Pastor Greg Laurie Has COVID-19

According to New Yorker’s Olivia Nuzzi, Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California has COVID-19.

I don’t think we know the fall out from that prayer march or the Amy Coney Barrett coming out party. Unmasked evangelicals may or may not decide there is a pandemic after these next few days go by.

I believe Greg Laurie is standing unmasked behind Michael W. Smith who is at the piano.

There are many people there who need to get a test.

Greg Laurie made an announcement for social media. His Facebook announcement is here and the twitter video is below.


On Facebook, Laurie said:

I tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday. I have been in quarantine since then. I am happy to report that all members of my family have tested negative for COVID. My symptoms have been mild so far, and I expect to make a full recovery. I have always taken the Coronavirus seriously, and it has tragically taken many lives.

Laurie has taken the virus more seriously than say, John MacArthur. However, why is he in the middle of 50,000 mostly unmasked people singing without a mask? If he was taking it as seriously as he should have been, he would not have been there.

60 thoughts on “Pastor Greg Laurie Has COVID-19”

  1. I laughed to myself when I watched the beginning of that video and saw a person holding a “Jesus 2020” sign. If Trump wins a second term Jesus and anything like him will not be working out of the White House.

    1. You don’t understand.
      Trump IS Jesus.
      Trump IS the Second Coming of Christ.

    2. Monday morning drive-time covered the Trump drive-by photo op in and out of Walter Reed. Before cheering followers. One guy whose voice dominated the audio clip was yelling “I’LL DIE FOR YOU! I’D BE HAPPY TO DIE FOR YOU!!!” as the motorcade went past.

      He sounded just like Trashcan Man from The Stand.
      “MY LIFE FOR YOU!!! MY LIFE FOR YOU!!!”

      “Trashcan! Where you goin’ boy!
      Your eyes are feet apart!
      Is that The End you’re carryin’?
      Shall I play the funeral march?
      Shall I play the funeral march?”
      — The Alarm, “Prophecy (The Stand), 1985

  2. Christians are not to be afraid of anything. That does not mean we are to be careless or cautious. We are not to be foolhardy.
    The fear inside these folks leads them to over-react and become fools and idiots.

    1. Christians are not to be afraid of anything.

      And yet existential dread has been the weapon of choice for conservative Christian leaders who venture into the politics for at least the last 70 years. Bizarre isn’t it?

  3. Is it a bit strange that he’s quarantining with his wife, when apparently she doesn’t have it?

    1. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, she has mild symptoms.

      1. I meant Greg Laurie. It said in the article that all his family had tested negative, yet he was quarantining with his wife.

        1. PastorGregLaurieOfVineyard(TM)…

          Just like PastorChuckSmithCalvaryChapelCostaMesa(TM) and PastorRaulReesCalvaryChapelWestCovina(TM), a regular feature on local Christianese AM Radio during my time in-country. I keep thinking of VIneyard as a Calvary Chapel; they sure scratched each others’ back on the AM airwaves with near-identical radio shows.

          1. I keep thinking of VIneyard as a Calvary Chapel
            You’re not too far off — John Wimber was affiliated with the Calvary Chapel empire for a little while. But they were not as big on “signs and wonders” as he wanted to be, so he went off on his own with the Vineyard churches (which already existed as a small group of churches, but took off under Wimber).

            Greg Laurie can also trace his roots back to Calvary Chapel.

    2. It’s probably okay as long they are fortunate enough to have accommodation that allows to ‘socially distance’ at home. And I suspect that they do …

      1. If he’s positive and she’s not, they should be completely isolated from one another. I’m sure they live in a home where that is possible.

        1. Precise guidelines vary from country to country, I suspect, but essentially, I reckon that you are correct on both counts.

  4. They seem to think if it hasn’t happened to them yet God is protecting them and is on their side. Which is interesting since the BLM protests haven’t really had any outbreaks.

      1. And BLM protests are generally held OUTSIDE, where the airflow dilutes the airborne viral plumes. The vast majority of COVID spread has been indoors, especially enclosed areas with poor ventilation.

    1. Back in January someone in our church (an intensive care nurse) had Covid-19. They (and we) didn’t realize what it was until it became clear that there was this pandemic. Others in the church almost certainly had contact with them while they were infectious, but (as far we know) noone became infected. Maybe God was protecting some of us, IN OUR IGNORANCE? Also – and maybe more likely – the extent of the contact was not sufficient for transmission (the sufferer, who is now fully recovered, came to the service and then left to return to work immediately after its conclusion).

      We now know what is going on; to take unnecessary risks now would be arrogant and stupid, and it is my belief that God would be rather less inclined to protect us if we engage IN ARROGANT STUPIDITY.

      1. Thinking that there is some omnipotent entity that is influencing whether or not you get the “Orange Menace” is arrogant stupidity.

        Two things are at play – chance and your behavior. You can influence one of those.

        1. Yes, God is not some kind of cosmic magician, still less one who arbitrarily chooses for whom the wand in waved, and most so-called ‘acts of God’ (e.g. the destruction of Sodom, which was built on the mother and father of all geological faults) can be explained using science.

          We should, of course, not assume that “your behaviour” is limited to that merely of individuals; some countries which have coped better with the pandemic have done so because of social attitudes (e.g. it has long been the case that, during the flu season, Japanese people have worn masks, because they see it their social duty to minimize the chances of infecting others).

      2. But too many Christians mistake Arrogant Stupidity for Holiness.
        (Taking their pastors as examples?)
        Just because “The Wisdom of God is Foolishness to Man” doesn’t mean the reverse — My Foolishness must be God’s Wisdom.

        1. I’d say the problem is that arrogant stupidity is the product of misplaced certainty. Faith and hope are not the same as certainty – after all, if one is certain, one has no need of faith! (As for pastors: well, I suspect it is the case that some set a good example to their flock while others do not.)

          Wrongly ‘reversing’ the idea that God’s wisdom is foolishness to ‘the world’ (as in that which is worldly) is the result of putting man at the centre of things instead of God, isn’t it? There is something very human-centred about narcissistic religious posturing.

          1. Wrongly ‘reversing’ the idea that God’s wisdom is foolishness to ‘the
            world’ (as in that which is worldly) is the result of putting man at the
            centre of things instead of God, isn’t it?

            I just chalk it up to “Holy Nincompoop Syndrome”, where the more stupid and ignorant you are, the more Holy you must be.

          2. Or maybe the notion that having faith is all about about getting away with being stupid?

            The Trump-Covid business is all very curious. If he did have it, he clearly benefited from a monumental barrage of treatment and/or has been very lucky. Fortunately, if the whole show was meant to be a campaign ploy of some kind, it appears that many Americans are simply not ‘buying it’ – Biden-Harris is now polling at around the same level as Obama-Biden in 2008.

      3. How do you know they had COVID-19? Did they get the antibody test? There are only a few known cases that far back in the US that I am aware of.

      4. How do you know they had COVID-19? Did they get the antibody test? There are only a few known cases that far back in the US that I am aware of.

        1. Antibody test (they are an intensive care nurse, i.e. in a ‘priority group’ for testing)

          1. Wow, that is very early then. I know there is a ton of speculation about the January E3 convention in California being an early super spreader event as well but I haven’t seen if there has been significant testing around it yet aside from one person.

          2. It was late in January, or maybe the very beginning of February when they were symptomatic, but early nevertheless! Just on the timing thing: there is a school of thought that Italy had its first case before 2019 was out.

            I have to say that it is a bit odd that (if it is the case) there were a few very early cases a while before widespread transmission was evident, especially given how easily the virus is transmitted. On the other hand, most IC nurses are very busy during winter and probably find themselves almost exclusively in one of two places at any given time: on the ward or at home. And then there is misdiagnosis, of course (and my friend at the time assumed they had influenza).

            I ought to see how they are in any case (I suspect they are under a lot of pressure again right now), and I will gently ask again about their brush with Covid-19! It is certainly all very interesting, to say the least …

          3. I remember having some sort of “anomalous flu” in late January. A couple days of fever kicking off a couple months of serous bronchitis. Very similar to a serious bronchitis I caught about two years before. Doc put me back on an albuterol inhaler “as needed”. I needed until around April.

            My writing partner (the burned-out country preacher) also related that there was a similar anomalous flu going around about the same time where he was (rural central Pennsylvania).

          4. I’ve spoken with my friend in more detail, and they estimate that they were infectious from maybe the second week of February, and are (with the benefit of hindsight) fairly sure from whom they got the virus.

  5. They sure act like there’s no pandemic.
    John Fea’s on it:

    “And here are the court evangelicals [at the Barrett Rose Garden Massacre]:
    Franklin Graham (no mask)
    Cissie Graham (no mask)
    Paula White (no mask)
    Greg Laurie (no mask)
    Jack Graham (no mask)
    Bishop Harry Jackson (no mask)
    Jentezen Franklin (no mask)
    Ralph Reed (no mask)
    Tony Perkins (no mask)
    Jerry Prevo (no mask)
    Robert Morris (no mask)”
    https://thewayofimprovement.com/2020/10/02/unmasked-court-evangelicals-were-at-the-barrett-announcement/

    (Though I give credit to Laurie for making what seems like an honest attempt to keep his congregation as safe as can be while still meeting in person. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/august/california-church-worship-covid-john-macarthur-greg-laurie.html)

  6. While I don’t wish for Trump to die from his infection, I definitely don’t wish him a “speedy recovery.” If that where to happen, he and his followers would use that to say “see covid-19 isn’t that bad” and once again downplay the significance of this disease.

    1. I suspect that dyed-in-the-wool Trumpists will say whatever they are minded to say, be Trump’s period of illness long or short. Similarly, those of us who are properly informed know that Covid-19 is a potentially very serious illness, regardless of whether or not Trump recovers quickly.

      I absolutely agree that we should none of us wish for Trump to succumb at this time and in this way, as for that to happen could be very damaging to the United States.

        1. 57% (plus?) of Americans know that such belittling of Covid is a load of rubbish and will (rightly) ignore the implications in this tweet. (They will also be aware that Trump has had access to levels of healthcare that they can only dream of …)

          Incidentally, Biden has posted a handy increase in his agregated poll lead in the last few days, suggesting that Trump will gain no political advantage from this twittish activity! I do however understand that what Trump has said might lead some others to behave irresponsibly thus putting the lives of some their family, friends and other associates at risk. But then again some people will behave irresponsibly in any case …

        2. Of course you do, Mr. President. You have COVID-19, with its attendant lung problems, for which you are taking large doses of steroids. They mask symptoms and make you feel better, and a bit manic, but they do nothing to heal the underlying disease. When you have to stop taking them, you’re going to feel a lot worse. Be afraid of COVID–it has killed nearly 210,000 Americans, lots of them older, obese, male people, much like yourself.

          1. Remember the LOYAL doctors at the press conferences? Never giving details on anything? Claiming “slightly overweight” as in 244 lbs?

            My old D&D dungeonmaster was the same height and husky build as Trump. When I first met him in 1975, he was 230 lbs and just out of high school.in subsequent years I saw his weight go up and down, peaking at a bit over 300. So I know about weight and appearance for someone of that height and body type.

            Either Trump is wearing some really bulky body armor or padding under his suit, or he is between 260 and 300 and the 244 is the Propaganda Number.

            “They gave them the Propaganda Number. Two thousand Roentgens, not fifteen.”
            — Minister Shcherbina, HBO Miniseries Chernobyl

        3. Of course you do, Mr. President. You have COVID-19, with its attendant lung problems, for which you are taking large doses of steroids. They mask symptoms and make you feel better, and a bit manic, but they do nothing to heal the underlying disease. When you have to stop taking them, you’re going to feel a lot worse. Be afraid of COVID–it has killed nearly 210,000 Americans, lots of them older, obese, male people, much like yourself.

        4. Give it another week and he’ll be announcing he just shot 18 holes-in-one in a row on the golf course…

          1. That’s how we’ll know he’s really sick, if he doesn’t hit the links this weekend.

          2. And a lot of the really SERIOUS COVID cases (as in ICU Ventilator or refrigerated trailer) show a sudden “crash” decline seven to nine days after onset of symptoms.

            Even ordinary flu will hit back with a vengeance if you start exerting yourself after you start recovering and the symptoms start easing off.

          3. …he just shot 18 holes-in-one in a row on the golf curse…

            Just like Dear Leader Comrade Kim Jong-Il.

    2. I hope Trump survives to ensure the GOP suffers the ignominy of following him into the abyss November 3rd, and then has to deal with a sore loser sniping at them from the sidelines and riling up their base against them over the next full election cycle.

      But I wouldn’t be averse to his having to make an emergency flight back to Walter Reed for another couple of weeks of strict bedrest as he gets the full and up close personal tour of all the symptoms his abdication of responsibility has forced upon hundreds of thousands of Americans since March — not that I expect the experience will cause any change of heart in the man.

      1. I suspect that relapses are not uncommon, especially if the patient does not get the requisite amount of rest during recovery. If Trump behaves as I suspect he is going to, another trip to hozzie is quite probable …

        (We were told that one reason {UK Premier] Johnson became very sick was because he made the mistake of not resting enough after the first symptoms appeared.)

        1. Remember Trump always has to show off how he’s the Superhuman Invincible Fuehrer. His ego won’t let him do anything else.

          1. Yes, I think he will try to push too far, and this might mean he will need to go back to hospital. We will see …

  7. Has Greg Laurie or people at Amy Coney Barrett’s White House reception denied there is a pandemic?

    1. well…it seems like not being masked was pretty much a pre-requisite to sit at the feet of the good lord Trump

          1. A clip from The Dick Emery Show on Warren Throckmorton’s blog?

            2020 has indeed been a strange year…

          2. And why not?! DoctorDJ says some “awful” things, but I can’t help liking him/her!

      1. The False Prophets always suck up to The Beast.
        “Where We Go One, So Go We All.”

    2. Watch what they *do*, not what they say. By not wearing masks, they are denying the pandemic in practice if not in their words.

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