Faith and Pandemic: Covid-19 in Perspectives Towards Theo-Pandemology

Contents: Introduction. 1. Faith and Pandemic: Divesting into the Reality and Theological Challenges/M. Peter Singh. 2. Disease, Death, and Human Body in Hebrew Bible: A Pandemic Perspective!/John Samuel. 3. Understanding the Covid-19 Pandemic with the Eye of Hebrew Bible: Towards Enunciating Theologies from the Old Testament in the Context of Pandemic/Aravind Jeyakumar Moniraj. 4. Reading Book of Job Theologically from Pandemic Perspective/Nagaiyasamy N. S. Samuel. 5. Pestilence-Plagues and Empire in New Testament/V. John Pradeep Kumar. 6. Covid and the Aged: The Metaphor of Soma as a Hermeneutical Paradigm for Caring the Elderly/Edwin Jebaraj. 7. ‘Woman, Arise!’ Rethinking Sickness and Death in the Context of Covid-19 Pandemic/Shanthi Sudha Monica. 8. Major Pandemics in the World History: An Overview/David Joseph Raj. 9. Pandemic and Early Christian Responses: Insights for Holistic Christian Witness/Babu. C. 10. Paradigm Shifts in Understanding Mission and Ministry of the Church in Covid-19 Pandemic Context/K. Vijayan. 11. Covid-19 and Migrants: Redefining Faith Amidst Challenges/Rebecca Azariah. 12. Covid-19 and Children: Towards a Holistic Mission Partnership/Vinod S. Sailus. 13. Religion as a ‘Social Determinant’: An Exploration of the Responses of Faith Communities to Pandemics/Giri Krishnan. 14. Pursuing Daivika Svasthya in the Course of Maraka: A Hindu Theo-epidemiological Appraisal/Wilson Paluri. 15. New Media: A Caregiver for the Aged/D. Samuel Sounderaraj Singh. 16. Dalit Feminist Christology of Ubuntu during Double Pandemic/Nelavala Gnana Prasuna. 17. Covid-19: A Call for Theological Equilibrium/J. Daniel Kirubaraj. 18. Faith and Pandemic: Towards a Transgressive Theology and Ethics/Mervin Shinoj Boas. 19. Theo-ethical Analysis of Pandemic and Faith: An Exploration Towards Theo-pandemology/Songram Basumatary.

The book Faith and Pandemic is yet another bold theological step of Gurukul in it adventurous journey “Towards Bold Theological Vision” which critically examines the impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic on Faith and the conventional theological responses to human suffering from diseases, natural calamities and disasters. The book basically tries to answer the basic question – “How do we understand and face the Covid-19 Pandemic that has shaken the entire world unlike ever before impacting every realm of human life across faith communities, caste/class, and colour in an unprecedented proportion?” The distinctive contribution of the volume is the neologism, a new theological construct – Theo-pandemology that brings new light on the very perception of God, of human suffering and of faith/religion and make a radical counter against the theological normativity or simplistic theological answers to the question of human suffering. Notwithstanding the radical theological challenge, the book also provides viable practical responses to existential and theological questions raised by common people suffering from Covid-19 Pandemic and its impacts.