Angie Ward - When the Universe Cracks

When the Universe Cracks gives readers a faith-based framework for understanding the complexities our world and the church faced after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Its a timely and important book because it is honest, convicting, practical, and hopeful. When we are hit by lifes disasters, it can be tempting to view our suffering as something to avoid or defeat. Instead, the books authors encourage us to view disasters with Kingdom vision. Through the framework of the gospel, we can most fully process our pain, lament (alone and with others), serve those in need, and heal from trauma. As someone who studies disasters and has also lived through Hurricane Katrina and my own cancer diagnosis, I highly recommend this book.

JAMIE ATEN, P H D, founder and codirector of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College

We are sorting out our lives amid unprecedented disruption, loss, and crisis a true crack-in-the-universe moment. With much wisdom, global experience, passion for the goodness of God, and a love for Christs Kingdom, the fine leaders in this compendium guide us through this perilous landscape. Use this book as a guide to the Kingdom conversations we must have to be moved forward into Gods future.

DAVID FITCH, B. R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary

To live in a fallen world is to live in a world full of crises. Although we live with that truth, it is still difficult to live into that reality. To help lean into the pain and discomfort of living in a cracked universe, Angie Ward assembled a diverse team to speak to the issue of living not just surviving as Gods people in times of crisis. My hope is that God will use this project to help people understand, process, and faithfully proceed from whatever crisis they face now or may face in the future.

ED STETZER, executive director of Wheaton College Billy Graham Center

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.

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When the Universe Cracks: Living as Gods People in Times of Crisis

Copyright 2021 by Angie Ward. All rights reserved.

A NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers

NavPress and the NavPress logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO. Tyndale is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Ministries. Absence of in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

The Team:

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The author is represented by the literary agency of WordServe Literary, www.wordserveliterary.com.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked BSB are from The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, copyright 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 978-1-64158-409-8

ISBN 978-1-64158-411-1 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-64158-412-8 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-64158-410-4 (Apple)

Build: 2021-08-31 10:44:17 EPUB 3.0

A S I WRITE THIS from my home in Denver, Colorado, I can see a fine powder gently descending on my yard, dusting my grill and my patio furniture. I hold my mug of tea, take in the scene, and consider how I will adjust my plans and move my activities indoors for the next few days.

Sounds cozy, doesnt it? Except this powder isnt snow; its ashes from the forest fires that are raging in the mountains just to the west of the city, ravaging our beautiful state. Smoke hovers in the air. My eyes itch. My throat is dry. Its hard to take a full breath.

What a fitting image as I write the introduction for a book about crisis. Between a pandemic, protests, politics, and natural disasters, it seems the whole world is on fire. I recently saw a meme titled If 2020 Was a Scented Candle that featured a photo of a porta potty in flames.

I realize that by the time you read this, the fires of 2020 may have died down. The world may have a widely available vaccine for COVID-19. Americans may have witnessed a peaceful transition of power in the Oval Office. Cities may have rebuilt the facades that were torn off by storms both social and meteorological. Firefighters may have contained the literal blazes that consumed millions of acres of land. But a quick review of history assures us that these crises will simply be replaced by new ones.

Into this ongoing unrest and uncertainty, I humbly offer you this book, the first in NavPresss new Kingdom Conversations series. As our world becomes increasingly turbulent, it is more important than ever to return to our root identity, orientation, and calling as followers of Christ. The Kingdom Conversations series dares to consider that any issue, no matter how complex, may be brought into conversation with what we know of God and of history and of one another, and in so doing, we can find new insight into how the people of God can persevere and bless through the great complexities of our time.

The contributors for this book were chosen with great care. We wanted a variety of voices of ethnicity, gender, and vocation but a shared heart: of love for God, for neighbor, and for Gods people, the church. We looked for expert and experienced leaders whose writing would be fueled by missional passion yet warmed by wisdom. And we sought an integration of views, from global perspective to local practice.

I am absolutely delighted with the result.

Christine Jeske starts us off by defining crisis and explaining the nature and impact of crisis on individuals and societies. From there, D. A. Horton provides an overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, zooming his lens from the panoramic to the personal. Next, Efrem Smith pulls no punches as he reminds us that COVID-19 pales in comparison to the centuries-old crisis of racism, to which the churchs silence has often been deadly.