In July, New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian — Tim Keller’s theologically conservative church, firmly embedded in the mainstream of American evangelicalism — quietly posted a statement to its website regarding service attendance: “Individuals who are fully vaccinated … are welcome to sit on the main floor of the sanctuary without social distancing and masks will be optional … Individuals who are not fully vaccinated … are welcome to sit in the balcony …”
The language of the announcement was understated but the import was not — Redeemer Presbyterian had effectually segregated its church body based on vaccine status.