Hope Beyond Pandemic

Book excerpt: Our lives have been disrupted by a pandemic, but at some point we will find a new normal. What will we do then? Better, what should we do then? Bruce Epperly has been writing while living through this time as a pastor, teacher, author, and grandparent. He provided some lessons for a hopeful, fulfilling life during the pandemic in his book Faith in a Time of Pandemic. In this book, he goes beyond that time to look at what these experiences should challenge us to do. How can we live better in the world. Fearlessly but gently he takes on issues of injustice, intolerance, inequality in society and discusses how the interdependence we have found during this time needs to be lived out in our society as a whole. His solutions are spiritual, social, and yes, political. Each chapter of the book includes a section titled “Hopeful Activism,” with suggestions on what to do about the issues discussed, a section on spirituality, and a prayer—one that is challenging to pray! This book is suitable for individual reading, but it will find its greatest value as a small group or churchwide study, or perhaps as a hopeful, forward looking study to do together online while we continue in social distancing.