A Theological Statement on the Coronavirus Pandemic: Living the Faith Responsibly
Abstract This Statement is a response to the challenge that the church and Christian communities around the world face as a result of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the regulations that have been imposed in order to control the spread of infections. The paper starts off by explaining tha...
| Published in: | Religion & theology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2020
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| In: |
Religion & theology
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
COVID-19 (Disease)
/ Pandemic
/ Christian
/ Ethics of responsibility
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| RelBib Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CH Christianity and Society FA Theology |
| Further subjects: | B
Covid-19
B Human Suffering B coronavirus pandemic B South Africa B being church B God |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Abstract This Statement is a response to the challenge that the church and Christian communities around the world face as a result of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the regulations that have been imposed in order to control the spread of infections. The paper starts off by explaining that pandemics may be a challenge and an opportunity to the faith. Special attention is paid to the coronavirus pandemic, its origins, the effect on public health systems around the world, and its impact on the socio-economic livelihoods; the role of medical health scientists and the breakdown and disruption of communities, the economic arrangements of states. It also raises questions about the possibility of a new world order that seeks a more equal, compassionate and humane world. On that basis, the paper raises some pertinent theological questions that arise for the church and for faith communities. It explores and examines theological questions that arise out of a world that is broken and suffering, beset by devastation and yet called to live the faith responsibly and truthfully. The questions that arise are pre-eminently about God and the meaning of the divine and how God manifests Good during dark times. The paper raises some of the dilemmas that traditional faith practices are confronted by the pandemic especially in areas like worship, the sacraments and understanding the value of technology in the practice of the faith. Finally, the paper explores implications for the life of the church, especially in the moral life of the Christian community and the dilemmas posed by public ethics. |
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| ISSN: | 1574-3012 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion & theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15743012-02703006 |