Healthy Faith and the Coronavirus Crisis: Thriving in the Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has transformed our everyday lives. It's as if another world has arrived in the blink of an eye. Yet life is not on pause. We still need to live. The pandemic, like any other time, is a moment both of opportunity as well as challenge. Healthy Faith in the Coronavirus Crisis is a briefing on how to thrive in a world of restrictions. Twenty leading Christian thinkers have come together to help you begin to navigate this strange reality. Each contributor writes on their area of expertise, and topics covered include prayer, loneliness, work, singleness, marriage, parenting, grief, death, imagination, conversations, humour, and much more. They offer practical advice as well as helpful perspective from Scripture. This is an essential resource for anyone looking to cultivate a healthy faith which infuses all areas of life during this disorienting time. CONTENTS Section One: (re)orientation 1. Orienting to the New Reality (Luke Cawley) 2. Homecoming: The Art of Being Human (Kristi Mair) Section Two: fragile life 1. Viruses and God's Good Creation: How Do They Fit? (Paul Copan) 2. The Art of Dying Well: Reflections of a Christian Medic (John Wyatt) 3. Dancing with Uncertainty Lessons from the Persecuted Church (Eddie Lyle) 4. Grief and Comfort Understanding and Responding to the Experience of Loss (Richard Winter) 5. Navigating Loneliness Why It Hurts and How We Can Respond (Ed Shaw) 6. Healthy Fear: Keeping Calm and Considering Christ (Dan Strange) Section Three: connected life 1. Stable Disruptions Furlough, Unemployment, Front Line, and Our Constant Call (Ed Creedy) 2. Working in God's World A Time for Recalibration (Cal Bailey) 3. Connected Singleness Distance Without Isolation (Kate Wharton) 4. The Shape of Marriage: Scriptural Principles (Dianne & Derek Tidball) 5. Communicating With Your Other Half: Tips from the Marriage Coaches (Juliet & Keith Johnson) 6. Parenting: The Opportunities of Being Trapped With Your Kids (Rachel Turner) Section Four: growing life 1. Church, Crisis and Creativity A Chance for Revitalization (Krish Kandiah) 2. Prayer in Confinement Postures and Practices for a Flourishing Faith (Jill Weber) 3. Encountering Scripture Turning to the Psalms in Times of Trial (Matt Searles) 4. Viral Conversations Extending the Hope of Jesus to Friends (Andy Bannister) 5. The Liberated Imagination Realities Beyond Restrictions (Mark Meynell) 6. Infectious Laughter Humour in an Age of Tragedy (Andy Kind) afterword God With Us A Paradigm for Life During the Pandemic (Tom Wright) appendices 1. A Psalm in the Epidemic Trust Triumphs Over Fear (Pablo Martinez) 2. How Hope & Patience Embrace Each Other: A Reflection (Pablo Martinez) 3. Advice for Carers & Relatives Practical, Medical, & Pastoral issues (John Wyatt) 4. Current legal framework for end-of-life decisions (John Wyatt) 5. Sample Statement of Wishes and Values for a Christian Believer (John Wyatt) 6. Safeguarding tips for churches (Thirtyone: Eight) 7. Guidance for working and communication safely online (Thirtyone: Eight) 8. Ten Tips for Working From Home (Luke Cawley)