before. A token nod towards social distancing in the pews, and sitting by family, but last Sunday I don't believe anyone wore a mask.

It’s interesting that one of the attacks from the enemy and the world against God’s church is to try to away with separate seating, as has been done since the time of the apostles, and force family seating in everyone in the name of “health”.

[Szdfan]

As every family in church is believed to have had, or has COVID now, we are pretty much doing church as before. A token nod towards social distancing in the pews, and sitting by family, but last Sunday I don't believe anyone wore a mask.

It’s interesting that one of the attacks from the enemy and the world against God’s church is to try to away with separate seating, as has been done since the time of the apostles, and force family seating in everyone in the name of “health”.

Of course sitting in church was not common until the Protestant Reformation. For the first 1500 years of Christianity, congregations stood during the church service, like the Eastern Orthodox continue today.

Furthermore, once pews began showing up in England in the 13th and 14th centuries, they were often purchased by families to help fund the construction of the church. There was no general seating in a congregation— families sat together in the pews that they had purchased and owned.

For the apostles and the early church, the idea of sitting during the worship service was completely unheard of.

[ohio jones]

For the apostles and the early church, the idea of sitting during the worship service was completely unheard of.

Except, of course, for Eutychus. And look what happened to him.

[JimFoxvog]

For the apostles and the early church, the idea of sitting during the worship service was completely unheard of.

Is this then a poor translation of James chapter 2?

Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Please take this seat,” but you say to the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit on the floor at my feet,” 4 then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?

[Szdfan]

For the apostles and the early church, the idea of sitting during the worship service was completely unheard of.

Is this then a poor translation of James chapter 2?

Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Please take this seat,” but you say to the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit on the floor at my feet,” 4 then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?

I’m going to defer the resident Greek experts and I’m sure context matters here, but I am certainJames is not referring to benches or pews.