Coronavirus and Christ

Reviewed by:

Julie-Allyson Ieron, author/Bible teacher/worship minister

Womencareforagingparents.com

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Book or Media Title:

Coronavirus and Christ

Author:

John Piper

Publisher:

Crossway

Publication:

2020

Format:

Trade paper, ebook, audio book

Length:

114 pages

OVERVIEW

If you visit author and Bible teacher John Piper’s Facebook page these days, you’ll see a profile picture of Piper’s intense eyes while the rest of his face hides behind a grey plaid mask. Clearly he is serious about COVID-19. Always ready to take on cultural issues in his books and preaching, Piper quickly put together this book to address today’s pandemic. He released it free on all ebook formats, read his own audio book version, and will release a trade paper edition with Crossway.

While he opens with words of comfort from the Scriptures, he soon turns to his more typical voice of theologian—analytical and a bit clinical. Thought short, it is a substantial treatise. In going head to head with the pandemic regarding what he terms God’s “bitter providence,” Piper shows how COVID-19 “does not point to unholiness or unrighteousness or lack of goodness in God.”

He is reasonable. And he is realistic. This sobering line, in particular, combats any notion that God guarantees to save His people from crisis in this world. He writes, “For all I know, I will not live to see this book published. I have at least one relative infected with the coronavirus. I am seventy-four years old, and my lungs are compromised with a blood clot and seasonal bronchitis. But these factors do not ultimately decide. God decides.”

The strength of Piper’s argument comes in his explanation of what God is doing through this virus. He points our attention to our own sin and how grievous it is to God. Then he addresses believers with the reminder to wake up and be ready for our Lord’s return. He draws heavily from and supports his arguments with Scripture after Scripture. He urges readers to repent while there is still time and then to let our light shine so we can show Christ to the world.

Piper’s closing prayer for God to purify His people and have mercy on the afflicted made the read worthwhile.

Click here to download a free version of the book!

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5):

4

Suggested Audience:

Pastors, Bible teachers, Christian opinion leaders

Christian Impact:

A solid argument for God’s purpose in allowing cultural crises, with today’s pandemic taking center stage.

Other Notes:

If you’re looking for a compassionate, warm hug from the Lord to sustain you during COVID-19, look elsewhere. However, if you want to be armed with a reasoned argument to defend the reality that a good God can allow death and suffering in this fallen world, Piper offers a plausible explanation.