Charlotte, NC. (June 5, 2020). The Good Book Company gratefully celebrates the milestone of Where is God in a Coronavirus World?, by John Lennox, released April 2020, surpassing 100,000 copies sold worldwide. The book has also been translated into more than 25 languages.
This short yet profound book examines the coronavirus pandemic in light of various belief systems and shows how the Christian worldview not only helps to make sense of it, but also offers a sure and certain hope to cling to.
Author and Oxford mathematics professor John Lennox explains: “This book consists of my reflections on what we are experiencing right now…I would invite you, the reader, to view the book like this: we are sitting in a coffee shop (if only we could!) and you have asked me the question on the book cover. I put down my coffee cup and attempt to give you an honest answer. What follows is what I would try to say in order to convey some comfort, support and hope.”
A Quick Turnaround
Written in two weeks, the book was produced in record time through the coordinated efforts of The Good Book Company team. “We instantly saw the opportunity and challenge to make this book available really quickly,” said UK-based Publishing Director Tim Thornborough. “We believe our role as a publisher is to support the local church with resources to help their growth and evangelism.”
This book is intended both to comfort believers and to create opportunities for conversation with unbelievers. Many members of the team, as well as individuals, ministries, and churches around the globe, have been creatively giving out copies of the book as a means of sharing the hope of Jesus Christ during uncertain times. Thornborough explains, “This book not only helps confused or anxious Christians to make sense of what God is up to in this crisis, but also speaks directly to those who do not yet know Christ, and shows them how the Christian worldview makes sense of our situation—better sense, in fact than competing worldviews, particularly atheism.”
Positive Impact
With positive reports on the receipt of this book from hard-hit countries as well as regions of the world where the gospel is typically unwelcome, The Good Book Company is especially grateful to all those who have worked to translate the book into more than 25 languages, including some minority languages like Faroese and Macedonian.
The Rights team was overwhelmed with requests for translations. “We wanted to prioritise those countries that were particularly hard hit by the virus at that time: Spain and Italy”, said Rights coordinator Elizabeth Parsons. “Knowing that there would be printing and distribution challenges in many countries, we decided to offer a license that allowed ministry-minded publishers like ourselves to distribute quickly and freely without a financial penalty to themselves. We stipulated in the contract that they should translate and produce the book within just three weeks.”
As a result, the book has been distributed for free in ebook format in countries where physical print has not been possible because of printer closures. In excess of 200,000 copies have been sent throughout Latin America through various national Bible Societies.
The Opportunity to Serve
Released as a paperback, ebook, and now as an audiobook, Where is God in a Coronavirus World? is proving to support the mission of providing Biblical, accessible, and relevant resources. J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, says, “This is a timely, well-written piece that helps us maintain perspective on eternity during these difficult times. John does a phenomenal job tackling some very important questions that many of us and those around us are facing as COVID-19 continues to sweep across the globe. This is a biblical, gospel-centered reminder that God is still on his throne, and he is leading us into a world where all sad things will come untrue.”
“We are delighted that this insightful and powerful book has already made such an impact,” said James Burstow, President of the The Good Book Company’s US Corp, based in Charlotte NC. “It’s at times like these when we have to put aside our usual considerations for commercial profit and work together to serve the church, as it seeks to serve the Lord and the gospel message.”
The Good Book Company also produced a book aimed at helping Christians to pray thoughtfully and biblically through the crisis: 5 Things to Pray in a Global Crisis, written by staff writer Rachel Jones.
More information can be found at thegoodbook.com/where-is-god-in-a-coronavirus-world.
About the author: John Lennox is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Said Business School and an Adjunct Lecturer for The Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics. He has been part of numerous public debates defending the Christian faith against well-known atheists including Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Peter Singer.
About The Good Book Company: Founded in 1991, The Good Book Company (TGBC) is an international Christian publisher. Their Bible studies, books, devotionals, videos, tracts, evangelistic courses, and training materials are used throughout the English-speaking world, and in translation in over 35 languages worldwide. Everyone at TGBC is passionate about the Lord Jesus, His word, His church, and His gospel of grace. They create and publish biblical, relevant, and accessible resources that will encourage Christians to keep going, keep growing, and keep sharing their faith.
Contact: For media inquiries and access to promotional assets, contact publicity@thegoodbook.com.
