Grant Wiley – God and the Pandemic by N.T. Wright (outside reading)



            I just finished the book God and the Pandemic by N.T. Wright. In this small book, Wright, a foremost New Testament scholar, addresses the coronavirus and what it means for us as Christians. To preface this blog, I disagree with much of what Wright says in his books and his general theology. He is an outspoken supporter of the New Perspective on Paul which makes the case that much of Christian theology up until this point has misunderstood the historical context of the Apostle Paul and his writings. Still, I think this book was somewhat valuable. Wright talks about the Christian attitude towards Creation and the idea that the pandemic might be the cause of our disrespect for Creation. It seems that if God were to use a situation to punish humans for their misdeeds, it would certainly make sense for it to be a virus that has killed many people. Wright goes on to say that we cannot know the purpose of this virus and in some ways, he denies the sovereignty of God. 

            Another book that I read this semester was Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper. This book is on the same topic, the coronavirus. Piper, too, posits that the likely cause for the coronavirus is sin. It could be God’s punishment for misuse of Creation, but it could also be a multitude of other things. What is clear to Piper is that the world has turned away from God and we deserve worse than just a virus. These two books were an interesting reflection on what we have learned so far in the class. Both are from modern, contemporary Christians coming from different denominations. John Piper has a clear focus on the sovereignty of God how he has “Satan on a leash”. N.T. Wright focuses upon the unknowability of the purpose or plan of God with the coronavirus. 

-  March 8, 2021

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