Our world has been divided into two distinct eras, the pre-coronavirus era and the post-coronavirus era. In the post-coronavirus era, everything is changing about how we live, think, work, study, travel, worship, do business and socialize. Our dispositions to the changes will determine what the post-coronavirus world will look like for us. Rigidity will be a great undoing for many in the days to come. We all have to prepare to learn, unlearn and relearn new skills in order to survive the impact of the pandemic. The church in Africa, and, indeed, ECWA is not immune to the changes taking place. If the church in Africa and beyond is to survive and be of impact in this new-normal era of the world, then it must be like the men of Issachar, ‘who understood the times and knew what Israel should do . . .’ (1 Chronicles 12:32). This book examines the effects of the coronavirus lockdown on corporate worship in ECWA. It discusses the response of ECWA to the same and extrapolates the implications to the church in Africa. These implications are important for the future of evangelical Christianity in Africa so the church can strategise to minister in the face of the new realities introduced by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coronavirus Pandemic has stuck fear, anxiety, and worry in the hearts of millions worldwide. Only through God and His Word can you find the peace you desire. In this timely book, you will find inspiration and encouragement to help navigate through the Coronavirus Pandemic crisis. It includes narratives and prayers on fear, worry, anxiety, discouragement, how to navigate a crisis, and more! It also presents inspiration and encouragement from Christian leaders and an extensive practical guidebook by major medical experts on how to keep you and your family safe. A special section covers COVID-19 Myth Busters to reveal what is true and what is not true concerning the virus.
Discover a different way of seeing and responding to the Coronavirus pandemic, an approach drawing on Scripture, Christian history, and the way of living, thinking, and praying revealed to us by Jesus. What are we supposed to think about the Coronavirus crisis? Some people think they know: "This is a sign of the End," they say. "It's all predicted in the book of Revelation." Others disagree but are equally clear: "This is a call to repent. God is judging the world and through this disease he's telling us to change." Some join in the chorus of blame and condemnation: "It's the fault of the Chinese, the government, the World Health Organization…" N. T. Wright examines these reactions to the virus and finds them wanting. Instead, he shows that a careful reading of the Bible and Christian history offers simple though profound answers to our many questions, including: What should be the Christian response? How should we think about God? How do we live in the present? Why should we lament? What should we learn about ourselves? How do we recover? Written by one of the world's foremost New Testament scholars, God and the Pandemic will serve as your guide to read the events of today through the light of Jesus' death and resurrection.
This volume explores current understandings of the global meaning of faith and suffering in the context of COVID-19 and interrogates responses to the pandemic that have emerged from World Christianity. It includes chapters by a range of international contributors approached from a variety of angles within Global Christian theology. They provide reflections and analyses focused on the question of God, human suffering, structural injustice, the role of the church and Christian praxis in the milieu of COVID-19, where misery and dying is a daily routine. This book will be of interest to scholars of Missiology, World Christianity, biblical/public/contextual theology and various Contemporary Christian studies.
Religious Responses to Pandemics and Crises explores various dimensions of the interrelations between the individual, community, and religion. With their global scope, the contributions to this volume represent reflections on the rich and multifaceted spectrum of human responses in a variety of different religions and cultures to the current SARS-2-COVID-19 pandemic and similar crises in the past. The contributions are organized in three thematic parts focusing on strategies, rituals, and past and present responses to pandemics and crises. They reflect on the intersection of personal or communal responses and state-mandated policies relative to SARS-2-COVID-19 while outlining different strategies to cope with the pandemic crisis. Timely questions explored include: How do individuals connect with or disconnect from religious and spiritual communities during times of personal and collective crises, including pandemics? How do religious practices such as rituals bridge individuals and communities? How do religious texts from past and present highlight and represent crises and pandemics? Dynamic and multidisciplinary in its inquiry, this volume is an outstanding resource for scholars of religion, theology, anthropology, social sciences, ritual theory, sex and gender studies, and contemporary medical science.
COVID-19 has transformed our everyday lives. It’s as if another world has arrived in the blink of an eye. Yet life is not on pause. We still need to live. The pandemic, like any other time, is a moment both of opportunity as well as challenge. Healthy Faith in the Coronavirus Crisis is a briefing on how to thrive in a world of restrictions. Twenty leading Christian thinkers have come together to help you begin to navigate this strange reality. Each contributor writes on their area of expertise, and topics covered include prayer, loneliness, work, singleness, marriage, parenting, grief, death, imagination, conversations, humour, and much more. They offer practical advice as well as helpful perspective from Scripture. This is an essential resource for anyone looking to cultivate a healthy faith which infuses all areas of life during this disorienting time. Early Reviews This really is an excellent book... informative and useful, and I would not hesitate to recommend it widely to believers and unbelievers alike. - Eddie Arthur, Kouyanet “Healthy Faith is essential reading for any Christian.” - Terry Wright, Spurgeon’s College “beautiful and arresting” - Johan De Young, Before Leaving Earth blog, Oak Hill student CONTENTS Section One: (re)orientation 1. Orienting to the New Reality (Luke Cawley) 2. Homecoming: The Art of Being Human (Kristi Mair) Section Two: fragile life 1. Viruses and God’s Good Creation: How Do They Fit? (Paul Copan) 2. The Art of Dying Well: Reflections of a Christian Medic (John Wyatt) 3. Dancing with Uncertainty: Lessons from the Persecuted Church (Eddie Lyle) 4. Grief and Comfort: Understanding and Responding to the Experience of Loss (Richard Winter) 5. Navigating Loneliness: Why It Hurts and How We Can Respond (Ed Shaw) 6. Healthy Fear: Keeping Calm and Considering Christ (Dan Strange) Section Three: connected life 1. Stable Disruptions: Furlough, Unemployment, Front Line, and Our Constant Call (Ed Creedy) 2. Working in God’s World: A Time for Recalibration (Cal Bailey) 3. Connected Singleness: Distance Without Isolation (Kate Wharton) 4. The Shape of Marriage: Scriptural Principles (Dianne & Derek Tidball) 5. Communicating With Your Other Half: Tips from the Marriage Coaches (Julie & Keith Johnson) 6. Parenting: The Opportunities of Being Trapped With Your Kids (Rachel Turner) Section Four: growing life 1. Church, Crisis and Creativity: A Chance for Revitalization (Krish Kandiah) 2. Prayer in Confinement: Postures and Practices for a Flourishing Faith (Jill Weber) 3. Encountering Scripture: Turning to the Psalms in Times of Trial (Matt Searles) 4. Viral Conversations: Extending the Hope of Jesus to Friends (Andy Bannister) 5. The Liberated Imagination: Realities Beyond Restrictions (Mark Meynell) 6. Infectious Laughter: Humour in an Age of Tragedy (Andy Kind) Afterword God With Us: A Paradigm for Life During the Pandemic (Tom Wright) Appendices 1. A Psalm in the Epidemic: Trust Triumphs Over Fear (Pablo Martinez) 2. How Hope & Patience Embrace Each Other: A Reflection (Pablo Martinez) 3. Advice for Carers & Relatives: Practical, Medical, & Pastoral issues (John Wyatt) 4. Current legal framework for end-of-life decisions (John Wyatt) 5. Sample Statement of Wishes and Values for a Christian Believer (John Wyatt) 6. Safeguarding tips for churches (Thirtyone:Eight) 7. Guidance for working and communication safely online (Thirtyone:Eight) 8. Ten Tips for Working From Home (Luke Cawley)
This book is a correspondence between two theologians and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21. In it the authors reflect on the nature of God, the efficacy of prayer, the value of experience, the nature of theology itself, the importance of Christian hope, and many other topics. The style is familiar and light, rich, and full of wisdom.
“This is a time when the fragile form of this world is felt. The seemingly solid foundations are shaking. The question we should be asking is, Do we have a Rock under our feet? A Rock that cannot be shaken—ever?” —John Piper On January 11, 2020, a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) reportedly claimed its first victim in the Hubei province of China. By March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization had declared a global pandemic. In the midst of this fear and uncertainty, it is natural to wonder what God is doing. In Coronavirus and Christ, John Piper invites readers around the world to stand on the solid Rock, who is Jesus Christ, in whom our souls can be sustained by the sovereign God who ordains, governs, and reigns over all things to accomplish his wise and good purposes for those who trust in him. What is God doing through the coronavirus? Piper offers six biblical answers to that question, showing us that God is at work in this moment in history.
The COVID-19 crisis suddenly changed everything in the world, including the celebration of the Eucharist. This small volume addresses existential questions concerning Christians amid the pervasive threat of COVID-19. Each author shares his personal experience during the crisis while reflecting from a Christian perspective within his personal responsibility each with a different focus. All four see meaning in the crisis as Pope Francis expresses in the foreword: it has yet again made us aware of our transience, frailty, and mortality. The crisis he says invites us to derive new hope, courage, energy, and happiness from the sources of life and faith, and to stand by those suffering hardship and difficulty. The writings in A Christian Response to COVID-19 speak to the decisions Christians are making in these days to reconcile our lives more fully with God, as we seek solidarity in our common vulnerability as human beings and place our lives into the service of other people.
From the best-selling author of God and Donald Trump, which was brandished by the president at the World Economic Forum in Davos How the Pandemic Is Affecting Christians, the World, and America's 2020 Election This book is a timely follow up to God, Trump and the 2020 Election that reveals insider information about China, the virus, and the ever-increasing stakes of the upcoming election. It will answer the question for the Christian believers (and seekers) of where God is in all this? It provides a little known prophecy by the late David Wilkerson about a plague coming that would shut down the government as well as churches and bars, including shaking New York City as it's never been shaken. Wilkerson said this plague would force believers into radical prayer that will spark an awakening--something echoed by Christian leaders and prophets. Just as the economy was booming and Donald Trump was fixing long-term problems and beating back attacks from his opponents, a brand-new virus shakes up everything including the outcome of this election. The author has inside information about what happened in China early in the pandemic and what went wrong. He even documents how Donald Trump has led the nation in this time of crisis. In 2016, God raised up Donald Trump to lead America at a pivotal time. Evangelicals who recognized this backed him more than any other presidential candidate in history. Heading into Election Day 2020, the stakes are even higher, especially with the uncertainty and upheaval caused by COVID-19. This book is really "part two" of God, Trump and the 2020 Election which details the fight for the soul of America. Strang believes readers need both books to understand and explain what's at stake. With the shutdown caused by the pandemic, serious anti-Christian trends surfaced, such as some states closing "non-essential" churches but allowing liquor stores to provide curbside service. Or ceasing all elective surgeries except abortion, which is the taking of a life while the purpose in shutting down the economy was to save lives from this dreaded virus. Other Books Available: God, Trump, and the 2020 Election ISBN: 9781629996653 (2020) Trump Aftershock ISBN: 9781629995557 (2018) God and Donald Trump ISBN: 9781629994864 (2017)