The coronavirus and the Bible are separated by centuries. Yet, amidst stock market plunges and coronavirus, the Bible’s ancient wisdom shows us love is stronger than fear. It was after the election of President Trump in 2016 that I first wrote the words, “Love is stronger than fear.” I wrote a blog post about the fear that both Clinton and Trump supporters felt about where our nation was heading. Those fears haven’t abated in the past few years, and they only increased in the past few weeks as we faced an unprecedented medical and economic crisis across the globe.

Podcast Season Two

Season Two of the Love is Stronger than Fear podcast starts today, and throughout this season I’ll be looking at our current moment of the coronavirus crisis in the context of the ancient wisdom of the Bible, and particularly the book of Philippians. Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote this letter, which is often called an “epistle” (a fancy word for letter) “of joy” from prison. That’s right—Paul was cooped up in a situation far worse than those of us who are unexpectedly at home with our kids, and he was writing about joy. 

That said, Philippians is not a letter of denial in the face of the reality of suffering and sorrow. It is not a letter of positivity that refuses to acknowledge the pain in the world. It’s a message of hope, love, joy, and peace in the midst of a world of sorrow and fear. 

Coronavirus and the Bible’s Ancient Wisdom

Paul, and Jesus, and all the other writers of both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, all lived in times of serious medical and economic uncertainty. And they all wrote about the way they were able to handle that uncertainty, face those fears. They did so by turning and returning to the love of God. 

So in this week’s episode, I’ve recorded my thoughts about our current moment with the coronavirus and about the ways the Bible can guide us through this time. I hope these words offer some comfort, some truth, some solidarity, and maybe even a little bit of humor as you go through your day today. In the weeks to come, I’ll be walking through the book of Philippians as it applies to our contemporary moment.

Please take a moment to subscribe to the Love is Stronger than Fear podcast in iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. And please join me in trusting—even amidst stock market plunges and coronavirus spread—that love is stronger than fear. 

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