Welcome to the podcast Think Biblically. Conversations on Faith and Culture.

I'm your host Scott Ray, Dean of Faculty and Professor of Christian Ethics at Talbot School of Theology here at Biola University.

And I'm your co-host Sean McDow, Professor Apologetics at Talbot School Theology

Biola University.

We're here with a very special guest, Professor N. T. Wright is research professor of New Testament

and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, a senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall of

Oxford. He's not only a wonderful New Testament scholar. at Wickley

Cliff Hall of Oxford. He's not only a wonderful New Testament scholar, but he's a thoroughgoing

churchman too. Prior to this he was the Bishop of Durham in England for the Anglican

Church. He's written a wonderful new book that we want to highlight

in our conversation here entitled God and the Pandemic, subtitle a Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and its aftermath.

Professor Wright, we are so glad to have you on with us.

Thank you so much for coming on with us for writing this terrific book.

It's not only wonderful reflection on the pandemic that we're facing at present,

but it's a wonderful model of how to do theology well. Well, thank you. It's very kind.

Thank you. I'm glad to be with you. So, thank you. It's very kind.

I'm glad to be with you.

So let me start with this.

What are some things that we can learn from the early history of the church about how followers of Jesus responded to serious sickness in

their communities. Well it's fascinating isn't it because we are always in danger of

thinking that if something bad happens it's because God has got it in for us or

God is wanting us to repent or something like that and there are moments in the New Testament

...