N. T. Wright Helps Us Understand the Coronavirus Pandemic with New Book

Theologian and New Testament scholar N. T. Wright has documented his thoughts about the coronavirus pandemic in his new book, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath. An e-book and audio book (read by the author) have been released by Zondervan, followed by a trade paper edition in early July.

God and the Pandemic provides a thoughtful response to Covid-19 from one of the world's most respected and trusted theologians. The book examines a range of Christian reactions to Covid-19, including some calling the virus a sign of the apocalypse and others blaming and condemning China, the government, and the World Health Organization. Wright takes a different approach. He urges Christians to root their response in the full scope of scripture -including the prophets, the book of Job, the Psalms, Jesus and Paul-as well as examples of Christians throughout history Christian history. A Christian response to this crisis, he explains, is not simple or straight-forward, it must reflect the heart of Christ for humanity.

Wright invites readers to begin with prayer when seeking answers and solutions during this crisis: "Before we can answer questions in anything other than the broadest outline, we need a time of lament, of restraint, of precisely not jumping to 'solutions.' These may come, God willing, but unless we retreat from our instant reactions we may not be able to hear them. If we spend time in the prayer of lament, new light may come, rather than simply the repetition of things we might have wanted to say anyway."

Katya Covrett, Executive Editor of Zondervan Reflective, welcomes Wright's unique perspective at this pivotal moment: "In times of disaster or crisis, Christians are notoriously prone to jumping to conclusions about the nature and character of God, what he might be doing or saying in all this, and who is at fault for these great and terrible events. The current pandemic is no exception. God and the Pandemic takes a different approach: helping readers understand how to talk about God, how to live in the present pandemic, recover from it, and how to carry out the church's calling in the midst of it all."

 

About N. T. Wright:

Wright is the research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews and senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He is the award-winning author of over eighty books, including Simply Jesus and The New Testament in Its World. 

More details, including videos and a downloadable study guide, are found at www.GodandthePandemic.com. 

 

 

Tags : N. T. Wright God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath zondervan N. T. Wright new book