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.

This volume explores how Christians around the world have made sense of the meaning of suffering in the context of and post-COVID-19. It interrogates the question of God, suffering, and structural injustice. Further, it discusses the Christian response to the compounded threats of racial injustice, climate injustice, wildlife injustice, gender injustice, economic injustice, political injustice, unjust in the distributions of the vaccine and future challenges in the post-COVID-19 era. The contributions are authored by scholars, students, activists and clergy from various fields of inquiry and church traditions. The volume seeks to deepen Christian understanding of the meaning of suffering in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the fresh ways the pandemic can contribute to reconceptualizing human relations and specifically, what it means to be human in the context of suffering, the place of or justifications of God in suffering, human place in creation, and the role of the church in re-articulating the theological meanings and praxes of suffering for today.

‘Superbly written, utterly Bible based. . . Do not hesitate!’ Archbishop Justin Welby 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...' Tom Wright examines these reactions to the virus and finds them wanting. Instead, he invites you to consider a different way of seeing and responding – a way that draws on the teachings and examples of scripture, and above all on the way of living, thinking and praying revealed to us by Jesus.

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.

How belief in a loving and sovereign God helps us to make sense of and cope with the coronavirus outbreak. We are living through a unique, era-defining period. Many of our old certainties have gone, whatever our view of the world and whatever our beliefs. The coronavirus pandemic and its effects are perplexing and unsettling for all of us. How do we begin to think it through and cope with it? In this short yet profound book, Oxford mathematics professor John Lennox examines the coronavirus in light of various belief systems and shows how the Christian worldview not only helps us to make sense of it, but also offers us a sure and certain hope to cling to.

This book probes into the dynamics between Orthodox Christianity and the COVID-19 pandemic, unraveling a profound transformation at institutional and grassroots levels. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, and drawing upon varied data sources, including surveys, digital ethnography, and process tracing, it presents unprecedented insights into church-state relations, religious practices, and theological traditions during this crisis. Chapters analyze divergent responses across countries, underscore religious-political interplay, and expose tensions between formal and informal power networks. Through case studies, the book highlights the innovative adaptability within the faith, demonstrated by new religious practices and the active role of local priests in responding to the pandemic. It critically examines how the actions of religious and political figures influenced public health outcomes. Offering a fresh perspective, the book suggests that the pandemic may have permanently influenced the relationship between Orthodox Christianity, public health, and society.

"This book analyzes how the particular dynamics and effects emerging from the COVID-19 crisis both impact and are perceived by its most vulnerable yet visionary populations, based on their pragmatic and prescient analysis of the American experiment of freedom with regards to race and religion. Without a doubt, this book addresses the various ways the COVID-19 crisis marks not merely a moment in time, but also a world-historical event that threatens to leave its imprint on lives and cultures for decades to come"--

This book investigates the role of religion in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Africa. Building on a diverse range of methodologies and disciplinary approaches, the book reflects on how religion, politics and health have interfaced in Southern African contexts, when faced with the sudden public health emergency caused by the pandemic. Religious actors have played a key role on the frontline throughout the pandemic, sometimes posing roadblocks to public health messaging, but more often deploying their resources to help provide effective and timely responses. Drawing on case studies from African indigenous knowledge systems, Islam, Rastafari and various forms of Christianity, this book provides important reflections on the role of religion in crisis response. This book will be of interest to researchers across the fields of African Studies, Health, Politics and Religious Studies. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

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)

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the cause of much pain. In light of this, can Christians still believe in God? And if they do, can they still believe that he is all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing? In this book, Peter Harris looks at these difficult questions and answers yes! After establishing that COVID-19 is not God's judgment and without denigrating other worldviews, Harris demonstrates that Christianity has a moral philosophy which has led historically to robust and compassionate responses to pandemics, a response that is seen in Christian behavior today. Hospitals using modern science are on the front line in the battle with COVID-19. According to Harris, history demonstrates that it was Christians who first established hospitals and whose worldview gave rise to modern science in the first place. Turning to philosophy, Harris presents reasons to believe that God is congruent with pain with the argument from free will as his focus. Finally, Harris considers the pandemic from a pastoral argument, analyzing the pain of grief and explaining God's rescue package from a world of pain. If you want some serious reflection on COVID-19, this is a book for you.