Addenda 3.5 (May 2020)

What might the apostle Paul say in a letter to a world ravaged by Covid-19? Read and be encouraged:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, to all who are sanctified in Christ Jesus; grace and peace to you. 
    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion, who comforts us in all our troubles. Since I heard of the outbreak of Covid-19 in your countries, I have not stopped praying for you. I have heard that your streets are empty, and people can no longer live normal lives. I have also heard of the distress of families, the sufferings of the elderly and the poor, the loss of jobs and the tears of many.
    May the church of Jesus Christ unite as one body and pray for the healing of the world. I urge, then, that petitions, prayers, and intercession be made for all people, especially for leaders and all those in authority, and for health care workers. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
    My heart’s desire and prayer is that men and women of this generation will seek God and forsake idols; for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 
    Be comforted if you have lost loved ones to Covid-19. Do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we inherit a building from God, an eternal house, not built by human hands.
    Be sober and charitable, and do not vilify people of other races. Encourage one another through psalms, hymns, and songs. Avoid idleness by all means; take this opportunity to grow deeper in the word of God and in your disciplines. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

We’ve all been exposed.
Not necessarily to the virus
(maybe … who even knows).
We’ve all been exposed BY the virus.

Corona is exposing us.
Exposing our weak sides.
Exposing our dark sides.
Exposing what normally lays far beneath the surface of our souls,
hidden by the invisible masks we wear.
Now exposed by the paper masks we can’t hide far enough behind.

Corona is exposing our addiction to comfort.
Our obsession with control.
Our compulsion to hoard.
Our protection of self.

Corona is peeling back our layers.
Tearing down our walls.
Revealing our illusions.
Leveling our best-laid plans.

Corona is exposing the gods we worship:
Our health
Our hurry
Our sense of security.
Our favorite lies
Our secret lusts
Our misplaced trust.

Corona is calling everything into question:
What is the church without a building?
What is my worth without an income?
How do we plan without certainty?
How do we love despite risk?

Corona is exposing me.
My mindless numbing
My endless scrolling
My careless words
My fragile nerves.

We’ve all been exposed.
Our junk laid bare.
Our fears made known.
The band-aid torn.
The masquerade done.

So what now? What’s left?
Clean hands
Clear eyes
Tender hearts.

What Corona reveals, God can heal.

Come Lord Jesus.
Have mercy on us.
(Used with permission.)

Don’t Lose Society Services — Renew Today!
The Society of Christian Scholars is a year old. Time flies! Now it’s time to renew Society memberships. 

But first, help your colleagues by completing a 15-minute survey. Member feedback earlier this year has already guided us to prioritize providing a faster member site, a better membership directory, new research databases, ability to post a job on our job board, and an updated Society public page. 

As a token of our sincere appreciation for your time in completing this survey, we will (1) give you instructions on how to receive 10% off your renewal membership fee after you complete the survey and (2) include you in a drawing to receive one of four $25 (USD) Visa gift cards.*

When renewing membership you will be prompted to log-in to the member site
Renewed membership expires July 1, 2021.
* If you are unable to receive gift cards in your country, we will work with you to provide a gift of equivalent value. 

Don’t Let COVID-19 Stop Your Research — Use the Society Databases
The virus has placed many constraints on academics, one of which, in many locales, is access to quality research and resources. Don’t forget that the Society currently offers 9 EBSCO databases and an additional 17 open-access databases.

Furthermore, three other opportunities available to Society members include:
1. UNESCO’s 500+ digital books: https://livre.fnac.com/n309183/Tous-les-Ebooks-gratuits;
2. The library of the University of Côte d’Ivoire: http://biblio.uvci.edu.ci/
3. Central and Eastern European Association of Mission Studies: https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/

Bruce Barron, head of our Editorial Services department, wants to work himself out of a job. So he’s agreed to host a webinar on Thursday, 18 June 2020, 1400 GMT, on ‘Writing So Well That You Don’t Need an Editor.’  Drawing on real-life examples of academic papers he has edited, Bruce will demonstrate how he improves other people’s writing as an editor. He also wants to show you can apply the same principles to your own composition of everything from research papers to daily communications. Expect a few laughs along with some colorful insights on effective writing.

Feel free to share the below URL with your colleagues. Join the conversation by registering here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yd0kmKRTTDmf_jv-0WN4ow

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