Book Review: God and the Pandemic, by N. T. Wright

After writing a short essay for Time Magazine, N.T. Wright set out to write a longer version to express his thoughts. In this 76 page tract, he explains the basis for his rejection of apocalyptic interpretations of the pandemic. History is replete with plagues; historically Christians cared for the afflicted, and proclaimed the gospel by living out their faith, by following the example of Jesus. We cannot claim biblical authority for private interpretations of this plague, such as seeing it as a judgment by God of sin, or claiming special knowledge of what God is doing. Rather, the Biblical response is to lament the events, and rise to the challenge of asking God for directions on whom we are to serve, and how. He cites several New Testament passages in support of the Biblical basis for this response. 

While Wright’s position is strong, he gives only passing comment to the fundamental difference between this and previous pandemics. A rather major feature of this present pandemic is that government at all levels has gone crazy in its response - shutting down the economy (except for casinos and abortion clinics), closing churches as not essential but protecting assembly for violent protest. If any feature of the present circumstances suggests an imminent apocalypse, it is this arrogance of politicians and their public health advisors exercising authority with the wisdom and discretion of the Keystone Kops (reviewer’s comment, not in the book).

The apex of Bishop Wright’s argument is a slightly different reading of Romans 8:28. The standard translation is, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This implies a passive receipt of the benefits of the work God is doing in these circumstances. The author suggests that the use of synergeo is closer to other passages in which Paul was talking about God working with and through His people, acting through human agents, those who are called according to His purpose. So here, Dr. Wright suggests, Paul is calling us to hard work, knowing that God is working through us.  This is the Biblically Christian response to the ‘all things’ of the present.

If nothing else, this book makes clear that the basic imperatives of the Christian life are not changed by circumstances. Locked doors cannot keep Jesus out. He can calm our fears. The gospels describe the signs of God working through Jesus - healings, teachings, service, offering faith and hope to the down and out; and these hallmarks of His presence on earth continue to this day through His people, the church.

COVID-19: A parable for our time.

COVID-19 is like sin. It is deadly. And it is very contagious. 

The coronavirus is often transmitted so subtly, with no visible indications, that the recipient  is unaware of the risk. Because of this, extreme social distancing is the primary defense against contagion. Distancing. Face masks. Avoiding large gatherings. Extreme sanitation - wiping down all common surfaces with disinfectant wipes. Closing establishments that cannot meet these requirements. Would that we worked this hard to avoid infection by sin! 

The social consequences of Coronavirus are reshaping society. The economy is shutting down whole sectors, those that depend on large numbers of people in proximity for their business. Mail order business and virtual events are the new normal. Distancing and avoidance measures are reshaping surviving enterprises. 

Sin is deadly. Sin is very contagious.  We need a vaccine for Coronavirus, and many are working on one. But the vaccine for sin has been around for 2,000 years and only some partake. Believing in Jesus Christ saves us from sin, and we get an added dimension of resistance with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The sad truth is that while many people are in denial about the danger of Coronavirus, more are in denial about sin. A lack of common sense about the cause and effect relationship between sin and disaster perhaps arises from God’s grace. We have been so awash in God’s grace that when He chooses to discipline us, all He does is pull back a part of the grace, to allow cause and effect to bring about consequences. 

To the believer, this is recognized as a warning from God with respect to some aspect of life that He is trying to change. The unbeliever takes this as proof that there is no God, unable to see or appreciate the sea of God’s grace, and consequences become calamity. But before any of this, He warns. He sent prophets to Israel in the Old Testament (they didn’t listen), and He sends evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers to both the world and the church today. Unlike “experts” on Coronavirus who change their story frequently, God’s messengers tirelessly repeat the eternal truths of the Bible. We are tested by our recognition of His working through them (His messengers) and through circumstances. 

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:25-27, NASB)

BLM Iconoclasm: Daniel’s Words to Nebuchadnezzar about Feet of Clay

In their zeal to eradicate symbols of racism, Black Lives Matter supporters are (possibly unintentionally) revealing God’s hatred of idolatry. Even before Moses gave the second commandment (Exodus 20:4-6), God ridiculed the idols of Laban (Genesis 31:19,30-35). Idolatry was a snare to the Israelites throughout their history, up to the deportation to Babylon. Although the New Testament does not record it, the iconoclasm of the Byzantine Empire in later centuries testifies to the enduring temptation.

Do modern statues of historical figures constitute idols that are worshipped? The emotional reaction of those who seek to protect them suggests the truth that the problem is really in their hearts. These “heroes” or role models are more important to them than faith and truth, and closer to their hearts. That is the true danger of idolatry. 

Regrettably, most BLM supporters are not true iconoclasts. Their proposal is simply to replace statues of historical figures with statues of other, ‘acceptable’ people. Idolatry lives on! What few have recognized is that all fallen humans have feet of clay. (Romans 3:23)  When statues of them are erected, their feet of clay lead to their destruction, just as Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 2:33-35).

The verdict seems clear. We must cleanse our hearts of worship of people or false pretenses. Worship and serve the one true God.

The Battle Hymn of the End Times: COVID and Julia Ward Howe

I wonder if the Battle Hymn of the Republic should be considered as a gift from God, through Julia Ward Howe. She wrote it in 1862, having reportedly gotten the lines during a night’s sleep. Although originally inspired by the Civil War, they are timeless, or perhaps suited for the end of the ages.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: 

His truth is marching on.

The first thought is to recognize the terrible events of the Civil War as precursors to the revelation of God’s glory on the earth, specifically the imminent return of Jesus to set things right by ruling over the earth. The glory of His promised kingdom will be realized through His physical presence. 

The grapes of wrath refer to those various biblical passages in which Jesus is symbolically treading in a winepress. Is it God’s wrath or mankind’s wrath that we see in riots and civil unrest? Can they be separated? If it is God’s wrath, what should be our response?

His sword is usually identified as the Word, proceeding out of the mouth of Jesus. But if His sword also slays, might not plague and pestilence be seen as such? Humankind standing before the throne of God for judgment? His word is truth, which marches on in this sense, that He does not play favorites, but reveals the condition of all men’s hearts.

(Chorus)

Glory, Glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.

Glory, the weight of God’s presence, is experienced through the praise of YHWH, the eternal, self-existent, unconditional One. Ultimately, His truth will be revealed, because He marches on relentlessly. He will continue His work, with our participation or despite our rejection.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

His day is marching on.

Whether the campfires of homeless migrants or burning buildings torched by rioters, flames show His presence among humankind. The Holy Spirit anoints with tongues of fire, our God is a consuming fire. But ... just as the  Army of the Potomac in 1862 was ultimately to destroy rebel forces three years later, God will use the oft-misguided efforts of man to carry out His verdict and sentence. 

(Chorus)

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:

"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal";

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,

Since God is marching on.

Although current events point to a forceful and violent judgment, we are cautioned to humility. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) We should remember that the Lord’s Prayer includes the conditional petition “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Matthew 6:12) The end result of the gospel will be the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, when Jesus -  born of woman, born under the Law - finally defeats and destroys the devil and his kingdom. We can worship God in the present circumstances as they are indicators of his continuing work now, before His return in person.

(Chorus)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

The trumpets of the book of Revelation fulfill the trumpets commanded in the feasts of the Law. (Numbers 10:10) They announce the offerings and remind us to look to God. In martial use, they were throughout history used to sound commands in the field for the troops to hear signals of movement. God will never command His kingdom to retreat, although in one case, He will remove His people from the earth to go to be in His presence, as He judges all who remain on  the earth. (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) 

The judgments of God are both often mentioned in Scripture, and in our hearts as we sense His conviction regarding right and wrong. We make a choice to follow or reject them. This is not human tribunals’ version of justice, but the revelation by God through our own circumstances and the condition of our hearts. We are encouraged to respond to Him quickly, when He speaks and acts in our lives, because the final judgment will inexorably come. We should dance with joy at the signs of His imminent return.

(Chorus)

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

Jesus was born in a humble manger, more likely surrounded by hay and straw than the lilies where Moses was placed. But His divinity incarnate is able to transform us. (2 Corinthians 3:18) He died to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin. We are encouraged in this life to free humans, not just from chattel slavery, but from the bondage of sin. Let us do this now, while God is at work in our world, before that final judgment day.

(Chorus)

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,

He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,

So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,

Our God is marching on.

To what shall we compare the glory of the parousia (coming) mentioned at the outset? The sun shining on the ocean. The strong need His wisdom to act wisely, the courageous need His continuing encouragement to faint not in the day of His action. In the end, His kingdom will be established for all eternity on the earth as it is in heaven. We should celebrate that current events are signs of His imminence. 

Glory, hallelujah!

Do bad things have to happen for us to prove we trust God?

Job challenges Psalm 91 more directly than Genesis 32. Job, the archetype of those who trusted and honored God and suffered (Job 1:8), said “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him”.  (Job 13:15) He was sorely tested by his ‘comforters’. The book bearing his name is more about bad theology than God’s ways. Certainly Job’s ‘friends’ did not understand God or His ways. (Job 42:7) In the end, Job’s response to God’s self-revelation in chapters 38-41 is profound. He quotes God twice, then acknowledges he has no answer, and repents.

I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;

Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:2-6)

Job did not see the behind the scenes confrontation between God and Satan in chapters 1 and 2 that we readers are privy to.  In chapters 38-41, God showed him how much more there is in creation than he understood. Our simplistic understanding of eternal realities might be compared to a child’s understanding of an automobile. He sees his parents work the controls, but has no concept of legal, social, or practical implications of driving, much less the complexity of how the engine and transmission work. Driving three blocks in rural Utah is a far cry from driving in downtown LA, much less doing an engine overhaul.

God is love; the Scriptures and creation and the story of redemption all proclaim this. Jesus came to earth to save us because of His love for us. But that is the beginning of the story, not the whole story. We could speak of God’s holiness, of His creative power, and that takes us a few steps down the road. In Job’s case, God knew that Satan’s ravages would, in the end, open Job’s eyes to a whole new realm of revelation about Him, and thought it worth the cost for Job to grow in that dimension. What Satan intended for evil (i.e., Job’s renunciation of faith in God) became the pathway for the transformation of Job’s faith from religious form to living relationship. 

The security of one who trusts in the Lord is anchored to faith in this ultimate truth: He knows best, is omnipotent, and loving when He acts; and we are not capable of comprehending His nature and character.

Celebrating God in the Midst of Plague

Psalm 91 offers thanks to God for the security of those who trust in Him. It promises divine protection to those who live and abide in His shelter and shadow. Verses 3, 6, and 10 specifically mention plague and pestilence, among the woes that we need not fear, if this Psalm applies to us.

But what if it happens despite our abiding faith? What if the child dies, the parents get the divorce, bankruptcy takes all earthly possessions, the land is conquered, or the cupboard is bare? Psalm 91 seems to place a marker that evil befalls the wicked as punishment, but God protects the righteous. If we suffer, does that mean that despite our best efforts, we are still so wicked that God’s punishment is falling on us? Is there more to the story?

In Genesis 32 we have the story of Jacob wrestling with a man. Jacob actually was something of a scoundrel at this point. When he heard that the brother he had swindled was approaching with 400 men, he was rightfully worried. Genesis reports that he wrestled all night with a man (32:24), whom he later identifies as God (verse 30). If we take this as a metaphor for an all night prayer meeting with God, the Lord saw that He could not prevail over Jacob’s natural strength, so He crippled him. But Jacob still would not let go, and held on despite being crippled. God changed his name to Israel – a prince with God.

We can scarcely say that the rest of Jacob’s life went easily. He limped through the trials of having adult children. But we have this, that he is one of the forefathers of the nation that bears his name to this day. He inherited the promises of Abraham. He is in the lineage of Christ. His children and descendants were not perfect, but they were blessed.

And so perhaps we have a hint as to the nature of God’s kingdom. It is not a place where everything goes easily, the harvests are plentiful, there is no sickness, no one sins. Rather it is that place where God’s grace triumphs over the ills of mortal life.  We cling to Him despite being wounded or broken. God shows Himself faithful when we lean on Him. Our ultimate future is controlled by God’s grace, love, and mercy as we faithfully seek Him. We may get sick, lose all our money, or go hungry, but God walks with us and redeems us through everything. The essence of His kingdom is that we celebrate His presence with us in the midst of it all.

The New Normal - Conquering the Plague or Getting Right With God?

Reading Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the minor prophets sobers me. Times of great turmoil present both opportunity and danger. Recent history offers examples:

• World War 1 and the Spanish flu epidemic, followed by the roaring twenties.
• The Great Depression that birthed the Nazi regime in Germany.
• World war 2 laid the foundation for the Pax Americana and the Cold War. But ....
• Sustained prosperity led to the world’s values progressing ever more into the seven deadly sins.
• The fall of the iron curtain changed little, but freed the west to accelerate, until ....
• The events of September 11, 2001 shocked the west with the need for a global war on terror, 
• The economic contraction of 2008 created a bunker mentality for the financial sector.

We could see these events as simply the stuff of history, that perseverance and human ingenuity overcome.

Is the current situation similar to the great historical events, such as the bubonic plague in Europe 1348-1351, or the Babylonian and Assyrian invasions of Judah and Israel? Is life so fundamentally changed that it won’t return to the way things were? How will we respond to the New Crown Virus and the economic catastrophe that ensues? Major options:

• Individually and corporately figure out how to defeat it, medically, socially, economically,  and get back on track.
• Expect the government to intervene and fix everything.
• Repent our wandering hearts, cry out to God, and change our ways.

History and current events support the rejection of the credibility of the first option. It didn’t happen in 1348 or in 1929, and the dysfunction of our current approach suggests it won’t now. The experience of the 1930’s does not bode well for the second. Because the bottom line alternatives are either man’s ways or God’s. There is no mystery here, only pride and free will. Even the outcome is not in doubt (Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15), only our participation and place in it result from our free choice.

Until that event, the new normal likely is based on social distancing, prohibition of large gatherings, wearing personal protective equipment in public; it will take awhile for us to figure out how we relate, work, play, and worship under these new norms. The economy will suffer, at least by the metrics of existing business structures. Some industries may vanish, such as tourism, sit down restaurants, public education, organized sports. 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/new-model-looks-at-what-might-happen-if-sars-cov-2-is-here-to-stay/

Our apparent standard of living will drop. Amidst it all, will we say the following with Habakkuk?

Though the fig tree should not blossom

And there be no fruit on the vines,

Though the yield of the olive should fail

And the fields produce no food,

Though the flock should be cut off from the fold

And there be no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will exult in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.

[Habakkuk 3:17-19, NASB]