Life Will Go On

As I read through a biography of early 20th-century preacher Aimee Semple McPherson, when I reached the part about 1918, I prepared to read extensively about the devastation of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and the impact that it had on her ministry.

I was surprised to find that the author devoted a few sentences to the epidemic by detailing that she was not able to hold a public meeting due to the churches being closed and that she was able to visit one of her preaching role models because the churches had opened back up and she was able to travel again.

What gave me pause is that we know that the 1918 influenza pandemic was devastating, killing 50 million people worldwide and 675,000 here in the United States. (Source CDC Website)

Yet there were few sentences about the pandemic. My takeaway from that is Life Went On.

It is helpful for us to understand the context of the culture in the Early 20th century: People at the time were used to dealing with suffering and death. World War 1 was raging in Europe killing millions of people. Epidemics and Pandemics weren’t rare events with diseases like cholera, polio, yellow fever, and tuberculosis killing people or rendering them disabled.

Modern culture in the 21st century has relied on technology and advancements to shield citizens from suffering and premature death. Up…