Rebuilding the community and the church post-COVID-19

Verster, Pieter

doi:10.46222/pharosjot.102.043

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In the process, COVID-19 necessitates changes in the worldview. This is attested by Verster (2021) that:…”

Section: Theodicy Beyond Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 94%

Where is God when it hurts? Theodicy from the pain of COVID-19

Resane

2023

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi

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This article attempts to answer the question of God’s compassion during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many people are asking questions about God’s care and love amid situations where they could not mourn the loss of the loved ones and find closure. African philosophy of death, mourning rituals and funeral ceremonies were curtailed or restricted by the government and therefore, mourners were left with wounds because they could not find closure for the loss of their loved ones. The aim is to point out that people are still mourning, as lockdown restrictions limited them from going through a grieving process, and that people, left with post-corona effects, are still asking the reality of God’s presence during times filled with pain. The interdisciplinary approach to the reality of situation, press releases and literature review are all combined to locate theodicy during the periods of pain. It is discovered that many who did not mourn and grieve culturally and religiously are still struggling emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Bereavement processes that were muzzled, can still be addressed theologically. Theodicy, as a theological concept, is utilised as a tool to strengthen faith and hope. Hope remains an anchor that keeps humanity floating above the circumstances. Eschatological hope remains the pillar when COVID-19 is deemed as a contradiction to the goodness of God. The conclusion is that, although the character of God such as love, kindness, empathy et cetera, is questioned, the reassuring message remains that God continues to comfort, guide and heal despite crises facing humanity. Humanity still needs post-grief healing and closure in order to reimagine and reassert normality of life.Contribution: The author aims to highlight the importance of healing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to answer the question of theodicy during the crises. How does one reconcile the goodness of God and the devastation of a pandemic during and after sufferings the world has experienced when one’s socio-cultural structures are challenged?

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“…In the process, COVID-19 necessitates changes in the worldview. This is attested by Verster (2021) that:…”

Section: Theodicy Beyond Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 94%

Where is God when it hurts? Theodicy from the pain of COVID-19

Resane

2023

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi

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“…Berdasarkan literatur dalam al-Qur'an, dosa menyebabkan kejadian besar dalam kehidupan manusia. Mengenai sejarah kehidupan manusia lampau, dosa boleh membawa kepada kemurkaan Tuhan (Verster, 2020). Peristiwa tenggelamnya bumi tempat tinggal Nabi Nuh, kemusnahan kaum Nabi Luth, dan kemusnahan kaum Tsamud adalah contoh kebinasaan yang menyebabkan dosa.…”

Section: Menjauhi Kemungkaran Dan Maksiatunclassified

Preparing for the Next Pandemic: SolutionsAccording to Islam

Ismail¹,

Masruri²,

Zahari³

et al. 2023

JQSR

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Pandemic management is a challengingmatter for all parties. Severe uncertainty prevailed regarding adaptation to the epidemic, leaving more lives unsalvageable. Health organizations continue to move to obtain and communicate information about the pandemic to all corners of the world, especially to at-risk populations. However, literacy related to pandemic information from Islamic literature is still limited. This study is qualitative, by analyzing the literature to find out the Islamic approach in facing the pandemic. Our study generalizes Islamic strategies in dealing with deadly disease outbreaks before, during, and after the outbreak. This study found that the Islamic strategy in dealing with deadly disease outbreaks is to stay away from immoral acts, a solid spiritual preparation. In addition, strict SOP enforcement actions to the community during the pandemic to ensure the spread of the epidemic can be controlled. Islam offers a combined approach of spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual care in the face of deadly disease pandemics. We suggest epidemic-related guidelines in a holistic form for future research.

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“…The COVID-19 crisis had profound implications for all who suffered the loss of lives and livelihoods during this segment of their lives. Verster (2021, p. 2) elucidates that 'COVID-19 is a dreadful disease that led to millions of deaths, massive financial loss, and other community challenges'. Moreover, there is no hesitation in admitting that the COVID-19 pandemic has also directly affected the mental health of communities and their leaders (Lekoa & Ntuli 2021, p. 1;Oberholzer 2022, p. 2).…”

Section: Repercussions Of the Covid-19 Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections on re-imagining leadership in post-COVID-19 Africa

du Toit,

Brunsdon

2023

Theological Perspectives on Re-Imagining Leadership in Post-Covid-19 Africa

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Peer-review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer-Review of Scholarly Books'. The book proposal form was evaluated by our Theological and Religious Studies editorial board. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer-review before publication by two technical expert reviewers who did not include the author(s) or editor(s) and were independent of the author(s) and editor(s), with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher, editor(s) and author(s). The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's author(s) and editor(s) to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revisions and improvements, the author(s) and editor(s) responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published.v Research justificationThis publication advances theological perspectives on the re-imagination of leadership within a post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) African context. Since the effects of COVID-19 are felt on various levels of society, which includes the believing community, a need was identified to provide guidance to leaders on various levels. However, the need for moral, ethical leadership in Africa could be identified even before the pandemic. In many respects, COVID-19 merely enhanced the inherent leadership crisis in Africa. While there are existing publications on the theological understanding of leadership, this book specifically focuses on addressing leadership in this unique time and space. The book consists of eleven chapters, in which the first five chapters provide bibliological perspectives on leadership (one from the Old Testament and four from the New Testament). Chapters 6 and 7 offer practical theological perspectives, Chapters 8 and 9 missiological perspectives and Chapter 10 an ethical perspective. Chapter 11 consists of a summative reflection and synthesis of the various contributions.Contributions in this book are based on original research, each from the field of expertise of each researcher. While the bibliological perspectives provide detail on the character and foundation of biblical leadership, the practical theological and missiological contributions mostly address the desired outcomes of moral and ethical leadership. An ethical perspective on leadership further argues the ethical and moral underpinnings of virtuous leadership. The main thesis of the book is that leadership in Africa should be selfless, just and fair, based on Jesus' example, flowing from a conversion experience and animated by the indwelling Christ, leading to spiritual maturity and, eventually, hope, transformation and emotional restoration.Methodologically, the work can be described as multidisciplinary, drawin...

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Rebuilding the community and the church post-COVID-19

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Where is God when it hurts? Theodicy from the pain of COVID-19

Where is God when it hurts? Theodicy from the pain of COVID-19

Preparing for the Next Pandemic: SolutionsAccording to Islam

Reflections on re-imagining leadership in post-COVID-19 Africa

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