Podcast

Prayer amid Pandemic

Sickness Shaped the Faith of This Family of Fourth-Century Theologians

How Macrina’s untimely death impacted her brothers Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa.

The most famous siblings of the early church are likely two brothers, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, and their sister Macrina. “She was deeply precious to them for her love, her insight, and her wisdom; they even called her “Teacher,” wrote David Hutchings for Christianity Today last year. Macrina ultimately died after a long battle with an unknown illness. Her life and suffering inspired several works by Gregory of Nyssa, including the Life of Macrina and On the Soul and the Resurrection.

On this episode of Prayer amid Pandemic, Amy Brown Hughes, assistant professor of theology at Gordon College and author of Christian Women in the Patristic World: Their Influence, Authority and Legacy in the Second Through Fifth Centuries, along with Lynn H. Cohick, discusses Basil, Macrina, and Gregory’s remarkable family, why Macrina’s death made such an impression, and what the church needs to hear from them today.

Karen Stiller, author of The Minister’s Wife: a memoir of faith, doubt, friendship, loneliness, forgiveness and more, and editor of Faith Today magazine, is based in Canada, offers this episode’s prayer.

Read Christianity Today’s latest coronavirus coverage

What is Prayer amid Pandemic? Read more

Rate Prayer amid Pandemic on Apple Podcasts

Follow the podcast on Twitter

Follow the host on Twitter: Morgan Lee

Music by Urban Nerd Beats, Prod. Riddiman, and Oliver Dúvel

Prayer amid Pandemic is produced by Morgan Lee, Mike Cosper, and Erik Petrik

Our Latest

Analysis

Bondi Beach Shooting Compels Christians to Stand with Jews

The Bulletin with Josh Stanton and Robert Stearns

Jewish-Christian friendships offer solace and solidarity after antisemitic violence.

Who Writes History When There Is No Winner?

Lebanon’s civil war is a taboo subject. A group of Christians and Muslims is broaching it.

Review

Review: Angel Studios’ ‘David’

Peter T. Chattaway

Artistically, it’s ambitious. Narratively, it works. But it’s no “The Prince of Egypt.”

My Son’s Last Christmas at Home

Christmastime comes with its own losses and longings. God understands them.

The Russell Moore Show

David Platt on All You Want for Christmas

What if the most radical thing about Christmas isn’t that God came near—but that he came to serve?

Excerpt

The Story Behind Handel’s ‘Messiah’

The Bulletin with Charles King

Meet the unlikely characters who defined this musical classic.

News

The Christians Helping People Enslaved by Cybercrime Scam Centers

Erin Foley in Mae Sot, Thailand

After Myanmar’s military raided a compound, a network of ministries helps trafficking victims return home.

Dreaming Against the Machine

Technologies like AI privilege “growth” and “effectiveness” over imagination and inefficiency. God operates differently.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube