John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, has written a thoughtful and helpful booklet on the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. He offers a balanced, insightful, and hopeful view about the challenges we face. This accessible publication is short and can be read in one sitting. Like the pandemic that confronts us all, there is something useful for everyone, regardless of faith commitments. This would be an excellent resource for small groups to discuss and I highly recommend it to you.
His commitment to the good news of Christ is clear throughout and a strong sense of God’s sovereignty shines brightly. It really was balanced arguing that we have responsibility under the keen providence of God’s care while eschewing an over-realized eschatology some “passionate” Christians maintain by refusing to take guidance from established health officials. For example, he notes we must “beware of anyone who interprets pain caused by natural evil as a divine punishment. But equally, beware also of anyone who says that God has nothing to say through this pandemic, particularly to Western societies that have largely turned their back on him as culturally irrelevant” (p 25). Near the end he offers 4 strategies (all of which he ably unpacks) for coping: 1) Heed Advice, 2) Maintain Perspective, 3) Love Your Neighbor, 4) Remember Eternity. I especially appreciated the section, 3) Love Your Neighbor. It’s really a strength of the book. He is clear that we must follow the science but also entrust ourselves to God’s care and goodness.