Gavin Taylor

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Where is God in a Coronavirus World? is a book that sets out to explore that very question. When the Coronavirus pandemic was starting to get serious on a global scale, John C. Lennox felt that he should write into the situation(1). So he sat down to write. He did so all that day, and all that week to produce this "profound, accessible and comforting"(2) book. He tackles issues around how different worldviews address suffering, how there could even be such a virus if there is a loving God, and the difference God can make in our lives during this pandemic and beyond. Lennox aims to address both the big intellectual questions that this catastrophe raises, as well as the emotional responses that people all over the world are having right now. He does this with great insight and clarity. Lennox starts with a personal and relatable chapter about the surreal state of the world right now, and how this pandemic has made us feel vulnerable. He then addresses the reality of a world that contains both beauty and brokenness. He looks at both moral (caused by people) and natural (caused by nature) evil, and how different worldviews deal with them. He asks the question "Can Atheism help?"(3), and if this pandemic could be the judgement of God. He then spends the remainder of the book exploring how the Christian faith speaks into this crisis. Why is there suffering if God is sovereign and loving? What evidence do we have that God is a God of love? The observations he makes here are eye-opening and thought-provoking. Lennox gives an extraordinary perspective on current events and on life itself. He takes time to look at how God relates to us in our suffering and ultimately, how he suffered for us. "A Christian, then, is not a person who has solved the problem of suffering but one who has come to love and trust the God who has suffered for them."(4) The final chapter presents the difference that God makes in our lives at this time, and what the Christian response to it should be. This book is for those of faith as well as those who are atheist and/or sceptical. Lennox expertly writes in such a way to speak directly into both views with honesty and clarity. If you are wrestling with any of the questions I mentioned above then this little book has answers for you, at the very least it will get you thinking in a new way on these pressing issues. As I said before, Lennox looks to answer both the big intellectual questions suffering raises as well as the personal emotional responses that arise when we are faced with disaster. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. (1) From interview, John Lennox: Where is God in a Coronavirus world? Available here (1:22) (2) Quote by Dr Peter Saunders on the back cover of the book (3) Where is God in a Coronavirus world? Chapter 3 (4) Where is God in a Coronavirus world? Page 47 (less)