Over the last few months, many Christians have been vocal against policies created by health officials to slow the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus. A group of high-profile evangelicals, spanning the fields of religion and science, are signing on to a statement that urges Christians to stop politizing the coronavirus and take the necessary action to stop it. This included getting the vaccine when it’s ready.

The statement, titled “A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times”, was published by the nonprofit organization BioLogos.

“We, the undersigned, join together as Christians who uphold the authority of God’s Word and see science as a tool to understand God’s world. We call on all Christians to follow the advice of public health experts and support scientists doing crucial biomedical research on COVID-19,” begins the statement on the BioLogos website.

“We are deeply concerned about the polarization and politicization of science in the public square when so many lives are at stake. The word ‘science’ has become a weapon in the culture wars. Scientists are vilified and their findings ignored, while conspiracy theories go viral. Sadly, Christians seem just as susceptible to these trends. Thoughtful Christians may disagree on public policy in response to the coronavirus, but none of us should ignore clear scientific evidence.”

So far, over 3,000 people have signed the statement. This includes influential evangelicals such as William Philips, Claud Alexander, and Samual Rodriquez. Signees range from researchers at universities to presidents of seminaries.

The signers affirm that they “uphold the authority of God’s Word and see science as a tool to understand God’s world.” They additionally “call on all Christians to follow the advice of public health experts and support scientists doing crucial biomedical research on COVID-19.”