The global coronavirus pandemic, which has brought death to hundreds of thousands, serious illness to millions more, and financial hardship to the whole world, also poses profound spiritual questions and real challenges to Christians everywhere.The pandemic itself has become a fundamental test of faith in God and God’s providence, and it invites Christians to earnest re-examination of their relationship to God, each other, and the natural world, say authors of a new spiritual resource from the World Council of Churches (WCC).
In Healing the World: Bible Studies for the Pandemic Era, the WCC offers eight Bible studies to facilitate coming to terms—as individuals, groups, and communities of faith—with the loss, fear, and confusion engendered by the pandemic, and the bracing prospect of building the world anew.
It is hoped, too, that these encounters with the Word of God can stimulate the spiritual and theological reflection, open-ended discussion, and ecclesial engagement necessitated by the many-faceted catastrophe, its economic consequences, and the many interconnected questions of social justice.
The Bible studies, which can be used singly or in sequence, draw on the expertise and wisdom of ecumenical Christians from a variety of regions, confessions, and areas of expertise. They journey through key episodes in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament to ponder not only the meaning of the particular passages in their original contexts but also in our own and the opportunities they present to formulate authentic responses to the crisis and our changed lives. Each study concludes with questions, suggestions for activities, other resources, and a prayer.
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.
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